The Armour Archive

Yet another thumb design but I think these turned out really nice.

Mild steel blued 16ga body 18ga fingers and thumbs.

The palm strap isn't a palm strap there's two straps where the palm strap should be one on either side and then they rivet onto the back of the glove. Seems to work really well and gets rid of the strap across the palm of the hand.

Facebook link but anybody can see it and like my page.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... =1&theater

They look great, Matt! What did you use to blue them?

Those are very nice, Matt. Good lines. Are you raising the cuffs, or welding them?

I'm waiting for an excuse to raise a set just need someone to order a raised pair in 1050. Those ones are welded. The cuff and metacarpal get a rounded flare on them before they're welded together.

It's gun blueing solution. I've explained the process a bunch of times on here if you search it you'll probably find it easy enough.

Looking good Matt, the blue came out nice. Keep up the good work.

Take care

Pb

Nice....but you are reminding me that I am going to have to make someone a tiny brass trimmed pair.

Here's a construction tip to go with the pics. Shape the knuckle gadlings into a small depression in a dishing stump. Set the piece of metal on the stump. Left hand has a ball peen hammer right hand has a 4 pound sledge. Ball of the ball peen on the metal and whack it with the sledge. Will keep the little gadling from skipping off into non-existence and a hammer handle is easy to hang onto. Smack the ends first and then the middle. If you get wrinkles smack them out the same way on the flat of the dishing stump.

Hey Matt do you hot or cold blue?

Cold. And even colder in the winter.

Mad Matt wrote:Here's a construction tip to go with the pics. Shape the knuckle gadlings into a small depression in a dishing stump. Set the piece of metal on the stump. Left hand has a ball peen hammer right hand has a 4 pound sledge. Ball of the ball peen on the metal and whack it with the sledge. Will keep the little gadling from skipping off into non-existence and a hammer handle is easy to hang onto. Smack the ends first and then the middle. If you get wrinkles smack them out the same way on the flat of the dishing stump.

Matt,

This procedure worries me some. If the faces of the hammers are hard, you run a risk of the corners spalling off, and flying around the room. I once met a farmer who showed me the big scar he got from just such a thing.

As a precaution, you might dedicate a hammer to the process, and draw a temper on the face. This would limit its use as a regular hammer, but it would last as a "set hammer" for a very long time.

Alternatively, you could make up a punch to do the job of the set hammer. I've got several sizes and shapes of these. They're just unhardened mild steel, but the "business ends" hold up to a lot of gads, and the striking ends can be redressed when they start to mushroom.

Mac

Elcheapo hammers. So they're not hard. Not hitting too hard either. I find a hammer handle much easier to hang onto then a vertical punch handle. Less vibration and hand is away from the hitting hammer if you miss.

I actually use 2 different ball peens a more round one and a pointy one. they're $3 new. And then either a 4# sledge or a 4# crosspeen depending on which is handy at the time.

Not that I really feel that their science is as good as it should be, but Mythbusters did this very myth.

I am certain that old hammers could have this problem.

They couldn't find any way to cause a modern hammer to send bits flying off. They did all sorts of nasty things to them.

That said, I still basically don't pound hammers on each other, but I think that we are a lot more likely to get hurt from all of the other things we do than this.

Your mileage may vary.

And we had a custom tool we used to do this. It was a (rough) male/female and we did it hot. We still had to plannish, but the rough shape was a couple of whacks. The back end of the male was intentionally softened.

Wade

Wade,

That's exactly right. It's the old hammers you have to worry about. Nowadays, the manufacturers ere on the side of soft to avoid liability at the cost of durability. They do it with chisels too, because they figure we will all use them to open paint cans.

The farmer who showed me the scar, showed me the "hammer what done it" too. It was early twentieth century ball peen...about three pounds, with not one, but two chips.

Mac

I had a small hammer that the handle was coming loose on so I decided on a whim to just smack the wedge back into it with another hammer. I just gave it a little tap and by god that dumbass move sent a tiny chip of steel flying off and right into my left eyeball! Luckily it was small and I had the presence of mind to grab both the top and bottom of my eye and hold it open until I could get my dad to help flush out the bit that got me but damnit damnit damnit always wear your safety glasses in the shop!

Note to self: Try not to do dumb crap!

+100 on wearing face+eye protection in the shop when hitting steel tools with steel hammers.

-- Gest

Or you could do what I do and just use a big brass hammer to strike the steel hammer .