hand forging 52100?/bit of more then i could chew

D

Dakota 11

Joined
Apr 14, 2006
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i got some 1 1/2 in diameter 52100 rod thinking i could just pound it out and make some flat bars out of. Yeah right that shit hardly moves when i hit it. I have been swinging a hammer on construction sites for almost 15 years so i know how to do that part. i was in temp range of about 1650-1700 i wanted to stay up towards 1700 as i had hopes that it would move easier at high temps. after 30 minutes i had roughly a square shape instead of round and it had grown in length a whopping 1/2 inch. knowing that i want to make roughly a 12 inch long bar 1/4 thick and 1 1/2 wide i realize that i may never make it in a reasonable amount of time. i was using a 4 lb hammer at the time. so am i an idiot or do other people do this buy hand from this size of round. my next line of thinking has me getting a 16 pound sledge and having my brother hold the metal in place on anvil for me as i put more powe to it. is this a viable option? Not only that but my left hand hurts like no tomorrow from the vibrations i was getting threw the rod i had welded to the piece i was trying to enlarge. if any 1 is doing this buy hand how much time are u putting into your forged blade?
 
Big difference from 3/4" to 1 1/2". You need a press or a little giant for something of that size especially with 52100. At least you had a nice workout. :D
 
If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Not that it's a math question, but a 16# maul with a very flat stricking base will not have the movement that a good crown on a 4#, hitting the spot you wanted to hit will have. Enegery is the speed of the hammer X the waight devided by the area, the crown is the trick. Again, If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

52100 has an attatude, but movable with out ruining it with too much heat.
 
I've been forging a lot of 52100 rollers lately. I don't have a power hammer or a press, so I keep myself down to the 3/4" and smaller rollers. I have access to a power hammer and a press at a couple of my neighbors for the bigger rollers, but I'm saving them for the most part until I get a hammer or press.

I'm sticking with sizes that I can handle with my 2# hammer for the time being. It does move slowly, but it will move. I agree with the good crown on your hammer suggestion. I can take a roller that is 3/4" round by about 1-1/2" long and forge a knife out of it in about an hour and a half.

Look at the bright side. You'll develop some real nice Popeye forearms!

Ickie
 
It's doable, but will build your arm up in the process. I fully second the suggestion for more heat though. When I'm working damascus, etc in large sizes and want it to move, I heat to 2100-2200F. Don't worry about grain size or anything at this point, you'll reset that with your HT if done properly. Not saying it will be easy, but that few hundred degrees hotter will make a WORLD of difference.

-d
 
I'm agree with some above... get a real nice crown on the hammer... and do some fullering.. .. ..

personally... if someone near by has a powerhammer... i'd see if you can get some time on it... break it down to usable size... now all you have to worry about is making the knife and not sore hands.. ;)

my self i'd use an 8lb hand hammer..... the 4 would move slowly


good luck and don't overdue it..

G
 
ok ill try a 8 lb hammer and more heat. It wasnt even really exercise for me, more like excersice in futility. Considering i work out 5 days a week and jog 21 miles a week i hardly broke a sweet in that 30 minutes. ill give it another go round this next weekend and see if i make better progress.
 
I took a heavier ballpein head and ground it into a fairly large radius cross pein so that it would consentrate the psi and it will move metal but you do have to flatten in between drawing. Bill A.
 
Dakota 11 said:
ok ill try a 8 lb hammer and more heat. It wasnt even really exercise for me, more like excersice in futility. Considering i work out 5 days a week and jog 21 miles a week i hardly broke a sweet in that 30 minutes. ill give it another go round this next weekend and see if i make better progress.
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like you should be able to do it with just a fist. Several months ago Icky (the Thumper) and I tried one of his barrel 52100 bearings that was a good 1 1/2" in diameter. We got it down to maybe 7/8" square before he ran out of gas and that was with a 10 and an 8 pound hammer. Once you get it down to something that resembles a bar it forges pretty good. Let us know how it goes in your next session.
 
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