Making & Testing Aluminum Bronze Hatchet WILL IT SURVIVE?
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- Опубліковано 2 тра 2024
- How strong is a solid aluminum bronze hatchet? In todays video I'll make one and test it out!
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Intro 00:00
Making the mold 00:18
Melting metal and pouring mold 03:23
Cleaning casting 05:20
Filling void with weld 06:35
Cold forging/work hardening 07:45
Making a handle 08:39
Testing the hatchet 12:00 - Навчання та стиль
Dont know if anyone has commented on this fact yet, but copper axes in history had very different edge profiles than modern steel axes. This is something that is easy to research online, but basically, the edge is much more reinforced (fatter), and so not as sharp. It will take more work to do the same job but the edge won't dull so fast, and all that is to be expected with inferior metallurgy. Man, this was a fun video though! Thank you so much for sharing.
It might also be useful to look at stone axes for another step less hard.
copper age lasted little and was followed by bronze age. For this copper that was found native was used
I agree. Stone and bronze blades all had that "fat" edge profile for edge retention in less than durable material. Good stuff.
Another mistake here, was grinding away the folded over edge. He should have just peened in back into shape, at least until and unless it work hardened enough that it broke off rather than rolling over.
Watched a dude scythe a whole lawn of overgrown grass, (which requires a pretty fine edge if you don't wanna work yourself to death) never using anything to sharpen it other than a peening hammer and tiny anvil.
Forgot to add arsenic.
Arsenical bronze is a different lump.
I guess in Valheim when you hit an oak tree with a bronze axe and it says "Too hard!", I can't complain anymore.
WAS JUST THINKING THAT!
I renovated some houses built with old growth pine, as in, the first trees white people cut down when they came to america. The shit was so dense you couldn't nail into it with anything but cut nails, and sometimes even then they would fucking bend. Modern wood is fucking garbage. I make random shit out of old growth sycamore now. Once it dries you can't really work it.
I love that this game is so popular. I also thought about not cutting down harder types of wood, but the first tree available in Valheim isn't maple?
hey side fun fact (from history): it would take upwards of three stone axes to cut down a single tree in the stone age, while a bronze axe would generally survive at least a few cuttings - though not without significant damage, if the wood was hard enough!
@@theradioactiveplayer3461and bronze and copper tools would have had the edges reworked and straightened as they were used to keep them in better condition
aluminum bronze can be quench hardened in water, depending on the ratio. There's alpha phase, multi phase and beta phase aluminum bronze. I'd advise a multi phase, with 10% Al, and some additives such as 5% Nickel and 4% iron. You will need to temper the bronze after the quench tho. If you need any advice on that, just tell me and i'll try to contact you by email to tell you. (Also aluminum bronze can be forged up to orange hot, wich is very convenient. It's nearly hard as steel under the hammer)
Yeah, there're easily as many bronzes as steels, and just like with steel very small changes make all the difference sometimes. Whatever this alloy is, it's kind of pretty but clearly doesn't quite... cut it :D
@@Ithirahad tbh his aluminium bronze is harder than what they had in antiquity, and that didn't prevent people from the ancient world from cutting down trees and stuff. His edge got damaged because he probably didnt use the best shape for bronze. Steel is hard enough to hold its shape and can be thinned down a lot. Bronze is weaker so a thicker edge would be better. Also you don't use bronze the same way you use steel. I've forged quite a few quench hardened bronze blades, and even tho they are vastly harder than traditional tin bronze (and will cut shavings from mild steel), it's still much much softer than good hardened steel. I've found that you really need to treat these blades with more respect, and be more careful. Also to keep a shaving sharp edge on a bronze blade, you need to frequently hone the edge. It takes like 10-20 seconds but it keeps the performance good.
There are plenty of extremely hard bronze alloys, with the best being CuBe2 or CuCoBe, basically beryllium bronze. Looks like copper, but when quench hardened and tempered, that shit will reach 55HRC, wich is retardedly hard for copper. However beryllium dust is bad for the lungs, so there are alternatives that are nickel based, so basically nickel bronzes, but they look like silver, wich is pointless in terms of aesthetics.
