First Axe

Sam Salvati

Sam Salvati

Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
5,060
Made my first tomahawk today. Watched Modern Marvels on axes and finally got the urge to get my buttocks off the couch and go do some smithing. Forged from W1 square bar, the eye hole was slot punched with a slot punch I made from 4140 1 inch round bar, then I drifted it to shape (first time I ever made and used a slot punch too, worked out very well). Hardened in Park's, then draw tempered with a torch (will do a 400F temper for an hour or two when I get my temper tank up and running again). the handle still needs to have the wedge finished and the metal wedges added. Here is pictures, comments and critique welcome:

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Beautiful! A very nice axe, the profile from the top is excellent, and it looks great, too.
 
Very nice work. I note the hammer style eye instead of the reverse taper hawk-eye. Nothing wrong with that, the old stuff refers to "adze eye" grub hoes, etc, meaning that it had this hammer eye and not a tomahawk eye. NOW GO OUT AND CUT SOMETHING!;)
 
Very kewl ax ya made there Sam! Although I thought it was critical to get W1 to a preheated 400º tempering oven with in minutes, if not seconds, after quench or run the risk of it pinging even after quench. (think of it like a hang fire in muzzleloaders i guess) anyway that is an awesome hawk! :D :thumbup:
 
About time. You've been saying you were going to do this for MONTHS.

BTW, HELL YES. Sweet shape. Nice taper.
What kind of wood?

Oh wait, don't use your tempering tank. You'll never get around to it. Can't you just throw it in the kitchen oven at 450 for a few hours? Then it'll actually get FINISHED. BAM. Heheheh.
 
Thanks guys!!!!!

Fox Creek, you got a good eye. I like how solid the hammer type construction is, so I figured I'd try it with an axe/hawk.

JS, I quenched it, and while it was still warm from the quench (under MS however) I started tempering with the torch. I really did that just to get a temper on it, I will still do a 1 hour 400F temper on it.

John, I know I KNOW. Looks pretty sweet though after all that talkin' though :D. The wood is hickory.
 
Nice axe Sam.

FWIW Sam- if you quenched it and started a temper after Ms but before Mf, you did little or no tempering at all. You just delayed the Mf. Sort of a poor mans marquench (but not really doing much). It has to go down to room temp first then back up to temper point....then back down to room temp....etc.

In any case, it should hold up to mete's pumpkins.
Stacy
 
very nice axe. im needing to learn how to slot and drift a hole like that. im now wanting to forge out a few hammers. but great looking AXE
 
Thanks guys! Stacy, it was warm to the touch when I started with the torch, i'll still get the 400F temper on it though which should take care of any untempered bits I might have ended up with.

JT, when I make the next one I will remember to have batteries for the camera and do a how-to.
 
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