[TheForge] Hardening and Tempering a Hammer Head

[Dave Brown]

At 08:40 12/10/02 -0700, you wrote:
>What are some of the methods you folks use for hardening and tempering 
>hammer heads?  I'm talking about medium to high carbon steel, and a cross 
>or straight pein hammer?  Do you temper the face and pein seperately?
>
>Thanks
>
>Phil Rosche

Phil,

If you're using water quenchable steel, try this:

Heat the head to just past critical temp.

Insert your eye drift so it is tight.

Put one face into the water, brine, or super quench ... but not long, just 
until it looses color.  Do not submerge the eye.

Same for the other face/pein.

Rotate ... quench ... rotate ... quench ... rotate ... quench ... etc, etc.

NEVER put it deep enough in the quench media so that the eye gets quenched.

You'll know that you're nearing the end of the quenching cycle when the 
liquid stays on the face and you can watch it evaporate. Once the water is 
only evaporating slowly, quench the whole thing.

Doing this and you are combining the hardening and tempering process in the 
faces at the same time, while leaving the eye area to mostly normalize and 
not become brittle.

My hammer head making experiences are very limited.  I can't remember where 
I picked up this way of doing it, but it works for me.

Dave Brown
Heritage Smithing
Green Bay, WI
ABANA, UMBA, GoM, MODA, ARG