The toughest part of this build has to be opening the eye without tearing the workpiece apart. Advoko MAKES dealt with it in stages: a row of holes drilled down the center line on a drill press, a cold chisel used to pre-notch along those holes, then a hammer and chisel to split and open the slot. Driving a tapered drift, made from two welded pins, into the hot slot finished the conical eye. That sequence seems like a patient, controlled way to keep the bar from cracking.
The head itself was forged from a railroad tie plate, giving a wide, bearded blade meant for woodworking. The maker started by cutting a rectangular bar from the old steel pad using an angle grinder mounted on a DIY linear sliding jig, which looks like a neat way to keep a long cut straight. After heating the billet in a DIY mini gas forge, the cheeks, poll and blade blank got extensive hammer shaping on an anvil.
The bimetal part is what stands out for me. A groove was cut along the front edge with an angle grinder, and a high-carbon steel insert taken from an old Soviet-era metal file was clamped in and bonded with shielded metal arc welding. Heating then moved to a homemade bucket coal forge to draw out the cutting edge and beard, and maker marks were stamped into the hot metal. A rebar handle was welded to one end for manipulation during the hot work.
The edge was selectively hardened by quenching in warm oil. What remains open is the finish: grinding is still ahead, along with carving a handle from aspen with carbon-fiber reinforcement. I am curious how that reinforced carve turns out.
Project by Advoko MAKES. Watch it on their YouTube channel: