Small hatchet

[Lin Rhea]

   

[gudspelr]

That's a really nice looking one, Lin. I'd bet these hatchets you're putting out are fantastic little work horses. And I especially like that you make your own handles for them. For me, it just gives that extra bit of "custom" to an already very nice piece.

Jeremy

[4runr]

Very nice, Sir!

[Bladepeek]

Looks a little large to keep in the medecine cabinet in place of my razor, but also looks like it would work just fine    

Nice

[Lin Rhea]

Thanks guys.

This one is 13 inches end to end with a 2-1/2 inch cutting edge and it is sharp. There is a layer of 4140 over the poll to toughen it a little. It's folded with a 5160 bit. Light and small. It would make field butchering easier.

[Track]

Great looking axe Lin. Have to agree with gudspelr on that handle too.

[srtben]

Looks like an heirloom quality tool to me!
Nice work Lin.

[tomsm44]

That's just plain awesome.

[Ray Hammond]

yessir, that'll do it!

[gudspelr]

Lin-

I was actually wondering about the poll... Do you just butt weld a square of the 4140 onto the bar, then fold it over and weld in the bit?

I tried doing something like I just described with a hawk and had some difficulties... I ground the outer edges of the square piece of tool steel and forge welded it to the flat bar of wrought iron. Then I started folding the bar, ultimately around the hawk drift. The piece on the back for the poll made getting the curve at the back of the drift a bit difficult (stiffer steel than the wrought...) and even started pulling the forge weld apart just a fuzz at the very edges.

Any pointers from a guy as good as you would be happily taken...

Jeremy

[ymountainman]

Thanks for posting Lin. Impressive!

[Lin Rhea]

Thanks guys.

Jeremy,
        I did bevel the square of the high carbon before I welded it. but keep in mind that I will keep welding it till I am happy. So don't think it always takes the first time. I bump it lightly at first and if it sticks I reduce it just a little. The temperatures are so hot that I have to just bump it in a circular motion. If it's hit too hard, it will either not weld or it will deform it into something unrecognizable. After the weld and it's folded, the sides can be again driven inward to push the poll out toward the back.

[Lin Rhea]

I re read your post Jeremy.

I see the problem. Don't try to bend it around the drift. Just bend the whole thing over the edge of the anvil. This requires a welding heat too. Naturally the thinner eye walls will be where the bend takes place, right where it thickens at the poll. That's ok for now. You are just getting everything lined up and prepared to grip it by the front "lips". Once you figure out how to hold it, put it back into the fire or forge and get the poll very hot. Bring it out and drive the poll sides in flipping it to keep it even. Flip it with your wrist, not by sitting it down and re gripping. You will lose too much heat that way. While doing this, don't crush the walls in closed. They will get distorted some but that is what the drift is for. After the weld you can re shape the eye with the drift.

Also in your post you said you were trying to weld a poll on a hawk. I don't put a poll on a hawk. Not sure if you made a typo.

Look at these three pics and see the stages. This is an axe.
   
   
Folded. Notice that the eye walls are bent and not the poll. This just right for the moment. After you get a grip on the front end, you re heat and drive the poll sides inward as I mentioned.
   
This is after the poll has been driven in on the sides but before the weld. Same axe.
   
After the weld the eye is drifted to shape.
   

[gudspelr]

No, it wasn't a typo-I was trying to get a "hammerable" face on the back of a hawk. Perhaps I should try getting a little hatchet sized drift made up and look to go that route.

Your pics show exactly what my problem was. I'd end up with that more square back end at the poll and just had a heck of a time getting it rounded at all. I like your sequence of doing things-makes sense. If I could ask one more clarifying question...? When you go to working on the poll to get it more rounded, where are you hammering? Is most of the hammer face on the side of the poll and the rest of the eye/"lips" are off the edge of the anvil? Then you can just flip it to the other side like you were talking about and continue hammering?

I hope that makes some level of sense. And thank you so much for taking all the time to post those photos. They're really helpful.

Jeremy

[Lin Rhea]

Yes Jeremy. Except I use the middle of the anvil top. That way, I can tip up or down very slightly to steer the poll centered and I wont get any lines in the side from the anvil edge.

You will notice that the back of the eye is rounded and the back of the poll ends up square-ish. The eye will want to round when you upset the poll sides but so will the back of the poll. To square the poll and widen the poll face, I heat the poll area to welding heat, stick the drift in snug and, pound the poll face squarely on the anvil. The drift keeps the eye shape and the poll face is upsetting back into itself. You may have to do this back and forth to settle the material exactly the way you want.

As long as you are in control with your heat, you can get away with a lot. Some of your efforts need to be at a high heat, some not so high. Upsetting is always at a high heat especially when you are in the vicinity of a weld. So use a welding heat then. Your thermo cycle will take care of the grain size later.

[gudspelr]

You're a wealth of knowledge, sir. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the insights, Lin.


Jeremy