Jerrod Miller

A picture would probably help, but chances are chipping it out is going to be the best bet. Also, this is copper melting. Smelting is a conversion from ore to metal. And steel is generally a bad crucible for copper, they react. Get yourself a refractory or graphite one (or make your own).

Possibly also taking some of the nicer chunks and setting them in resin and treating it like a gemstone in a setting (pommel cap, scabbard accent, etc.).

That leaves you plenty of time to read this forum. Read as much as you can here, you won't regret it and it will pay off BIG time.

Wait, so that bronze is just thin sheet, not solid? So the wood from the handle is up inside there like a ferrule? Love the whole package, BTW.

Glad I could save you some head/heart-ache!

Dude, please wear safety glasses when doing a bend test! Even if it doesn't shatter (one would think you're pretty sure it isn't going to when you decide to do that test), you're bending a pretty good size spring. If you lose your grip or the tip slips (broken wood on the bench maybe) you could end up with the tang in your eye (or something else). Loving seeing this all come together. I'm impressed with your lines on that pommel, no way could I keep them that sharp.

This is fantastic advice that every beginner should hear. Repeatedly. I know I would have been better off for it.

When you're new to heat treating, I like to suggest 1080/184 or 1070 for plain carbon, but 5160 is the other great go-to while learning how to HT. Then you can work up to 1095 and other things (1095 being the next smallest step up in difficulty). I'd avoid all stainless until you have a firm grip on the basic alloys.

I would definitely recommend doing this. I wouldn't recommend welding a face on an anvil (other than forge welded). You never get a perfect mating so you always loose a little bit of efficiency, and it doesn't add that much to begin with.

Once again, best forum on the web, with the best admins. Thanks Alan!

You're aware 440C is a difficult alloy to HT, right? Not saying you can't do it, but I would hate to let anyone buy some only to find out they aren't equipped to HT it when I could have said something.

Also, for future reference, all of these threads you started for this ax can and probably should be a single thread. It is much easier to have all the info for one project in one place. Like I said, just for next time (keep at it!). For others coming across this thread, here are some of the other threads on this project:

Nope. If you find out what it was for, then there is still a very little chance of knowing what it is. It is large enough to be difficult to HT, but too small to be worth HTing anyway. If it was a couple feet long and definitely hardenable (known alloy), then it could be worth figuring out how to heat the one face (just need a couple inches hot enough) then quench it. But then you a looking at handling about 100+ pounds. Not easy. You'd be better off just getting something already heat treated. Like from Old World Anvils. Or just using it un-hardened. It isn't that big of a deal in that case. Definitely read the other threads on the forum about post anvils and what people have done.

Like I said, your block is most likely not hardenable at all. Depending on alloy, which I assume you don't know, you'll need an oil, hot water, or cold water quench, after heating a 4x4x4 cube (not easy in itself). Or who knows, maybe it is an air hardening steel! My bet is that it is A36, and won't respond to HT at all. Believe me on this: don't bother.

Generally speaking, those brackets do indeed mean it is just another specification that it meets. The ASM Heat Treater's Guide lists the Italian spec that is equivalent to M2 as UNI X 82 WMo 0605 KU. Sadly, I couldn't find a DMo5 in my quick search.