On Norse Hammers

(this is a duplicate post from an entry from 'Hammered Out Bits' - included here primarily as a test to see what a full sized posting will look like with various backgrounds. This can be edited and saved when the DARC blog is fully functional)


Nickolas wrote:

> I have a question I hope you can help me with. I've been reading about the Mastermyr find, and I'm curious about the hammers. Were they wrought iron, or did they have a wrought body with steel peens and/or faces?


If you are real serious here, you should get a copy of

the Mastermyr Find
Arwidsson and Berg
AlmQuist & Wiksell - 1983
91-7402-129 X

Norm Larson Books in California got the rights to re-publish a couple of years back and was selling these for about $25 US a copy.

According to the report. Only one of the hammers was tested for metal content. That was the large hand sledge (# 69) at 3.3 kg. This shows the PEEN end as forge welded mid carbon steel but welded on to the iron body. Makes some sence if you figure its smaller and thus more likely to deform.

The section on metallurgy mentions most of the hammers are formed of a single mass of iron "..the objects were made from fairly homogeneous iron pieces." (Note that the axes tested have welded higher carbon edges)

If you look at the hammers found, the faces on two of the mid sized tools show significant mushing out at the face, whihc certainly looks like use pattern on softer iron bodies. All show some upsetting at the face - but I personally take this as partially the effect of the original forging to shape.

A fast visual reference : take a look at the blacksmith's shop reconstruction I put together for 'World of the Norse'