Some things aren't meant to have a hamon

Khukuri Monster

Khukuri Monster

Joined
Aug 4, 2004
Messages
373
Some things aren't meant to have a hamon. Especially hammers. Which is why I was (unpleasantly) suprised when I mirror polished and etched this Peddinghaus forging hammer I had bought:

cracked_hammer.jpg


I can only imagine what sort of strange defect in heat treating created this monstrosity. Unless this is supposed to be a "feature" - but if I were to differentially harden a hammer I think I would do it a little differently.

Of course, now you are probably all asking yourselves, what kind of weirdo goes and mirror polishes and etches hammers? Well, I kind of guessed that something was wrong because the bottom half of the hammer was covered in dents, while the top half was still smooth. A crack developed on the side of the hammer, and I thought that polishing and etching might let me see the crack better.

Kayne and Son said they would replace the hammer with a different one if I send it back, so that's what I'm going to do. I liked this one too, the wide, square head was nice for forging bevels (although it always did seem too soft).

On a (kind of) related note, if any of you happen to know about restoring coal forges, please check this thread I posted in Shop Talk:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=358960
 
Wierd....

You know you've been at the HI forum for too long when...etching...yeah. ;) :)

Nam
 
I suppose that they could've taken the Microsoft approach and referred to this as an undocumented feature. Good that they didn't.

I can imagine the people who made this hammer looking at the picture and scratching their heads: "Now how the hell did that happen?"
 
I was considering posting this in Shop Talk instead, but figured they wouldn't appreciate it like you guys.

So as follow up to the hammer etch, I buffed the surface of my anvil with green chromium oxide rouge. Then I polished it with some .5 micron diamond lapping compound. I filled a 55 gallon drum up with ferric chloride. That sure took a lot of those little bottles from Radio Shack.

Then I dropped the anvil in. It was a little difficult to maneuver the 360 pound object, but I managed. It sure made a heck of a splash. If you ever need to drop a 360 pound anvil in a 55 gallon drum of acid, remember to wear safety glasses and gloves! Afterward I hosed it down with Windex from my power washer.

So, as you can see from the following picture, the hardened zone extends...












hey, I'm not that crazy.

But now I'm thinking, I could cut out a round piece of leather, glue it to a random orbital sander, stick some white rouge on there... realistically, it wouldn't take me more than a half hour to polish the anvil surface. Really.

And it might imbue some sort of ultra-super properties in the forged blade. I could patent it. Then capitalize the term - "I walk Thermal Tightropes on my Micro-Polished Forging Surface".
 
Or, you could not, and just say you did :eek: Wouldn't be the first time a point was stretched to the breaking point :mad:
 
I admit it! I stole the technique from Shiva Ki! He uses a polished anvil to make his +6 spirit blade! I must release the knowledge of this technique to the world before I am killed - He's probably sending his goons after me right now!

photo_2005_3_24_3_10_19_edited.jpg


On second thought, I'm really not THAT worried.
 
You're just trying to get covertly deanimated, aren't you KM?

Since I can't give you rep, +3 Spirit instead.
 
Sorry to see that hammer, but I'm glad to hear you're being taken care of.

I'm surprised; the Peddinghaus hammers I have are great. Try their French pattern, it's my favorite by far.

I have a custom made Swedish pattern similar to yours. The face is hardened perfectly, but the damn handle shrunk. I have to give it a soak in a bucket every few days :). I guess no hammer is perfect.

Pieh Tool has the best selection of hammers on the net, check them out.

Matt
 
Uh, I always made my hamons parallel the face :( . I agree that there is a poblem with that one. What a bummer, it's not like Peddinghaus hammers are cheap. Happy to hear that they will take care of you though. I have heard good things about Kayne and sons.
 
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