Making a Solid Copper Sledge Hammer - HAMMER TIME!
In this video, I make a solid copper sledge hammer in my home foundry. I made pattern using fusion 360 and the 3d printed the patterns in a plastic called PLA. Then I made a sand mold with a sand called petrobond. I machined the casting on my milling machine and then mounted the sledge hammer head to a hickory handle.
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Not gonna lie, you missed an opportunity to embed a penny on each side of the hammer face- one for heads and the other for tails.
Can't tell them crackheads shit
Still could
@nig a Apparently it’s completely legal to, “unless the objective is fraudulent or with the intent of selling the raw materials of the coins for profit”
You can not destroy currency in many countries or use them for other purposes rather than exchange of goods or services.
@nig a There are machines in the U.S. that will literally squish a penny into a souvenir.
Fresh polished copper has such a beautiful look.
I have ingots
It really does. I was about to content the same thing
Such a unique color and is stunning!
Yess
how did he polished it so clean?
To graduate as a Machinist in the Army we made ball peen hammers with a copper head and aluminum handle with a screw in head and bottom for a little storage and a knurled handle! You did a great job on this hammer and brought back lots of good times in AIT!!
Cool, we did that in 7th grade.
@@TCK-9I was getting 🐈 while you were in class like a yay boy.
@TCK-9 you were a power bottom for the special ed teacher in 7th grade.
Some 50 years ago I worked in a foundry, Oklahoma Stell Castings. The plant was built at the beginning of WW2 to make castings for the war. After the end of the war it was repurposed to make butterfly valve castings. I worked in the Maintenace department. They used scrap steel to make their castings. The furnace fired with electric arc rods. Made a tremendous amount of noise. The casting patterns were hand made out of wood. Then sand molds. The castings were dumped into a tumbler, a large steel container and turned oner and over. It was quite the sight for a young man like myself. Later in life I became a aircraft mechanic. When I saw the repair in one side of your hammerhead it reminded of structure repairs we made. We called them freeze plugs. Machined plugs a litter larger than the hole to be repaired. Then dipped in liquid nitrogen and while still cold put into place. Surprising how well that repaired a damaged hole in aluminum. I really enjoy your videos.
Excellent!
What a wonderful piece of history. Thank you for sharing
My doctor was talking about this. The metal shrinks with the -190 degrees and then expands. So cool.
Never thought I'd be watching a video about a hammer and thinking to myself, "wow, that's gorgeous". Great work!!
Sometimes I look at my homie's hammer and think myself, "wow, that's gorgeous".
@@SurfyStories I mean, that I can understand
We must be Dwarves of past lives!!!!! pass me my hammer apprentice!
Ohh my gosh after I read your comment I thought the same thing lol what has my life gotten to lol
Never heard of Peter Gabriel?
From one foundry nerd to another: stick a small piece of cardboard (about the size of the base of your crucible) on the fire brick before putting your crucible in the foundry. It keeps the crucible from sticking to it!
or dust it with talc cardboard is easier.
I love simple solutions.
Soo, this is one of the best uses for a comment section I've ever seen
Soak it in water too.... we do this at my shop
thx catherine obvious im sure he knows this hack.
I’m a 58 year old dentist who had to learn to invest and cast gold dental crowns, onlays and inlays while in dental school. I have knowledge of just how difficult this is- and you made it look easy. Just wow. Great work from a true expert. Subbed. Thanks for great content.
I just love shiny polished metal tools like this, copper is absolutely gorgeous as well, overlooked beauty. Great work and video
If I may offer a suggestion....I'm a blacksmith and one of the things I make is hammers. I think you will find (granted this one won't be used but for the future) that you will have an issue with the head slipping off under heavy use. Ideally you want the eye to be hour glass shaped. The narrowest part should be in the middle. That way when you wedge the handle it has a bit of room to spread open and lock in place. Hard to explain without a drawing but it's easy to find info. Looks pretty rad though dude 😊
KZhead comments need to more like yours.
also after a some use it will lose its shape and might ultimately slip off the handel due to the fact that copper is a soft metal. you can not really use it like you could use steel. robinson you dropped the ball.
