A Home-made Hawk

**Erratus Animus** · 08-04-2010, 04:30 PM

I posted this on another forum as well but thought ppl here might like it as well.I built a hawk a few years ago and loved it so much better than anything else I had used up to that point, but since then I had a few things I wanted to improve upon such as weight, the eye and the hammer face.

So I did just that and made this one a little heavier and mad ethe eye to fit a standard handle and widened the face of the hammer. I started off with a piece of 18 wheeler leaf string just as I had used for my first hawk. I used the cutting torch to cut it out.
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Then I cleaned it up a bit with a new file and cut about 1/16th" from where I had cut it with the torch.
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Here is the hawk with the old one. sry I did not get the pics of putting it all together but the humidity outside fogs up the camera badly. What I did was to use a piece of 3/16th mild steel 1.25" wide and formed the eye with the forge. once formed I used a file to cut the angle for the blade to mate into when I welded it all up. From there I added layer upon layer of welds to form the hammer then file it all to shape. The handle was split from a piece of Cherry I had and using a draw knife and planes i carved it out.
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Here is the finished hawk complete with basket weave 650 para cord ( that is not a missed print) and gun blued the head. She is 1/2" off balanced with the weight on the head end.
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Hope you enjoy!!

**welderguy** · 08-04-2010, 04:46 PM

Good looking hawk, really nice job thanks for posting the pictures.

**Camp10** · 08-04-2010, 05:14 PM

Looks good! I've been meaning to try my hand at this. I had planned on using mild steel and forge welding some 5160 for the edge. How did you get the eye to be so symmetrical? What method did you use to start the eye in the head? I have read a few different methods for making them and they all seem to start with a piece of square stock and form the eye first and then make the hawk around the hole. Sorry for the 20 questions but until I actually make one, I'm going to bug everyone who has to try to learn.

**Erratus Animus** · 08-04-2010, 05:25 PM

I dont mind the questions. Its too hot to run the forge to cut an eye,103* thats not heat index, I heated uo a piece of 1.25 wide mild steel banding and used the post vice for the first bend. This forms the back of the eye and one side.

The next side was made by clamping the banding to a solid piece of 1/2 square. Now it is placed back in the forge keeping a watchful eye on the color of the banding so that the 1/2 bar does not get soft. once its ready stick it back in the post vise and hammer the other side down.

Cut off where the two pieces meet and file it at an angle inside where the two pieces met for the blade to weld up nice.

When hammering an eye into a block of mild steel I like to have two ppl at the forge but I did not have the ppl I needed so I came up with this.

**Camp10** · 08-04-2010, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by Erratus Animus

I dont mind the questions. Its too hot to run the forge to cut an eye,103* thats not heat index, I heated uo a piece of 1.25 wide mild steel banding and used the post vice for the first bend. This forms the back of the eye and one side.

The next side was made by clamping the banding to a solid piece of 1/2 square. Now it is placed back in the forge keeping a watchful eye on the color of the banding so that the 1/2 bar does not get soft. once its ready stick it back in the post vise and hammer the other side down.

Cut off where the two pieces meet and file it at an angle inside where the two pieces met for the blade to weld up nice.

When hammering an eye into a block of mild steel I like to have two ppl at the forge but I did not have the ppl I needed so I came up with this.

Okay, I got it. So you dont split the steel for the eye you wrap and weld the metal back to itself.

**crashdive123** · 08-04-2010, 05:36 PM

Awesome work.

**Erratus Animus** · 08-04-2010, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by Camp10

Okay, I got it. So you dont split the steel for the eye you wrap and weld the metal back to itself.

Thats right , too much work and this makes a prettier eye IMO.

**Rick** · 08-04-2010, 06:03 PM

Very nice job. Good looking hawk.

**panch0** · 08-04-2010, 06:56 PM

That is just plain awesome, Nice job!

**Erratus Animus** · 08-04-2010, 06:59 PM

it is very simple to make with just a few tools that most everyone would have or know someone who does. I hope it inspires others to try their hands at building their own hawk.

also thinking of adding another piece of metal on one side too make it a tad thicker. then drill it out just enough to form a socket for my bow drill set. The hand hold would always be with me then. What do yall think?

**Rick** · 08-04-2010, 07:40 PM

I'm curious about the shape of the handle. It doesn't look to be oval. It appears to be the same shape as the eye, which would give you three "square" corners. Isn't that tough on the hands?

**hunter63** · 08-04-2010, 07:45 PM

Another craftsman in our mist is see, nice job.
Hardest hawk I ever threw against, was a hammer welded blade, from a car spring.
When my hawk hit it, it would dent my hawk.

Very nice, thanks for the pic's!

**Erratus Animus** · 08-04-2010, 07:47 PM

Its is a semi triangle and no it is not rough on the hands. In fact all my kives have a similar handle because it feels so good. Like it just fits there. when you close your hand what shape is made by it? When I close mine the hollow in my fist forms a semi triangle.

I have used this style handle for many years now and was shown it from my Grand father. He made his ax handles and such the same way and used them for land clearing when my dad was a baby. That was how it was done then. Just hard work.

Try it yourself and see.

I can post the knife as well if ya want.

**Rick** · 08-04-2010, 07:51 PM

No need other than everyone would love to see it, of course. I understand what you are saying on the shape. That's what it appeared to be from the pics. The reason I asked is an axe, not so much the hawk, will roll in your hand to some extent. I'd never seen that design handle and thought it might wear on your palm. Thanks.

**Erratus Animus** · 08-04-2010, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by hunter63

Another craftsman in our mist is see, nice job.
Hardest hawk I ever threw against, was a hammer welded blade, from a car spring.
When my hawk hit it, it would dent my hawk.

Very nice, thanks for the pic's!

The spring I used for the blade is a 18 wheeler chrome vanadium alloy from I was told. They are free for the taking out of the trash bin at the local brake shop. lol I have a good bit of it and I have not been able to anneal it in my forge- a charcoal forge - as I don't know the proper cycle, however I heated it to non magnetic , quenched in my normal oil @ 150* and it is as hard as wood pecker lips. I tempered it @ 400 for 2 hours and had a nice uniform straw color.

Let me tell you a file still just skates across it and I had beat it up with a 3lbs hammer and no damage.

**crashdive123** · 08-04-2010, 08:54 PM

Post pictures of homemade knives? Here?

Yeah, sure - tease us like that.

**Erratus Animus** · 08-04-2010, 09:55 PM

Crash you have seen them before. My brother was in an accident that left him paralyzed and he needed me to come help him at his house so I will post the pics tomorrow and how to make them with just a file very easily.