Ive been making nothing but pipehawks for almost 1 year now. I have yet to try one from a pipe though. I am a glutton for punishment so i forge em out of square and round bar. I just made one from half a railroad spring, which is 60Si2MnA, that was pretty difficult. The results are good but it was a lot of work
@bhaktapeter3501 I have thought of doing it that way. Some of the ones I have forged out of pipe I forge welded a piece of 5160 or 1095 into the end for the cutting edge. This one I used a rifle barrel a customer dropped off. It seems easier to use the pipe/barrel. With the barrel off of the rifle it hardened very nicely and I didn't need to forge weld a a blade in. Worked out really well.
Making the handle for pipehawks and drilling it is very very difficult…..Drilling the 18-25 inch straight hole in a piece of hardwood is a feat unto itself. I usually use ash or fig, which has a hollow pith (which does help alot, although not a silver bullet) and both react very nicely with aqua fortis
@bhaktapeter3501 yes , drilling the hole is a bit aggravating. I find if I start a pilot hole on each end and using a very stiff drill bit and going slow it doesn't wonder and drill out the side.
Ive been making nothing but pipehawks for almost 1 year now. I have yet to try one from a pipe though. I am a glutton for punishment so i forge em out of square and round bar. I just made one from half a railroad spring, which is 60Si2MnA, that was pretty difficult. The results are good but it was a lot of work
@bhaktapeter3501 I have thought of doing it that way. Some of the ones I have forged out of pipe I forge welded a piece of 5160 or 1095 into the end for the cutting edge. This one I used a rifle barrel a customer dropped off. It seems easier to use the pipe/barrel. With the barrel off of the rifle it hardened very nicely and I didn't need to forge weld a a blade in. Worked out really well.
Making the handle for pipehawks and drilling it is very very difficult…..Drilling the 18-25 inch straight hole in a piece of hardwood is a feat unto itself. I usually use ash or fig, which has a hollow pith (which does help alot, although not a silver bullet) and both react very nicely with aqua fortis
@bhaktapeter3501 yes , drilling the hole is a bit aggravating. I find if I start a pilot hole on each end and using a very stiff drill bit and going slow it doesn't wonder and drill out the side.