@@gregorysuto1865 In his defense, he said it won't actually be used
I agree 100%, it does look pretty rad !!! ... but, yeah, we haft hammers with tapered cores, gives more surface area to grip the wood ... or the hourglass shape, both are better than straight-through ... for hammers used for _real_ work ...
Perfectly said my guy!! I was about to say the same thing!
Fixing that ditch on the side of the hammer head so seamlessly was the satisfaction for me. That finishing touch of the tiny bronze and wooden wedge was epic 👌
Am I the only person that saw the seam? An interference press-fit (rather than slip-fit and flaring) would have eliminated that.
I was expecting his plug to have bubbles too xD
Excellent work. This was fun to watch. I’ve done pouring and molding on a much larger scale with iron. I always enjoy any videos like these.
That's the greatest sledge I've ever seen! Also, what a great first time DIY project for us weekend warriors putzing around our backyard foundry, on our way to our machine shop. Very cool!
Except it won't last very long....... Perfect to look at maybe.
Brings back memories... 52 years ago I was accepted as a pre-apprentice at an engineering college in Scotland where we were taught to make Patterns for making metal parts in sand molds then learned how to melt metal in a forge then pour into the molds. I enjoyed the experience but couldn't see myself sweating my arse off and the Teacher/Instructor said there was big changes coming on how this was all being done and that a lot of the work would be done overseas or atleast in another country. The other problem was I wasn't earning anything while at this college not even the bus fares for a 15 year old and with only my mother able to give me a few ££ (my father had recently died) and the waged for apprentices in these trades at the time was very low and so I quit and chose another line of work that I really enjoyed. 5 years later I ended up Emigrating to Canada... I found your video jolting my memory and I thoroughly enjoyed your video for the memories.
Ya but this isn’t the Ron episode so don’t let your ego go to your head.
@@tommyguns9008 Fuck off Tummy runs... who rattled your cage!
@@tommyguns9008 How exactly is there an ego did he say and I was accepted into the Queens Royal sword making guild no just I brought back memories of being an apprentice know words before saying them.
@@tommyguns9008 There's no ego on display you git lmao
@@tommyguns9008 good one bozo
That hammer head is gorgeous. Copper is so magical. It evokes something ancient and satisfying.
Its literally just copper ..this is the equivalent to going back in time you knuckle dragger
Only way to make it better is with gold or silver filled engravings
Or by mixing it with zinc in a 14:7 ratio
Bro just shut up
What if it was pure brass, or pure silver? Would that be too modern for you? Also, is that a picture of Matt Dillahunty from The Atheist Experience?
Scooping and bagging those copper shavings were immensively satisfying to watch.
Excellent work! Takes me back to my youth, when I worked in a foundry.
I will admit that is one of the most gorgeous things I've seen in a long time. Thank you for taking the time and effort to do this because a true Craftsman like yourself needs to be seen and appreciated. My grandfather was a master Carpenter and my grandmother would often tell me he had one particular Hammer that he always used, that he had gotten when he was a teenager and I wished I had that hammer hanging on my wall, not only to honor him, but to honor all Carpenters
My son did some copper TIG welding for me. I don't remember the trick he used to deal with massive heat loss from the copper, but he did an amazing job. I don't even know what happened to that work after it was used a couple times - it was part of a pot still. The drill and plug was clean.
He probably preheated the copper
High power machine. I have a 300 amp tig I use on copper. Preheat helps a bit sometimes. Old school way is use helium as a shielding gas instead of argon as helium boosts the power.
polish it
@@ButBigger42 plus heli-arc just looks cool as hell.
Preheat and dump as many amps as you have available. The heat loss is almost identical to aluminum except no pesky oxide layer.
