With a sharp chisel cut the hammer off an inch and a half from the body. You will then have enough stock for the face of the hammer.
The surplus stock on the peen allows for holding with the tongs, and the face of the hammer is rounded up to about 15⁄8 in. in diameter. Bevel the edges down 1⁄16 in. back of this face and, with a sharp chisel, trim the face off flat or square with the axis of the hammer. The centre of the face should be a little higher than the outside edges.
Grasp the face with the tongs and place the peen in the fire. Take it out and cut it off 1 in. in length and make the edges rounding. To shape the peen, place the neck on a large fuller and round up as shown in the picture. Be careful each time to give it one eighth of a turn so that the octagonal shape will not be lost. If the hammer has been carefully forged it will require little finishing in the way of filing, unless one wishes to make a fancy polished hammer. If such a one is desired some draw filing and polishing must be done. This makes the hammer look better, but it doesn't increase its efficiency. The tempering is done in the same way as the tempering for the cross peen hammer was done. However, this hammer is larger and heavier than the cross peen hammer and is more difficult to temper. While the same principle is involved in the tempering of both hammers, greater care must be taken in tempering this one.
The handle is placed. You will find that the driving of the drift pin into the eye, first on one side and then on the other, makes both outside openings larger than the centre. This should be so, as it helps to hold the handle firmly in place.
TOOL STEEL AND THE MAKING OF TOOLS
Here are a few problems which deal with the making of your own tools. When buying steel for this work always tell what the steel is to be used for. The merchant will probably recommend to you a grade of steel from which you can make tools that will last.
Hardie: Take a piece of 11⁄8-in. square tool steel. Make this tool on the end of a bar if the bar is long enough. It is easier handled in that way. The dotted lines on the drawing show the amount of material required to make the shank. This should be made to fit the hole in the anvil; 3⁄8 in. from the shank fuller down on the two sides of the steel, leaving 5⁄8-in. thickness between the fuller marks. Draw the end out to a 3-in. taper on one side and widen it out to 13⁄4-in. taper on the other. (See [drawing].)
