I have an on-going commission to produce some wedding artefacts
for a couple based in the east of Scotland.
The first object I have completed is a long-hafted Dane type
axe with a decorated head.
The head was forged from mild steel and has no edge or
temper as it is a piece of wedding regalia and won’t be expected to “work” for
a living. (
But just as easily could’ve had a carbon steel edge forge-welded in place. )
The eye was punched traditionally and then drifted out to
the final size.
The forging operation was done mostly with my 14lb sledge
and drifts.
A good tip – we keep a pot of lambs fat or tallow by the
anvil for lubricating drifts and punches, as the grease flashes into flame,
there is a layer carbon left on both surface that really helps prevent the
tools from getting stuck.
And it smells like dinner!
(I forgot my bandanna at home so unfortunately it was
baseball cap time…. However it does say Vulcan on it, so not totally inappropriate…)
The anvil is usually cleaner than that, but it does get
pretty grimy when using a lot of tallow.
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