This is such an insightful video for beginners such as myself. I was set on a lighter hammer, but I never considered buying the heavier hammer and cutting off the excess. Not only will that give me a bit of steel to work with, it will allow me to get precisely the shape and weight that I want. Thanks for the good ideas

@ravensroostforge

7 күн бұрын

Glad you learned something useful!

Just got my Mr. Volcano Hero 2-burner forge yesterday and now looking for tools I can afford. Your video is perfect timing!

@ravensroostforge

Жыл бұрын

Great, good luck getting started! I'm hoping to publish a new video soon on a good first forging project.

Great video. I really enjoy restoring and modifying old hammers. I like linseed oil for the handles.

@ravensroostforge

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely, about half of the hammers I use have been restored----it is a fantastic way to get a quality tool without spending much money!

Nice upgrade for the harbor freight hammer!

@ravensroostforge

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, I appreciate your comment!

With so much of the hammer's mass being on the top side, did it feel awkward to swing? Any control issues?

@ravensroostforge

Ай бұрын

It is similar to the feel of a Hofi style hammer. I didn't find it difficult to get used to, it is fairly comfortable to use.

Instead of saying you calculated how many inches of material did you remove?

@ravensroostforge

5 ай бұрын

If I recall correctly I removed roughly 3/4" (20mm).

OK - you cut off a 1/2 pound of metal off the end - why not take about that much off behind the head and leave it "long" rather than "short" as in when you cut it off. Would that make it easier to use - as it is longer but lighter and still have the same rebound?

@ravensroostforge

Ай бұрын

Yes, that may be a good approach w/different style of hammer. Hammers of this style have very little mass in the peen. Removing mass there would reduce the weight very little and quickly make the peen unusable. Removing metal from the face makes an ugly hammer, but does not really reduce usability. The short hammer actually has a long history, check out cat's head hammers and Hofi hammers.

@aprilnichols2806

2 күн бұрын

Don’t cut any off. Unless you want to reharden it. They only harden 3/8-1” back. The rest is soft

Only the first inch is hardened . You cut the hardness off.

@ravensroostforge

Күн бұрын

Potentially true if the hammer was induction hardened. Since it was a very cheap, mass-produced hammer I was banking on through hardening, if it was properly heat treated at all. Either way, it held up fine for the 3 forging projects I tested it on. The face did get a bit dinged up, but all cheap hammers are a bit soft in my experience. Thanks for your comment!

@aprilnichols2806

23 сағат бұрын

@@ravensroostforge cheap stuff has less tempering and less hardness. Even expensive ones are only gonna go back an inch. They are not gonna harden the whole thing. If you harden the whole entire thing impact will crack it at the eye.

What grit did you use on the flat disc to polish the hammer??

@ravensroostforge

11 ай бұрын

I believe it was a 120 grit, I usually don't go too high with grits for general forging.

That is a HUGE vise.

@ravensroostforge

7 ай бұрын

The blue one? It's Harbor Frieght vise, it is an excellent value!

How about you just buy a hammer that is the weight you are looking for...job done!

@ravensroostforge

10 ай бұрын

If you want to do things on the cheap you have to do some extra work sometimes. That is always the trade-off, time vs money...

@valsforge4318

10 ай бұрын

I have been a blacksmith for over 18 years, I just dont see the point of this, but to each there own I guess@@ravensroostforge