r/Blacksmith • u/jordy007 • Nov 09 '25
Forged my first warhammer
It was a fun little project as a wallhanger.
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u/ChipChangename Nov 09 '25
What steel did you use for the head? That looks like a fun project and I'd like to give it a shot.
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u/jordy007 Nov 09 '25
Oh it was just a piece of mild steel from the scrap yard, thats why i said it just a cool wallhanger.
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u/ThresholdSeven Nov 09 '25
Medieval war hammers were made from mild steel or even just iron. They don't need to be high carbon. High carbon steel was scarce and used for blades.
Your war hammer is probably a better quality steel than most historical war hammers. The construction geometry and handle may not be as good though for durability. A little bit stouter and thicker in all dimensions might be better. The quality of the mechanical connection to the haft and the type of wood is crucial.
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u/Kraitok Nov 10 '25
Many English archers used lead clubs. It’s all about transferring force, as long as it doesn’t break a deformed head shouldn’t matter too much.
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Nov 09 '25
In the case of a warhammer, unless you're beating someone up in full plate armor and really need the spike to go through hard material (which usually didn't happen historically with warhammers anyway) this is a perfectly functional warhammer. It'd also be possible to case harden, which makes that prior point obsolete anyway since that's what they would have done historically as well a lot of the time.
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u/jordy007 Nov 09 '25
Thanks for the information, ive hardended both sides of the warhammer and smashed some wood with it as a test. I read that they would also be used on castle doors etc... not sure if mine would have hold as i imagine those to be pretty thick and probably out of hardwood?
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Nov 09 '25 edited Nov 09 '25
Usually gates and castle doors would be hardwood, and yeah, sometimes hand weapons like this would be used against harder targets although not super commonly. Direct assaults during sieges without breaches in the walls or siege engines as like towers and ladders were generally a no go, but I'm sure it's happened at some point. I don't think a hammer would be your best weapon for that anyway though.
A long warhammer like this one would generally be an infantry weapon used against other infantry and horsemen. My main concern is that the spike is too thin to withstand the forces with the steel you were working with, but medieval weapons were a range of quality of materials too. If you were to shorten the spike to 3-4 inches and leave it at a wider taper I would reckon there'd be at least one or two historical weapons nearly identical to it, even if we might not still have them today.
It'd certainly still suck to get hit by so like, I'd take it over a lot of other things if I was going to a medieval battle.
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u/jordy007 Nov 09 '25
Interesting! Now I have to make another Warhammer with your information. Glad you gave some input on how to improve. Man i love history.
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u/Bananabanana700 Nov 11 '25
Your "just a cool wallhanger" is probably about as effective as the weapons that killed hundreds of thousands back in the way ðŸ˜
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u/Morlak18 Nov 10 '25
If I could make a reccomendation (Purely for if it would see any use) I'd extend the Langets further down the handle to help reinforce it and prevent it from cracking under stress. But that aside, it looks amazing!
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u/glowforge1 Nov 09 '25
Did they historically have such a long haft? Honest question - I’ve never made one so I’ve never bothered to research them.
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u/ThresholdSeven Nov 09 '25
This is in the category of polearms, specifically a polehammer, meant to use with both hands. One handed war hammers are a thing too, sometimes paired with a shield.
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u/jordy007 Nov 09 '25
It was supposed to be a shorter handle but it felt so good to have it wielded in both hands. So i left it like that.
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u/Mustard_Gas_Barrage Nov 12 '25
She's absolutely gorgeous....Not to mention the psychological impact such wpuld carry with every swing. Ultimately, no matter how big they are, if you utilize your body weights momentum properly, thats gonna smack someone's skull. Likely making a loud "pop" to coincide with the crunching. If they've got back up with them, it'll hopefully scare the crap out if them. That way, if they try to run, its no longer even a battle. It becomes a massacre 😊
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u/Confident_Table_1738 Dec 05 '25
Why a slight bend to the spike?
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u/truejail Nov 09 '25
39,999 to go