Looks really good. Well done 👏🏻
I like the format. So used to these guys giving their life story before telling you how to go about making whatever it is they're making.
That sure brings back memories 40 ish years ago with a friend. His dad broke a sanding disk. So we made one out of aluminum out of pop cans and aluminum motor mounts. The fine sand we got from a corn field run off. We built a gas and electric smelter. We had a aluminum picture plate of a model T which was copper electro plated. Thats an awesome looking sledge hammer!!
Fantastic!
When making a hammer you generally want the hole where you attach the handle to have a slight hourglass shape. The bottom half of the hour glass fits up to the taper you put on the top part of the handle that is being fit up, and the top part of the hourglass allows the wood to expand when the wedge is driven in, locking the hammer head onto the handle. The same goes for hatchets, axes, etc.
Yeah, i always see people changing that. I prefer a tapered hole, with the larger end on the side you put the wedge in on, just to lock it down a little bit more.
@@atomicwinter31 if i'm imagining this right, i'm seeing a sharp edge at the bottom end of the taper, that could bite into the wood over many hits and wiggle things loose
When making a hammer, you generally don't make it out of copper for display only. Do you get the point?
@@yourdad9168 I think it's maybe you who doesn't get the point
@@spambot7110 You're just imagining things. Lol. But nah, the taper isn't drastic enough to have that effect. Just enough to allow the wedge to spread the handle enough to keep it in without relying solely on pressure against the walls.
Beautiful piece of work, speaks well of your skill & patience not to mention attention to detail❤😊
Really soothing watching you work and solve problems.
I just loved the camera work on this youtube video. Great end result. I'm 77 and my dear old dad had a ball pean hammer from when he was young and I loved seeing a hammer just like the one I still have and use from my dad's old tool box,. This project brought back some memories of my dad and me working together many years ago, he died nearly 40 years ago in 1984, I still think of him when stuff like this comes along. Thanks for that memory. John.
My Dad was a machinist also could not help but think about him when I watched this Thanks 👍
Indeed; it's the camerawork on this that netted you another subscriber.
hopefully see him in the upper room aye john.
Oh I loved watching this video! My late husband made beautiful sculptural pieces using reclaimed copper. His work was nature based consisting of trees, leafed trees, willow trees, trees attached to pieces of wood, trees blowing in the wind and one could actually see that tree in a windstorm. Some he lacquered, some he treated with flames, some were just left in their natural copper state to allow patina to develop the coloring. He made wall pieces, bracelets, earrings, broches of leaves and of animals. They look great on a lapel or on a hat. Your video was wonderful and I so enjoyed watching your work.
Awwwww thank you for sharing this beautiful memory with us. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Condolences and prayers for you and yours. My God cover you with peace and strength as you grieve and mourn.
Is there a place you have pictures of his work? I love copper
My friend, are you all right? I wish you good health, happy family, happy every day
This world is rapidly passing away and I hope that you repent and take time to change before all out disaster occurs! Belief in messiah alone is not enough to grant you salvation - Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:3, John 3:36 (ESV is the best translation for John 3:36) if you believed in Messiah you would be following His commands as best as you could. If you are not a follower of Messiah I would highly recommend becoming one. Call on the name of Jesus and pray for Him to intervene in your life - Revelation 3:20. Contemplate how the Roman Empire fulfilled the role of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13. Revelation 17 confirms that it is in fact Rome. From this we can conclude that A) Jesus is the Son of God and can predict the future or make it happen, B) The world leaders/nations/governments etc have been conspiring together for the last 3000+ years going back to Babylon and before, C) History as we know it is fake. You don't really need to speculate once you start a relationship with God. Can't get a response from God? Fasting can help increase your perception and prayer can help initiate events. God will ignore you if your prayer does not align with His purpose (James 4:3) or if you are approaching Him when "unclean" (Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 59:2, Micah 3:4). Stop eating food sacrificed to idols (McDonald's, Wendy's etc) stop glorifying yourself on social media or making other images of yourself (Second Commandment), stop gossiping about other people, stop watching obscene content etc. Have a blessed day!
