Tomahawk and Belt Axe Making

by Allen Dyer & Tam written in the May / June 2007 Hammer & Tong

• Tomahawk Forged by Allen Dyer – Made by Allen during a class taught by Mark Sperry in the fall of 2006 at BGCM’s Blacksmith School, a part of the Carroll County Farm Museum’s Academy of Traditional Arts.

In fall of 1706, give or take 300 years, Williamsburg Blacksmith Mark Sperry taught BGCM members the traditional way to forge tomahawks. On day one, BGCM members labored through drawing out sections of wrought iron wagon wheel tires into bars suitable for forging tomahawks. Mark then led the class through hand forging a handled tomahawk drift by forge welding a handle to the drift head using a “dropped-tong weld.” On day two, Mark explained some of the history behind American Indian tomahawks and then demonstrated, step-by-step, the foldweld- add insert fabrication process for tomahawks.

Overview:

A mild steel bar is heated and folded/wrapped around a drift/mandrel and forge welded together. Finally, a high carbon steel wedge is formed and forge welded to the tomahawk bit. Finish as desired.

Materials:

• 1 piece 3/8" x 1 ½" mild steel or [[WroughtIron][wrought iron] at least 12" long
• 1 piece 1/8" x 1" high carbon steel at least
• 2 ½" long (coil spring, leaf spring, file, etc.).

Hint: if you use a longer piece of bar (approximately 24"), you can hold the end of the bar instead of using tongs during initial forging.

Special Tools:

• Necessary:
  • Tapered Drift (tear shaped, not oval).
• Convenient:
  • Hammer
  • Tongs
  • Holdfast
  • Set Hammer
• Operations:
  • Fire Management
  • Drawing Out
  • Drifting
  • Forge Welding

Step by Step Fabrication

Step 0. Make a Drift.

See: Appendix: Tomahawk Drifts & Hafts.

Step 1. Measure Eye Circumference.

Determine the circumference of the bottom of the eye by rolling the tomahawk drift or haft on a ruler/tape measure (usually in the 4" range). The haft of a traditional tomahawk like the handle of a pick ax or an adze comes into the eye from the top. Since the circumference of the tomahawk eye is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom, the initial size of the eye is based on the smaller circumference of the bottom of the eye.

• Hint: Use soapstone to mark this length on the anvil face for reference while forging the channel.

Step 2. Forge a Channel for the Eye.

Heat the mild steel bar & fuller a channel of a width equal to the drift/handle circumference for forming the eye approximately 2-3/4" from the bar end. Use half face blows to set the first shoulder and then peen or otherwise draw out the channel to approximately 1/4" thickness. Take into account that the piece will lengthen as the channel is fullered.

• Hint: The most common failure during tomahawk use is at the point of the tear shaped eye. Try to avoid over-fullering at either edge of the eye channel.

• Hint: Using a straight pein hammer will allow you to lay the bar along the length of the anvil and strike perpendicular to the anvil. Alternatives — use the anvil horn or a bottom fuller to draw out the length/make a channel.

Step 3. Fold the Bar.

Heat the channel and fold the mild steel in half. Keep the channel fold tear shaped with the point of the tear drop facing the bit (use the drift, if necessary, to open and shape the fold). Align the two ends of the channel. Decide which edge will be the top/leading edge because the drift always comes in the eye from the top of the tomahawk. At this point, don’t worry much about shaping the eye or the blade. Remember to always use the drift from the TOP of the eye.

• Hint: Once the fold is made, you can use the drift in place of tongs if it is long enough.

Step 4. Faggot Weld Between Eye & Bit.

Keep your work piece low & level in the forge rather than tip down. Flux and weld the mild steel together from the eye out for 2-3" from the eye. Hammer first along the centerline to allow flux to shoot out the sides. If you weld the sides before you do the center, you'll can trap flux center of the tomahawk. Leave the last ½" of the bit end unwelded. If you have been working on a long piece of bar and using it as a handle, now is the time to cut-off at the bit.

• Hint: A Mark Sperry cut-off trick – cut most of the way through the heated bar, start bending the bar and, as a last step, cool the bend line in the slack tub & the tomahawk will drop off with the slightest touch.

Step 5. Prepare for Steel Insert.

Use the cutoff hardy to open the bit ends slightly for receiving flux and the high carbon steel wedge. Use the edge of the anvil to shape a scarf on each side of the bit. Shape the high carbon steel into a wedge of the same length as the bit.

In the photo, Mark Sperry displays a well formed scarf ready to receive a steel insert. Mark Sperry recommends a double lobed wedge with slightly varying lobe angles to decrease the possibility that the wedge will fall out during the welding heat.

* beltaxehawk08.jpg:

Step 6. Weld Steel Insert into Bit.

Start heating the tomahawk and then drive the wedge into the bit. Flux liberally and raise to welding heat. While heating for welding periodically rotate the piece so it heats evenly from both sides. Be careful as the high carbon steel reaches welding heat at a lower temperature than the mild steel. Use several welding heats to finalize the weld and shape the cutting edge of the bit.

* beltaxehawk09.jpg:

Safe fluxing practice: apply the flux at the forge to minimize loose flux on the anvil which can spray onto smith and bystanders. Grab a hand full of flux, hold the tomahawk over your flux container, and pour the flux from your hand into the bit.

Step 7. Finalize Shape.

As you draw out the cutting edge, the bit will lengthen and fan out. To recover the traditional level, leading/top edge: heat the entire blade, hold the tomahawk vertical on the anvil with leading edge down and add a notch to the trailing/bottom edge about 3/8" deep next to eye. The force from forming the notch will automatically level the leading/top edge. Add touchmark.

Step 8. Heat Treat Bit.

Heat bit to critical temperature and quench. Quench liquid will depend on what you are using for bit: oil for spring steel and water for a piece of file. Temper bit to light-blue.

Step 9. Fit Haft to Tomahawk.

The haft comes in from the top/leading edge like an adze or pick-ax handle. NO WEDGING. Place unfitted haft in the jaws of a shaving bench or vise and shave to fit using a draw knife or spoke shave. Insert haft through the eye of the tomahawk. Leave ½"–1 ½" of haft protruding above the eye. A few solid mallet blows on the top of the haft should be sufficient to set the handle in place for use.

Step 10. (Optional) Finishing & Embellishing

Before inserting haft:

• For a Pipe Tomahawk: form or cast a bowl; drill tomahawk and add bowl; drill haft hole and make a clean-out plug.
• Decorate tomahawk with filework, punchwork, inlays, cutouts, engraving, bluing, browning, polishing, etc.
• Decorate haft with pewter/silver inlays, carvings, scorching, stain, etc.

After inserting haft:

• Decorate haft with brass tacks, raw hide straps, feathers, etc.

-- RebStaup - 31 Jan 2008