@jeanladoire4141 what's the best working hardness?
@jeanladoire4141 I don't cast, but I had occasion to work with nickle tin bronze in my lathe and milling machine and it was very impressive. Easily as tough as mild steel.
Incorrect
Honestly, I think the hammer marks from work hardening the edge look really awesome.
Agreed
i know right?? i was so confused when he ground them off. the hatchet probably would've held up a little better too since it would've had a bit extra material
I've been casting aluminium bronze for over 25 years and I know it can get really hard, depending of alloy and cooling process after the casting. It hardens when it's allowed to cool down slow, just the opposite what steel does, that's why I have to open my moulds immediately after casting and cool the castings quickly so that I'm able to machine them.
If I let the castings to cool slowly, I'm not even able to drill holes in them with HSS tools. Aluminium bronze also workhardens, as you said in the video, but it gets brittle doing that.
Commercial alloys include iron, cobolt and some other metals beside just copper and aluminium.
Once I gave one of my castings that had accidentally been left to cool down slowly to a friend of mine, who was working in quality control and testing department of a big gear manufacturing company, and they tested the hardness of that casting. They were blown away how hard that thing was, I can't remember the exact value, but it was comparable to a hardened tool steel.
If you don't mind my asking, what are you casting?
@@Nevir202Gravestone ornaments. I use aluminium bronze because of the patina on it is transparent, so it doesn't turn black over time like other copper alloys do.
@@filopat67 Wow, that's interesting. If that's the case, I'm surprised it isn't more popular.
@@Nevir202It has downsides for casting, quite bit of them. It shrinks when it solidifies, a lot, it's really hard to weld and solder because of the aluminium content, it's difficult to machine because of the workhardening and it's not easy to cast because doesn't run well. When you pour it the smelt is surrounded by a aluminiumoxide "pouch" that causes the pour to slow down and solidify before it fills the mould. For the industrial use it's a bit niche material, so it's not easily obtainable, it's mostly used for marine propellers, valves in process industry and for coins.
@@filopat67 Thanks for the info!
Beautiful axe!
Remember to preserve the handle of any axe, hammer, etc with the rule of thumb for applying boiled linseed oil, it is to apply it once a day for a week, then once a week for a month, and then once a month for a year, and then once a year for the life of the handle. Farmstead On
Might be the neatest "rule of thumb" I've ever seen...
Definitely yes on the chamfer. Georgeous axe.
Yes indeed!
Gives it a bit of a martial touch, aesthetically.
Chamfers are the only thing that separates from the animals.
No offense but you can always tell when someone is new to hanging an axe head. It shouldnt just go straight onto the handle with no effort, you should have to carefully fit the head to the handle, it should be tight.
My 17 month old sat and watched almost this whole video with me! Family friendly content ❤
Awesome!
Adding Cast Iron to the mix could make it into a type of industrial strength bronze and hold an edge for longer.
If you're going to add iron you might as well just throw your hands up and make a steel alloy instead.
lots o' luck with that one. iron's melting point is higher than the burning point of aluminum, copper, and tin.
I think Iron does not dissolve in Al or Cu; it is the silicon present in the cast iron that gets mixed with Al.
His other build with the steel insert was the best idea
Maybe on another iteration or V2.0 he can machine a vertical groove in the hatchet head and just slide in the cutting edge then peen it over, then sand it to shape
Or maybe call it the quick build version
@@janami-dharmam No, there's commercial aluminium bronze alloys with 1-5% of iron in them. Those with iron are listed as higher hardness, but lower corrosion resistance. (Given that aluminium bronzes are often used in highly corrosive environments, e.g. partially in sea water, that's not necessarily a problem for this application). I do know that silicon bronzes are softer, but more ductile, than aluminium bronzes, so adding silicon is probably the wrong approach for an edge retention alloy. (That said, something things in 0.5 - 1% range have quite different effects to higher concentrations - alloys can get weird!). None of the common commercial aluminium bronzes have silicon in the mix, probably because of this reason (and silicon is more expensive than aluminium).
