Blacksmith's hammer - Forged in nature using simple tools
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- čas přidán 5. 01. 2023
- You need tools to make tools, a hammer to forge a hammer. My first hammer was a stone. I used the stone to make a hammer. Now I use that hammer to forge another hammer, one of higher weight and precision.
Weight is of importance when forging heavy stock, heavy weight enables the force of a hammer’s blow to press through the full dimension of the stock. I do not have a hammer heavy enough yet, not enough to forge a heavy hammer. Precision in a hammer is partly due to the precise rounding of the hammer faces, and a deliberate trajectory of a blow. However, the hammer’s head also need to be firmly hafted. I do not have a hammer properly hafted yet. When I made the last hammer I had no axe and no knife to fit the wood. Instead I used fire and stones. It worked to some extent, but as we can see in this episode, not good enough to forge the heavy blows needed to forge heavy stock. The hammer’s head keep moving. I found a way to hold the hammers head (rather than the haft) to achieve precision, but it led to the extensive blistering on my right index finger seen in some of the hafting scenes.
The hammer is forged from C45, in 40x40 mm stock (just above 1 ½ inch). Splitting such heavy stock takes time, when using a rough chisel it becomes increasingly important to follow the material responses, tilting and turning the chisel and bar correctly. Just forging the hole took a full day. Forging, grinding (on a stone) and heat treating took another day. I hafted the hammer on the third day… I once saw a colleague forge a hammer in a single heat, but normally I recon a hammer would take an hour or two to make, so 10-20 times the time to make it like this.
The shifting sunlight may be confusing in the video. The hardening for example is made at a temperature called cherry red, but in the fire it almost looks grey. This depend on the luminance of sunlight and makes out-door-hardening quite different to its indoors counterpart. By the water the red color looks better. Forging this heavy stock (read large fire) also made me do this on largely rainy days just to be safe of the fire hazard.
Hardening and tempering this way is useful on heavy stock, the tempering comes from within making the surface the hardest part of the hammer. It also saves some time. But if you look carefully you can see the slightly greyer scaling close to the flat face and a far longer grayish scaling on the rounded side. This tells us that the hardening is at its hardest there and softer around the hammers eye.
If you enjoyed this video and would like to see more of its like please let me know, comment, like and subscribe. I will keep making the videos anyway, for the people already interested, but the more we become the easier it will be to prioritize it in my otherwise quite full schedule. I am thinking of trying a few other formats in the future, we´ll see. I do enjoy doing it like this though, just inviting you all to a sort of shared experience of nature and craft… alone in nature.
Hey, I want to thank you for making these videos, they truly do ignite curiosity to me about these things and Scandinavian culture. They are very entertaining and relaxing to watch, thank you.
Thank you for telling me, it gives me even more season to bring the camera when doing stuff.
I know thay felt good those first couple swings with it awesome work!
Yeah, when editing I was thinking of just showing a picture of the finnished hammer, but then I saw the video of what really happend... It is good to hear that you felt it too.
Nice
Beautiful hammer!
Thank you
I have been watching your videos and I must say your skill set is amazing. It has been a while since you've posted. Hope to see more of your viking outdoor projects soon.
Thank you, yes I hope I will get more time some day, I´m even dreaming about building a forge. But for now I must finish my dissertation whish takes more time than expected...
Grymt Gustav! Kul att se en riktig smed med stor kunskap jobba!
Javisst, och så får du komma förbi Ryfors nån dag o smida en friluftsyxa med 🙂
Very impressive. You have great skill. Thanks for posting.
Subbed.
Thank you, and welcome.
Awesome. Good to see videos from you again
Thank you. Yeah, let's hope I get a bit more time this year to make more.
impressive
Thank you
Just found your channel! Fantastic work ❤
Thank you 🙂
Pure awesomeness.
Thank you Samuel, I appreciate it
Ah, what a beautiful hammer! Rather similar to my favourite forging hammer which inexplicably broke in half at the eye last winter, though mine was a small hammer, 1,2~kg. I suppose it is time to forge one again. How heavy is this one? About 2kg I reckon? The rounded face came out beautifully! Oh and also, what was the wood you used for the haft? It almost looked like wild cherry to me.
It was wild cherry, we got alot of that around here. Yes, slightly above 2 kg to function as a hammer but also as a sledge when needed.
Que tipo de piedra usas como yunque GRACIAS.
I'm not drifting my hammer eyes anymore, it's too much work. Now i wrap a hand of steel around a bigger chunk of steel, and just like an axe it gives me a hammer with a hole on the back. Welding an eye is much easier, and quicker. Did you try that ?
I sometimes make hot sets and similar tools with a bar wrapped around them as a handle, especially those made in a lathe, but never hammers... well except the stone hammer I did and published on this channel with a root wrap. But I like drifting, you are correct, it is a lot of work, but also nice to spend some time on.
@@gustavthane2233 alright ! I really like the primitive/diy direction you took for your videos. I'm always trying to find old techniques to teach people, like welding using sand as flux, making your own steel from iron... i know anvils from the bronze age were made of stone, and some tribes in africa still forge iron with rocks. That's always fascinating to know how far you can get with very little !
Yes, I was surprised, I thought the quality of tools would be lesser when forged with stones and sticks but they are about as good as any tools.@@jeanladoire4141