The wrap around method is the fastest and least energetic method, but does require you to maker a good solid weld over a large area, so technically more difficult. If you make it from one piece of good steel then you don't need to put the separate bit in
The punched eye method is harder work but is technically easier, and allows for more weight to be placed either side of the eye which of course aids balance and oompf without making the blade too long or thick
Most pre-20th century axes had steel bits welded into the heads whether they were punched or folded, also it should be noted that not all folded axes look like trade hawks, alot of old axes were folded but have the same shapes as punched ones (a thick plate is welded to the middle of the strip, so when wrapped around it has a poll on it
and then the area where the eye is is thinned prior to welding, that gives a thicker bit and thin walled eye )
These axes are punched eyes. You can simply take a chisel and cut a slot down the middle of your bar, then force a shaped bar called a drift through it in order to stretch and shape the eye. The difficulty is slitting it straight and in the middle of the bar! So most people drill a row of holes in it first to act as a guide for the chisel
Unless you have a huge Press that is capable of pushing a chisel/drift combo straight through the bar of hot steel. :wow1:
With the viking axes that have the wide cheeks, you can weld extra bits to the side, cut some away either side of them or more usually, you keep the drift in place and then use your hammer to stretch the metal out in the direction that you want it to be wider (but also thinner). A certain amount of that goes on when trying to correct the centring of the eye if you punch through off-centre.
I have to confess that these axes were a bit of a cheat. I started with hammer heads and drifted the eye open to the correct shape and size by hand. That way I have a bar of steel that already has the eye in the middle and is straight
I still have to get the drift (think a tapered point that is the cross section of the eye at it's thickest end) lined up properly otherwise the edge is really off centre when finished! The heads are made from 1055 modified, which is a medium carbon steel with some silicon in there as well. Gets glass hard in oil and tempers to a good edge for axes
I use the flypress to draw out the steel more quickly than I can by hand, but I've also got a slitting/drift that I made up to use on virgin steel rather than using hammerheads, trouble is that I went and lost it somewhere before I got around to trying it
I'm in hte middle of a tidy up, so hopefully I'll find it soon
The heads that i have ready for handles are all fitted with wedges (or will be), but I have just finished a drift for making hawk-eyes so there is a trade axe with a hawk shape and fit waiting to be forged this week with luck
