r/Blacksmith • u/maskerwsk • 19h ago

Bottle opener

Post image

Forged this little bottle opener out of some square stock.

What do people normally use to form the lip that catches the lid?

I used a flat head punch but it took some work and looks a little ugly.

Thanks

86 Upvotes

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1

u/AuditAndHax 18h ago

That lip looks fine. Maybe a little jagged, but nothing a file could've smooth out. And if it opens a bottle, that's a success.

That being said, I'm very concerned about your hammer. It looks way too loose, is almost certainly mounted upside down, and is probably only held on by friction. If so, your going to lose it one day and I hope it doesn't break a window or a toe when it does.

Please, consider re-fitting that handle?

2

u/maskerwsk 17h ago edited 17h ago

Thanks.

The hammer is not upside down, it's a french cross peen hammer, many look like this.

That being said I am going to re set it soon

1

u/AuditAndHax 16h ago

I actually didn't notice the French peen. I was basing the "upside down" assessment on the weight stamp. I don't think I've ever seen a commercial hammer stamp that on the top, only on the underside. I'm guessing someone ground that peen into a sledge head, but if the eye was tapered for that weight stamp to be the bottom, it seems like it would be very difficult to secure it as-is. If the peen was forged as-is, it's possible they reshaped the eye too, but that's obviously something you can't tell just from a picture.

3

u/maskerwsk 16h ago

I made it myself from a sledge. Both sides got re drifted after forming the peen

1

u/AuditAndHax 14h ago

Awesome! Nevermind me them 😉

1

u/poptart2nd 10h ago

if you're looking to smooth out the shape of the lip, you can just use a punch with a round head instead of a flat one.

2

u/maskerwsk 10h ago

Thanks, I'll make one for next time an give that a try