That is gorgeous! I love copper, so shiny ✨
Beautiful work!
I used to make these hammer types years ago when I was an apprentice for the toolmakers so they didn’t damage the metals they were machining. We called them lead lumps but I used whatever was available , usually Aluminium but I also make them out of copper swarf scrap which was used on the welding machines as electrodes. It was considered to be a shite job and always given to the first year apprentice but I really enjoyed the process and was a bit pissed off when I was taken off making them when a new first year started.
Definitely something you'll never forget and pretty cool skill set. One that literally almost nobody knows what goes into making something so "simple". Machining was one of the exploratory shops I took in tech school and we had to turn out a ball peen hammer as one of the graded projects in the few weeks that we had. Needless to say mine was pretty crude but I loved that damn hammer lol
@@nickbisson8243 last year, my junior year of highschool, I made a very nice amalgamation of a brass faced hammer for machining and a slag pick for stick welding (I prefer tig so I normally only use the slag pick at home) but I turned a steel head and handle, knurled the handle and machined flats, then brazed the brass face on the hammer, then drilled a hole in the head, made an interference fit then welded the top of the handle to the top of the head, I haven't gone back to school yet to really test the machinist hammer part, but the slag chisel works nicely, the machinist hammer side will probably get a real beating during the next robotics season though when making parts. Since I don't really know what to make in shop class, I make tools, they're a fun test of my skills, they're free bc school materials lol, and I can make something that will last a long time and I really enjoy that.
My friend, are you all right? I wish you good health, happy family, happy every day
That is like a big piece of jewelry with the mirror finish. I could see that hanging on the wall of some giant construction company owner's office. I love copper, it's almost as beautiful as gold to me (maybe rose gold, which is mainly copper and gold anyway.) Great job!!
Yeah until day two when it starts the oxidize and turns into a green turd
It's very easy to prevent that with carnauba wax or with a clear varnish
I think brass is prettier.. and looks like gold.. I have brass revolvers replicas from the 1850s+ and often when I wear them loaded. People think they are gold plated lol. As for tarnish.. tarnish can be easily cleaned up with a polish compound.
Yeah copper does look pretty good
COPPA
I'm a nobody. I don't know jack about machining or metalworking aside from what I learned in high school over 40 years ago, but I admit that this is a beautiful piece of work and you should be quite proud of your skills; especially if this was truly "more difficult than (you) thought it would be," because you made it all look so easy.
I'm very impressed! You earned my sub! The detail in the perfectly sized plug was where you got me!
Honestly, I loved it right out of the mold, even the parting lines, the dip in the side, all are what give it character.
Copper is such a beautiful metal to me. Especially freshly machined or polished. Awesome work man!
Yes. It's the best metal.
That hole repair with the copper round-bar plug blew my mind!
I've always loved copper - the color, the utility, its use in history and cool properties. This is a beautiful piece.
Well said. I think it's highly underrated.
Copper is the most beautiful metal, ever created. Highly polished, it has a depth that gold lacks.
Great job and the plug…the way it slowly lowered itself into the hole was just mint. If you decide to cast the pattern again place the pattern horizontally as you pour that way any gases and impurities will rise and you shouldn’t get any shrinkage issues or cavities. It will involve you making a new flask though with a pouring spout going through one of the sides 👍
Looks like shit.
My friend, are you all right? I wish you good health, happy family, happy every day
Nice! The 'double-wedge' part blew my mind!
best caster ive seen on youtube so far
Beautiful craftsmanship. That repair was impressive. Thanks for sharing.
I'm amazed at how clean that mold was for the hammer. I don't think I've ever seen a casting mold that clean watching stuff here on KZhead.
I agree.