I’m glad I’m not the only one that can spend a week making something that doesn’t work and see it as a learning experience then start the next project. Life is good
It did work. The video, that is; the purpose of which is to generate views and income.
My initial thought would be "for a handle this small, vibration control is even more important," but I'm no woodologist. The hatchet is beautiful, and I love the chamfer you put around the edges.
the study of wood is called dendrology, the study of trees specifically. a botanist studies all plants, and the engineer studies building, construction, and physics. pretty sure one of those is the word you want.
The bigger you make a gong or a bell the longer and louder it vibrates.
That grinding dust collection system is a game changer! I'm definitely stealing the idea haha. Love the video as always!
Have you seen the Olfoundryman casting boxes? They're printable pieces that you cast, and you can make modular aluminum boxes that don't catch on fire and don't swell with moisture
I’ll check them out!
OOH Nice!!!!
ua-cam.com/video/cX2u6S5qV3Q/v-deo.html
the rolled edge might be at least partly from edge geometry. You'd probably want to make the edge with a larger angle, so it's got more support behind it. Like 30 degrees instead of 15 degrees kind of thing. It looks pretty slender in the video. It'd take longer to do the same job but it would be more likely to actually survive, I think.
Agreed. Also, given the apparent softness, he should have just peened the rolled over edge back into place.
15 degrees would be an incredibly acute angle even for a kitchen knife, let alone an axe.
@@yamiyomizuki Not really. 17 degrees is very common for a kitchen knife. 15 really isn't that extreme. There's plenty of 15 degree kitchen knives.
I've heard old copper-age blades (pre-bronze age) were "sharpened" by simply hammering the edge back into place, rather than using a whetstone or grinding method. This was practical and wasted little of the highly precious metal. Bronze tools could bend too, but I think the attitude was "who cares? just bend it back."
Nice looking axe. If you can ever get ahold of a piece of ash, it would make a good handle. Good at absorbing shocks and vibrations. Baseball bats are usually ash.
Hickory is the best material for handles.
It worked for thousands of years, it works now. Refining your mixture and quality of metals will help, as I just watched a video of a bronze axe cutting through a whole tree thicker than that and it had no damage at all. Perhaps a bronze machete or saw would be interesting to try.
Ah, not exactly. Bronze yes, aluminum bronze, no. Aluminum is very hard to make without complicated equipment.
Napolean had a ring made of aluminum; it was worth more than pretty much anything else in the French treasury.
@@josephd.5524 Thank you for respectfully correcting me, that is hard to come by. Was it tin they mixed with copper?
@@ATruckCampbell Yes. Ancients Egyptians used approx. 9-10% tin in a tool grade bronze, rest was copper.
@@josephd.5524 There was an era where aluminium cutlery was a symbol of wealth.
@@josephd.5524Of course Al is a modern metal; most of the Al today comes from electrolysis
That tree was savable. Looks like when planted the root ball wasn't spread out.
It was in a bad spot. The wind did us a favor.
I disagree. If you'll notice, there is a large wedge missing from the trunk. This makes it impossible for a tree to survive.
"Was" being the key word.. go plant another tree..
You’re a little late, AZ John.
This is typical for a tree in bad soil or with deeproot barrier just around the initial rootbal. Replanting a tree that size and have it survive rarly works wel and requirs a lot of watering the first 2-3 years. I would of cut of the rootball and chucked the tree through a chipper to prevent anybody from starting to suggest replanting. Planting it back in the same hole doesn't fix the problem, either beeing deeproot or bad soil. both requir a lot of work and the after care needed make so it's easier to just replant a smaller tree later and fix the problems with the planting spot in due time instead of hastly.
Its always a pleasure watching you work and seeing the process. Thank you. Cheers J
I'm really impressed with your progress. I remember some of the issues you had in early projects, which you've eliminated completely. Nearly flawless. Great work!
