old digging bar

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Joined
Jun 17, 2001
Messages
5,705
There's a military surplus store close by that I like to check out from time to time. I'm always looking for hex or octagon shaped steel and happened to spot this old digging bar. It wasn't the straightest piece of steel I have seen but I figured for $2.50 I couldn't go wrong. The bar was a good 4' with 1 1/4" octagon shape. Anyway I started forging on the hawk Saturday, a little yesterday, and a little more this morning. I cheated and used the spayed out end for the front. Still had to do a lot of forging but saved several hammer blows. This is a big head. 10" and it weighs just under 2 pounds at this time. Just added the finished head so you can see before and after. Its down to 1 1/2 pounds now.

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Raymond Richard said:
There's a military surplus store close by that I like to check out from time to time. I'm always looking for hex or octagon shaped steel and happened to spot this old digging bar. It wasn't the straightest piece of steel I have seen but I figured for $2.50 I couldn't go wrong. The bar was a good 4' with 1 1/4" octagon shape. Anyway I started forging on the hawk Saturday, a little yesterday, and a little more this morning. I cheated and used the spayed out end for the front. Still had to do a lot of forging but saved several hammer blows. This is a big head. 10" and it weighs just under 2 pounds at this time.
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That'll be a monster Ray...Can't wait to see how you finish it! Just don't drop it on those exposed toes in the shop! :eek:

-d
 
I got the head heat treated and finished now. Its up on the first post in case anyone wants to look. What the heck I'll put the picture here also.

PDRM0206.JPG
 
Looking goood Ray !! BTW I have a few questions if you don't mind, 1, what type of tongs do you use to hold the hawk head while forging? (I must drop the head 7-8 times before I'm done with one) 2, How do you start your eye ? Drill & file or hot slit..I don't wanna hear milling machine..(mostly because I don't have one :grumpy: ) Thanks for any help..
 
That is a beauty and a beast all in one Ray!

I have a buch of big hex stock that I scavenged.Now for some ambition :eek:
 
Bruce Bump said:
Thats cool Ray. Are you really missing a toe?
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Isn't 4 what we are supposed to have?

Louis, Finding the right tongs for hawks is a major problem. On ones that don't have anything on the pole end I'll weld a bar to it. I've got one pair of tongs ment for round stock that work pretty good for the hex but most the time I'll have to heat up the tongs and shape them so they hold better but I still have to pick them up off the floor from time to time.

I don't have a milling machine but I do use my drill press to make a slot for the eye. I also use a cross vise when I do the drilling. I'll drill a number of holes in line. After I have them drilled I use a carbide burr to finish the slot. When I first started making hawks I tried hot cutting. After the second one I knew there was a better way to do it. Good day is when it takes me half an hour to make the slot.
 
Ray, that's fantastic! Can't wait to see that bad boy finished... Looks like a hawk for Jerimiah Johnson!
 
Raymond knows how to work a hammer!:thumbup:
He does some of the coolest forgework!
 
Thats cool Ray :thumbup: I have several of those bars around the farm and would like to try that sometime ;)
 
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