My friend, are you all right? I wish you good health, happy family, happy every day
The hammer looks so cool!
Absolutely beautiful. You are extremely talented.
Normally when they cast those hammer heads I believe they do it vertically so that if there is any shrinkage from cooling it will be on the impact face side since that would normally be cut off anyways and most voids would likely end up in the waste material.
Bingo! 😎
I have no practical experience of foundry work, other than the little I gleaned from my father who was a foundry worker, but I was going to suggest that casting the hammer head vertically, would likely solve this issue.
My friend, are you all right? I wish you good health, happy family, happy every day
Jesus Christ died for your sins please repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ✋ 🖊 📄 🤚
@@jesuslovesyou2616 sorry im not a cultist
My father used a copper/hyde hammer for 25 years. I've used it for another 25 years and it's still going strong albeit distorted and flattened now but copper hammers last longer & are tougher than you would think !!!
I also use two copper hammers my father made over 20 years ago. I actually prefer the copper hammers over traditional.
Thanks. I would have never guessed that they would be durable. I'm happily corrected.
Ooooh copper is one of my favorite colors. It’s so rich and pretty!!
Seriously incredible
I really appreciate when folks take the time to share these really cool videos! So Thank You!!!
10/10 Great job! As a Machinist i must say this was awesome to watch from start to finish! Well done!
You done an excellent job,I sure enjoyed the learning experience.thanks for sharing
Beautiful!!
For a first attempt at making a hammer it looks incredible!. I loved the use of the mill and lathe and it was super satisfying to see the result. THank you for sharing and showing your beautiful process
Loved watching how you dealt with the imperfection. Absolutely beautiful work 🙌🏼👌🏽
The machining process was so good lol I love stuff like that
This is so badass. I love it
It turned out beautifully! I LOVE the look of copper!
I did this type of sand casting for metal shop in junior high. It was one on my favorite classes. For the void I would have utilized the copper chips (degreased and dried) from the saw with a tig welder after you drilled and preheated the casting. Nice finished work.
I wish my high school had this. we have a manufacturing class which is really fortunate and an auto shop and 3d printing and modeling but a forging or casting class would be amazing
Junior high had metal working courses!?!? Even the high schools around me don’t have that! I wish!
@@Crohan_31 my high school had wood working metal automotive and so on. was very cool.
@@werewolf74 that’s awesome my highschool had those as well but man a metallurgy course would’ve been awesome or lampworking
Super satisfying and enjoyable to watch your crafting expertise
me and my roommate loved this. Thank you for your service
I can imagine 20 years later and a rust repair KZheadr finds this hammer and fixes it
Imagine it being the same youtuber too xD. "Left my copper hammer out to rust for 20 years and brought it in to restore it"
Patina not rust
@@thekickingwolf5115patina is still not copper oxide, but you are right, rust is strictly iron oxide.
When fitting a new handle to a hammer head, I always used a contrasting wedge in my hickory handle, made of purpleheart. Really sets 'em off! BTW, as beautiful as your copper hammer is with that polished finish~ there ain't no law says you can't still use it!
yes there is....it's illegal in 42 states, 13 provinces and 19 additional countries! It's true... I read it on the internet!
@@coresnap it's a concealed carry law. If it's strapped to your back outside your long trench coat you're good to go, cause it would look boss. You're basically forced to adopt a Thor-like attitude about life...with a copper sledge.
My friend, are you all right? I wish you good health, happy family, happy every day
This is art and craftsmanship 👍🫵💪🫡
Amazing work man
Beautiful. I poured stainless steel for the hot water fittings for nuke reactors back in the 70's. We used a similar process. Resin packed sand that would burn off after the pour. It was a dangerous job that I loved.
Jesus Christ died for your sins please repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ✋ 🖊 📄 🤚
Copper is has really a beautiful color! Was always my favorite! Wonderful work.
I’m a scissors sharpener and I use copper hammers to set, out of alignment scissors blades. The copper is soft enough to make adjustments on stainless steel without damage. Nice job!!