The chamfer was a good choice. I'm glad you spared the edge further abuse from the oak. I love your craftsmanship. You make lovely stuff. Seeing how much work you put into finishing your castings, much of which is due to the quality of the 3d prints you use, makes me wonder if you ought to invest in a resin 3d printer. There are quite a few good quality resin 3d printers that have a large enough build volume to print patterns for what you've been doing on this channel. Yeah, resin printing is a whole thing. It's messy and has requirements for ventilation, but you could save so much time by printing higher quality patterns in resin. An alternative to that would be finishing your FDM prints to a higher surface quality before molding them. Perhaps you just like the physical process of transforming the relatively rough quality of your castings though, in which case that's cool. I'm just thinking of this all from a jewelers perspective. Anyway, great video as always.
I think he has done a couple of projects using resin prints
jumping down to the comments to say the Chamfer is a thing of freaking beauty on this piece. Incredible job on it, especially leading into that spiked angle pointing towards the handle
Agree 100%
Another amazing piece of Art Mr. Robinson! All thought I need to say that I loved how the axe looked after hardening, this hammering gave an interesting texture
What a thing of beauty you have made, both in function and aesthetics. It's a pleasure to watch you work and learn from your commentary. Thank you.
To keep from having to file open the eye, you could just make the sand core for the eye conical shaped.
You are a hell of a craftsman . Your finished work looks flawless. Thanks for the video
Just found this channel, its awesome! I did some sand castinhg in highschool and even made a training video about it for a project in 1984 . I have been think about doing some sand casting for awhile and this is motivating me to give it a go. Thanks. Your casting table is fantastic, things have changed since 1984!
Wow, I wish youtube showed me stuff like this more often. Totally randomly youtube has shown me two young guys with two amazing hobbies in a row. So amazing to see these things being done. The modern world and technology makes so many things possible now, but only a few in every generation will have the heart to truly take advantage of those opportunities. Well done, this was wonderful to watch. New subscriber.
That tree had some really beautiful insides tbh!
Variations on this theme that I'd like to see are the use of arsenical bronze, if that's possible, and the potential durability of a bronze saw.
Also, as I think others have mentioned, keep in mind that the shape of the modern axe is influenced by steel, which allowed for a thinner blade. Softer materials may need to look more like a stone axe.
One of the most relaxing and calming videos I've seen in a long time. I think the confidence shown in what is an ancient craft, albeit with some modern tools to help the process is really enjoyable.
A bit like an Allen Millyard video.
First of all, your process and organization of your tools and space is amazing. Secondly, the hatchet was/is beautiful. Not least of all, I absolutely love the sharing of information in the comments.
The end result looks beautiful, even if it is less effective than a steel axe.
I really liked your molding table, it seems like a really smart design to conceal a workspace for that specific task 👍
You should do a Roman straight razor in bronze and shave with it!
Perfect. I was wondering the same thing about the aluminum bronze. One of my favorite alloys just based on color.
Beautiful, and thank you for posting this.
I’ve wanted to do this for some time, I have some bronze that is so doggone hard that hacksaw and bandsaw blades simply skitter over it and at best make a shiny mark.
Aluminum pronze can be heat treated and tempered. You might look into that for better edge. Or let the edge get rolled a bit to work harden it then regrind to sharp, the reprofile will likely hold better.
THAT would survive a quiet life of luxury on my wall by the door patiently waiting for an intruders skull…Nice NICE work
Thing of beauty! Many years ago as an apprentice centre lathe turner I foolishly made a starter motor bush from aluminium bronze instead of phosphor bronze, it was totally wrong for the job and lots of loose play appeared quickly as the steel shaft wore more quickly than the al bronze bush. lesson learned, this stuff is tough.
How beautiful that is. Thank you for sharing the process.
Piglin (seeing axe): [ _confused piglin noises_ ]
Those chamfers are very beautyful
In this informative video it appears you have a wonderful and well equipped shop. My hat is off to you sir! A job well done. Thanks for sharing!! The finished product is beautiful............. AND other than holding an edge it did a good job. THANKS!
Nice work and nice video. I sometimes make blades from weak materials just for fun... it can teach us about modes of failure more easily than with strong materials.
im curious about your locating pim 'mistake' - if its a symmetrical design, why did it matter?
The sprue was printed with that half of the pattern, so it had to be the top piece. Visible about 30 seconds in.
