kingpin for a hammer??

[RichSwinson]

Hey guys does anyone happen to know what kind of metal a kingpin is? I work in a diesal shop for semi trucks and they toss out soo much metal parts from these trucks its crazy! So I ended up with three or four kingpins. I would like to try and make a rounding hammer from one and wanted some thoughts. I've tried Googling the maker but can't find if they list exactly what they're made of. I cut one down with a chop saw and can tell you they're are extremely hard. It took quite a while to cut. I've read that axle parts are good for making tools and since the kingpin is what holds everything together I'm sure its tough stuff right? But is it the RIGHT stuff? Any help would be great. Its about 2 an a half inches wide by 8 inches long. It looks like a large piece of round stock.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Can you make a hammer from it - sure.

Will it be a great hammer and will it be cost effective - almost surely not.


You would need to anneal it, drift the eye, HT it and draw a proper temper ( with hardness testing), and handle it. Unless you already have a very complete forge setup with drift sets and Rockwell testers, it will cost a lot to make one. A good forging hammer costs $30.

All the above ignores the fact that you would need a couple of good hammers to make the hammer.

If you get the hammer making bug, order 4" or 5" pieces of 4140 1.5" or 2" hex stock and use a mill to make the eye.