Very cool
Sounds like a great job. Where would one go to look for such a job?
@@Nick-cp8wf Wolff industries Spartanburg SC
That looks beautiful, great job.
Loved the plug fit, seemed that it went together flawlessly. My thought was to do a combination of cooling the plug (contraction) and heating the hammer (expansion) to get the plug in and then when they hit equilibrium they'll be beyond snug, but hey peening it worked too.
Cooling the plug for an interference fit is a great idea! Be careful about using heat around holes such as this hammer.The metal can expand TOWARD the hole, actually making it smaller.
Probably one of the coolest/most satisfying hammer making videos I’ve seen in awhile👍🏼
Pretty neat! Loved the perfect fit 👌🏻
Your pours are so clean
I adore how copper looks..This looks so beautiful! If it had engravings it'd look magical.
Very skilled and you’re vibe and voice make it soothing to watch
I loved this video and the "oh yeah, I'm a machinist" moment. Superb. You earned my subscription! Machining the copper to find a textured void reminded me that I want to try a project that includes the satisfying "machined surface with intentional rough voids" aesthetic. I know it's irritating when you don't mean to do it, but done intentionally it can look good.
That looks INCREDIBLE!
Thats the most beautiful sledge ive ever seen. Something youd have as a family heirloom passed down
Fantastic project, well done. Perfectly paced & edited video too.
This showed me a lot of techniques I've wanted to learn more about for a while, thank you!
That plug was flawless
Turned out amazing!!
That is some really nice craftsmanship. I would love to have a shop and tool selection like that!
What a fascinating process! Beautiful result! So much fun to watch! So gorgeous! You’re a true artisan!
That repair was brilliant.
That's pretty flippin' awesome dude!
Not only do I absolutely LOVE this hammer, I have a serious weak spot for copper, I would also LOVE to have one in my shop. Too bad I don't own ANY of the machines you used to make it.
Ikr! Copper has such a mesmerizing color to it for some reason. Goes really well with other metals like bismuth too.
Excellent piece. The hammer looks great. Your repair on the defect came out perfect.
Fantastic craftsmanship there mate do more🇬🇧
Looks awesome. I think you can get a mirror finish and the tool marks out if your mill head is more level. You can use a dial to precisely level it. Also, a faster speed on the mill head may help as well. Awesome video.
Beautifully done! And the repair of the void was an outstanding use of your available resources. Also, I found the use of the core fascinating as I’ve never seen it done. I now have a much better understanding of how using a core can create a hollow in a casting. One thing is for sure, if we ever end up in a post apocalyptic world, I want you on my team of survivors!
Cutting up ingots is like dissection class in high school. You learn so much about how voids will form in castings that way.
It’s truly crazy that workers have to do this for every hammer manually!1!
Smart move with the plug idea, that came out great. I've used that a lot in wood working and never really thought about it for metal. I'm glad to see that it worked, keep it up! 👍
Noob here -- Why not just pour molten copper into the void? (Then smooth it)
Beautiful sand cast result 😍
Love that shine! ❤️
You are the Boss! Excellent work!
That is the most beautiful hammer I ever seen! One other thing, I would kill to get my hands on your slicer settings! I have to artillery printers and I have never seen any 3d printer print that nice! You make me look forward to retirement, so I can do these things! Great work!
Love this one man……. Amazing set of skills here along with an amazing shop. Some of the best content man !!!!
An interesting problem of craftsmanship: achieving such a degree of beauty and perfection, that it transitions from a tool to an art object. And what a marvellous peace of art it is!
Could not leave thumbs up 'Cause i watched it a year ago and left thumbs up,BUT watched again and enjoyed it, (was worth the re-run) . Great video , excellent work , beautiful hammer.
Great job! It looks absolutely beautiful, but I personally think that a darker handle would make the copper stand out more. Fantastic job!!!