I've asked gpt what's the hardest aluminium bronze alloy, and it replied:
Aluminum bronze C95400 typically contains approximately 83% copper, 10% aluminum, 5% iron, and 2% nickel. These percentages may vary slightly depending on the specific alloy composition and manufacturer.
Next video idea “chat gpt designed my axe”
Very nicely done, I've cast several alloys of bronze or brass over the years, but none for tool purpose, generally art. I thought it held up pretty well considering. It's been a primary metal for bearings in engines and transmissions, where I've been working with it mostly, special alloys. Thanks, very nice.
BEAUTIFUL WORK. We used magnesium bronze for high strength clamps. They didnt like stretching as they work hardened fast, but they were great to grip the steel pipes. WORST PART was drilling the bolt hole for the clamp through the cast unit. I learnt to sharpen drills by hand very well indeed. This was in the 80s onwards. Drills were not great to start with. ..
Truly enjoyable build to watch, with a great mix of technique and aesthetics. AND I loved your secret casting table!
Aluminium alloy hatchets were used regulary in coal mining. It was done to prevent sparks which could ignite explosive gas or coal dust.
So it maybe not suitable for hard wood but effective for coal mining and also for shaping logs in mines.
i got one of these at my wall from my grandfather and it looks great :D
I used a pair of aluminum bronze wedges as part of the bow irons on a medieval crossbow build - they jam fit between two steel blocks to clamp the bow to the stock. One thing I noticed is that when pounded into place with a steel hammer, the aluminum bronze wedges would deform very slightly and result in a fit that was much tighter than a pair of steel wedges. They made a very pretty contrast with the blued steel until they got scuffed and scratched to hell - an interesting material but frankly too soft for most applications I've tried it in.
Nice project. Good workmanship and excellent editing.
That is one heck of a masterpiece. Beautiful craft.
Congratulations on the beautiful work! What he accomplished is a true work of art. I say "hi" directly from Brazil.
I found this extremely interesting for three reasons:
1. I have always been curious about this alloy.
2. The comments of many others show an amazing level of experience and expertise. And I will know for future reference they congregate around your channel.
3. Your level of craftsmanship, metal, and wood, is outstanding.
BTW For handles I noticed Goosebay Sawmill & Lumber, Inc in New Hampshire has some small amounts of 4/4 Pignut Hickory.
All the best.
Well done! That is a beautiful thing to behold. Nice job all around.
What a cool experiment. Great, easy to follow presentation of the process!
I like how you say its a bit dull and you can clearly see deformations and what looks like chips...
One thing to consider is that during the Bronze Age, and even the early Iron Age, little of the wood used was seasoned and dried first. Green wood is vastly easier to work than seasoned wood, so your axe's edge would likely have lasted longer. Also, you did not apparently sharpen the edge between cutting experiments. This treatment would be reasonable for a steel or iron axe, but an individual used to using bronze tools would likely have habitually maintained the edge to ease the work.
as a 3d print project, it's pretty cool. changing your plastic model into something really useable
love your work, one thing you might try is after you oil the handle (exclude the top to begin with and no steel wedges) soak just the head in a bucket of water for a few days, it will cause the wood to swell and really lock the head on. My grand father showed me this when i was young, he never even used wedges unless the head came loose later. I had to replace a handle he fitted once and it took longer to get old handle out than to fit the new one it was locked in so tight. The different color wood does look great though
You are an encyclopedia of knowledge,you should be teaching some new generations how to work on things.👍
This is a work of art and a joy to watch
It will make a beautiful wall-hanging. Nice job
Love ur casting bench! Great design.
Maybe off topic , but when I worked at Rockwell Aerospace, bronze aluminum alloy was used to make gears and screw drives . Extremely tough material and hard on cutters and tooling / even carbide cutters.
Thanks for your most interesting video and all the best.
This really is an amazing channel! You really can teach an old man new tricks! Hi from Australia.
The table set up for casting looks really useful. Axe came out great, would have cold forged that folded edge back into line before moving on to the grinder though.
