A request. Hows it made? French axe

[Jameasun]

Hello,
I am having a hard time getting my mind around how the handle hole is made on the french style axe. It is made on such a odd angle. Would some one please post up a tut. on this. This is a pic of the style I am talking about.



Thank you!

 

[Church & Son]

Hey Jameasun....that one was probably drop-forged, or squeezed into a form hot.....the originals were more than likely split, wrapped around a mandrel and welded in the back...but I could be very wrong on both..that's the way I would try......

 

[Kevin1050]

You can post on iforgeiron.com Lots of good info on the site except some of the people that reply can be a little 'gruff'. I use both sites as good sources of info.

 

[BRad704]

I thought blacksmith's were supposed to be "gruff"... ?

And I'd have to agree with Randy's idea on the socket for the axe.

 

[dull blade]

The originals could have possibly been cast.

 

[grahamgreg]

cut the hole before its bent..

 

[GHEzell]

This is a francisca, a type of throwing axe popular in the early middle ages... the Saxons were named after their knives, and the French after their axes, I suppose. They do have a nice graceful shape, for a battle axe...:3:

I strongly suspect they used a wrap type construction making these, but punch and drift would also be an option.

 

[grahamgreg]

ill try to make one next week in my forge,and see what it takes to make it.

 

[Church & Son]

Oh, the Dark Ages, how I miss the screaming!
These throwing axes were popular in the overlap of the Bronze age and the Iron age so a lot of the
techniques were a thousand years old...and brand new at the same time. And they had to be made for
thousands of soldiers so mass production has to be thought about. Heat treatment, hardness, that sort of thing
wasn't really important considering they may be thrown once in battle and never recovered.
The Knights and royalty had the finest weapons, they could afford to have them made, the front line soldier had
whatever they were issued or could scrounge. I would suspect the French cast them by the hundreds.......

 

[GHEzell]

Yes, but cast iron did not really take off in the west until the 14th century... not to mention it makes a terrible cutting tool. Labor was cheap, time was cheap, but steel was expensive. Mass produced yes, disposable no. Collecting the spoils after the battle was a lucrative business.

I can't really speak for the quality of the steel and heat-treatment of the originals, it was very likely not up to modern standards... carborized bog iron would do in a pinch.