- Joined
- Jul 31, 2002
- Messages
- 2,954
Anybody remember that group buy of 'hawk heads we did back in aught six?
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/425775-Anyone-interested-in-a-fairly-cheap-pipe-hawk-made-from-good-steel?highlight=davis
Well, I finally finished mine.
I had to do a bit more shaping on the head than I'd initially planned. The eye was just too small for my liking, and the bit was warped as it came from the foundry, so I brought it over to a blacksmith buddy's place so he could forge it straight for me.
Here's what it looked like initially:
I had Tim Zowada heat treat it for me in his salt pots. He thermal cycled it to refine the "as cast" grain, and selectively tempered the body & bowl back to a spring temper while leaving the edge around 57 Rc. The handle is hedgewood/osage orange/bodark that we cut on the farm a couple years ago. It ain't easy finding a piece with straight grain. I processed it from the 10" diameter log using hand tools, which took a lot of time, but also let it continually dry and shift in between stages so it wouldn't warp or crack. Total length is now around 23" or 24" long.
The hole through the handle took forever to drill out, but it was worth it. I added an ivory clean out plug and mouth piece to finish it off, and it does smoke nicely.
Also used some brass tubing to restrict the size of the vent hole & keep it from rusting shut.
I wanted to get the pictures before I messed up the plum brown finish, but the next step is of course to take it out for some recreational wood working. Looks like my bowie might have a new companion.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/425775-Anyone-interested-in-a-fairly-cheap-pipe-hawk-made-from-good-steel?highlight=davis
Well, I finally finished mine.
I had to do a bit more shaping on the head than I'd initially planned. The eye was just too small for my liking, and the bit was warped as it came from the foundry, so I brought it over to a blacksmith buddy's place so he could forge it straight for me.
Here's what it looked like initially:
I had Tim Zowada heat treat it for me in his salt pots. He thermal cycled it to refine the "as cast" grain, and selectively tempered the body & bowl back to a spring temper while leaving the edge around 57 Rc. The handle is hedgewood/osage orange/bodark that we cut on the farm a couple years ago. It ain't easy finding a piece with straight grain. I processed it from the 10" diameter log using hand tools, which took a lot of time, but also let it continually dry and shift in between stages so it wouldn't warp or crack. Total length is now around 23" or 24" long.
The hole through the handle took forever to drill out, but it was worth it. I added an ivory clean out plug and mouth piece to finish it off, and it does smoke nicely.
Also used some brass tubing to restrict the size of the vent hole & keep it from rusting shut.
I wanted to get the pictures before I messed up the plum brown finish, but the next step is of course to take it out for some recreational wood working. Looks like my bowie might have a new companion.
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