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I'd like to get a bronze tomahawk...
- Thread starter scouter27
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Functional for what? Bronze isn't a great metal for cutting anything much harder than flesh. Are you looking for a modern hawk cast in bronze?
-Xander
-Xander
It's not that I'd actually use it, I just want the quality. I guess I'm not really sure what that would even mean, but I don't want a piece meant for hanging on the wall.
Brass isn't bronze
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Sounds like you want a piece made using proper construction techniques and materials (except for the bronze). Sounds interesting, I have about 50# of bronze sitting in the shop, might be worth a try for me. Don't know when I will have the time, but id like to try it someday.
-Xander
-Xander
Bronze was used for a few thousand years of our evolution and built cabins as well as killed our enemies.
Absolutely no reason that you couldn't make a bronze axe/adze/hatchet/celt and use it. It just won't wear as slowly as iron or cut as quickly.
Considering the melting point of brass and copper, you should be able to pour one in your back yard!
Absolutely no reason that you couldn't make a bronze axe/adze/hatchet/celt and use it. It just won't wear as slowly as iron or cut as quickly.
Considering the melting point of brass and copper, you should be able to pour one in your back yard!
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Casting can be dangerous, use extreme caution. Most bronze items will have zinc in them which will cause toxic gas when smelted. Cold forged to work harden the edge would be ideal. No doubt it can be used to build a civilation, it has been done, but for todays average 'hawk user it would likely be abused beyond its limits. Even splitting soft wood will deform the edge after short use I suspect. Either way, a worthwhile project I think.
-Xander
-Xander
Square_peg
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I think it's a cool idea. I can't wait to see it.
Zinc makes brass not bronze. Bronze is a copper and tin or aluminum alloy typically.
That's tin and copper. Sadly, I couldn't do it in my yard right now, as I would be promptly fined and shut down because of where I live.
Ron Hood has a small video series on casting bronze though, so maybe I should move and make it happen. Sounds like a lot of fun, and maybe a potential business.
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Not all bronze is classic 85/15. Zinc is present in many bronze alloys used in indutry.
-Xander
-Xander
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If you do your homework and wear the propper saftey gear and work in a ventalated enviorment you will be ok. I used to cast bronze back in college, we had a furnace that was made using an old Kirby vacume cleaner for the blower. The body of the furnace was a steel bucket linned with fire clay. It worked very well. You can make a really great mold using the "lost wax" method but you will need some kind of a high temp oven to bake it in prior to casting. You might even be able to take some classes at your local community college and do it for a class project.
Some alloys of brass might give a better edge than others. My understanding is that the edge is work hardened. This is interesting to me as there are designs for a waste oil burner that will melt cast iron, brass, bronze,aluminum, and etc. It won't do steel, though. The man who designed it used the cast iron to make crucibles for the other metals. Just a hint of moisture could cause and explosion during casting so care is required.
But since I'd likely be mixing it myself, this won't be an issue unless I chose for it to be. I'd prefer to make as simple an allow as practical.
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Sounds like you have a decent idea of what's involved. Check out this site for more info. Also, there are several members on here that are/were jewelers and have lots of casting experiance. Page of Sun Shadow Design comes to mind, nice guy too.
http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/
-Xander
http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/
-Xander
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The 5000 year old ice man was packing a copper axe. It would be very interesting to make and try one.
Scouter, I think this is really interesting, hope you keep use updated. You would have to try using it wouldn't you?
From what I've read the hardest part would be making a burner to melt the bronze. You might be able to get the tin and copper from a local recycler. Probably take $20 worth.
You could make a design out of wood, then press it into the sand.
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Bit of a necro here, but I just ran across this. If you're looking for an accurate recreation of a small bronze age tomahawk-esque axe, check out Neil Burridge's work at bronze-age-craft.com or bronze-age-swords.com. I'd suggest maybe a palstave style head. Neil's work is peerless, the most historically accurate currently available for sale that I know of. His work's not cheap (finished palstave head, sans handle will probably run you around $110 shipped from the UK), but the quality is indeed there. :thumbup:
Otzi the Iceman's axe is a fascinating artifact. Cast of almost pure copper, cold forged, then ground to final shape. Also shows signs of decent amount of use and resharpening on stones (probably frequent sharpening, as copper is not exactly the king of edge holding
). But what the hell? It worked. :thumbup: There's a guy a Brit Blades who made a rough copy of it from copper bar stock, but left a nice hammered finish on it. Absolutely stunning piece of work. Just search for Otzi's axe or Otzi the iceman's axe + brit blades or british blades and you should come up with a link to the thread.
Otzi the Iceman's axe is a fascinating artifact. Cast of almost pure copper, cold forged, then ground to final shape. Also shows signs of decent amount of use and resharpening on stones (probably frequent sharpening, as copper is not exactly the king of edge holding
). But what the hell? It worked. :thumbup: There's a guy a Brit Blades who made a rough copy of it from copper bar stock, but left a nice hammered finish on it. Absolutely stunning piece of work. Just search for Otzi's axe or Otzi the iceman's axe + brit blades or british blades and you should come up with a link to the thread.
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