Chamfering the edges sure looks pretty, but on a really usable hard blade I want a crisp 90° on the outside (top)
a) to strike a ferrorod, if I loose or damage the striker or my knife,
5) to make fine woodshavings for tinder - just in case, you never know.
Something to notice: the bulge behind the eye of regular hatchets and axes is a counterweight (NOT a hammer), it makes the tool more stable and helps against wobbling - you made the head more tomahawk-style with no such bulge, so it's wobbly and even more dangerous. On well-built hunting axes you see the counterweight well rounded to assist in skinning large animals.
I would grind your hatchet, mirror-polish it and hang it on my wall as a decorative piece, that's where it shines.
An interesting fact about bronze's use historically is that weapons produced with bronze, specifically swords, were an early form of mass production.
One mold would be used for hundreds of pours, meaning an army could, theoretically, be outfitted with identical, quick-to-make (and extremely expensive) weapons.
I watched something on bronze swords once that I believed showed that you’d unroll the edge with a hammer before sharpening, instead of grinding off all the rolled material. Increased the life of the thing.
That maple was a lovely choice for the Handle, some cross hatching like on the stock of a shot gun would have looked beautiful on there
One of my favorites you have done!
That is very nice & be great just for dry firewood or kindling for the fireplace !
Excellent craftsmanship!
Amazing pal. It's a joy to watch a craftsman at work 👊20.35
absolutly incredible work!! WOW
You made a good little video here! You fabricated a nearly perfect axe head out of a soft metal alloy. You gained enough experience to pull off a better alloy copy. Great job. I liked your video and I subscribed. You're right, the axe really did look cool. You should hang that up on the wall and make another.
on the bronze Tig weld, I've found if I use a 1/8 tungsten and turn the heat up (foot pedal control machine around 260) i can actually puddle stack dimes as needed. thanks TESTING this thing, I was really interested in how durable it would be!
That aluminium bronze has a brilliant colour. I'd love a cube or ingot of that stuff on a little pillow just to look at as a decoration lol.
Alubronze is fascinating stuff; great work.
Re. the champhering, I would've left the ventral concavity unchamphered, just for the look of it...
I have a bronze pick ax, these were used by the gas board to prevent sparks while digging, i have used it for years and it has not worn much to my surprise
It’s crazy how you can see the 3D print layer lines in the casting. Pretty beautiful tbh.
good looking and works well. Great job!
I love working with wood and metal so this was very soothing. I think the axe looked very handsome and was a cool experiment. Other than looking cool is there an advantage to using aluminum bronze for part of the axe in the previous iteration? I once made a wooden plug and took it to a foundry to be sand cast to make a complex shape in steel for a motorcycle suspension I invented. I raced that bike on asphalt at 100mph with my knee on the ground. Sand casting is yeah!
The hammered finish at the edge looked really nice. I would have left it that way and just ground the final bevel in.
beautiful design. Loved the video.
Love your channel! Inheritance Machining just posted a video of his one sided "Mobius" cube (he shared the plans of his design) and I instantly thought: this is a job for Robinson Foundry. Bronze, baybay!!!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing! 😃
That turned out really nice. I thought the edge would hold up a bit because Aluminium Bronze is pretty tough stuff. At least when machining it is, I had no idea about impact resistance. Great work.
You my friend are a TRUE CRAFTSMAN. 👏👏👏
The little kid in me lit up when you showed the hidden sandbox in your workbench. Really awesome build too!
Amazing artistry. You for sure were a Bronze Age master craftsman in a previous life!
This is insanely cool, I would love to make something like this. Very interesting alloy.
Its gorgeous. Id have a couple hanging up as ornaments
From what I understand, bronze blades would be resharpened by peening rather than by grinding the folded/rounded edge away, which would also keep the edge work hardened. A worker could do this in the field with two smooth stones and a few minutes.
You are correct about the Maple. That's why they use Maple for Guitar necks and tops and backs, because they transfer vibration so well.
Excellent workmanship.
Wow- very impressive- work of art.
love the alloy! so pretty. But yeh, I guess all for looks. prevoius axe was a great solution.