MODERN BLACKSMITHING 41 



HOW TO MAKE A HAMMER 



Take a piece of tool steel i }^ inches square, neat it 

 red hot. Now remember here it is that the trouble 

 begins in handling tool steel. If, in the process, you 

 ever get it more than red hot, it is spoiled, and no 

 receipt, or handling or hammering will ever make it 

 good again. The best thing in such a case is to cut 

 off the burnt part in spite of all proposed cures. This 

 must be remembered whenever you heat tool or spring 

 steel. Tf the burnt part cannot be cut off, heat it to a 

 low heat, cool it in lukewarm water half a dozen 

 times, this will improve it some, if you can hammer it 

 some do so. Now punch a hole about two inches from 

 the end with a punch that will make a hole i}ix ys. 

 If the punch sticks in the hole, cool it off and put a 

 little coal in the hole that will prevent the punch from 

 sticking. This is a good thing to do whenever a deep 

 hole is to be punched. Be sure that the hole is made 

 true. Next, have a punch the exact size of the hole 

 wanted when finished, drive it in and hammer the eye 

 out until it has the thickness of about ^ of an inch on 

 each side and has a circle form like No. 2, Figure 5. 



In order to do this you may have to heat the eye 

 many times, and upset over it with the punch in the 

 eye. This done put in the bottom fuller and with the 

 top fuller groove it down on each side of the eye, like 

 the cut referred to. Now dress down the face then 

 the peen-end. When finished harden it in this way: 

 Heat the face-end first to a low red heat, dip in water 

 about an inch and a half, brighten the face and watch 



