Forging hammers

The 45mm diameter piece of axle is slit from both sides so that the holes meet in the middle. The key to not getting the slitting chisel stuck is to keep changing the angle upon each strike, thereby creating a hole slightly larger than the chisel itself. Also, cool the chisel after about three strikes and roll the wet chisel in ash to form a powdery lubricant.

The slit should be longer than the diameter of the drift used to define the form of the eye.

The latest set.

For this project the forge was run on anthracite, useful for heavy forging. The side-blown design prevents clogging that is a bit of a headache in the more conventional bottom blown forge. An extra brick wall was put up to retain the heat better.