I may earn from affiliate links.
How to forge a ram’s head fire poker project starts by splitting the stock down the middle. I used my reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade to cut about 1″ deep. Holding the stock is a vice is the only way to go. There is no way you could do this just holding it with your hand. You could also use a band saw to do this. Forging a rams head is a very old traditional project. Its been made into many different usable items over the years. Anything form a fire poker, to a wall hook, or even a knife pommel.
Personally, I have made this design on dozens of fire pokers. They ranged anywhere from 12” long for a small wood stove, to 48” long for an outdoor fire pit. All of the ones that I have made were from 3/8” square stock. You could use larger stock, but you would have to somehow weld or thread it to a thinner piece of steel to complete your project.
Forging a Rams Head-The Horns
After splitting the rams horns, I separate them. You can use a chisel or your hot cut. After separated, Draw them out individually. Tapering towards the end. Its easier if you keep the horns square when you start. Then rounding them.
When I started out making theses, I always used a hack saw to split the horns on the first step. Then, over time, I built my confidence up to where I felt comfortable using a reciprocating saw. I had bought an entry level Tool Shop saw from Menards. It was corded, and loud, but always got the job done. Recently I purchased a DeWalt atomic reciprocating saw. It is a lot smaller and lighter than the corded saw. And its nice to not have to find a place to plug it in.
After the horns are symmetrical and round, its time to start the bend . Move the piece halfway off the edge of the anvil, and start to bend it over.
A gas forge would definitely have an advantage when making a ram’s head fire poker. When it’s cooking, the gas forge provides a nice even heat across the whole piece of steel. It could be made using a coal forge, but you would have to watch the fire like a hawk. An extra second or two, and the thin steel of the horns are sure to be burnt off.
After the rams head fire poker is formed you can start to twist the horns using a pair of pilers.
Forging a Rams Head Fire Poker-The Head
When the head is completely formed, its time to punch the nostrils and eyes using a pointed punch. Again, this is much easier when clamped in the vise. I have a blacksmith post vise, but you can use any vise. Smooth jaws work best so they don’t mark up the work piece. Most vices have two screws that hold the jaws in place. If you only have textured jaws, Just remove the screws and copy the hole spacing onto a new set of smooth steel jaws.
Safety
Another important thing to note is safety when you are using your punch. If your punch is on the short side, you should wear a leather glove when forming the nostrils and eyes. The bottom of your hand is so close to the hot steel, you could easily be burnt. So lets just say a glove can come in handy.
When you fold the head of your ram’s head project back over itself, there is a clear seam. So you have two options. You could leave it and not do anything else, or you could weld it. If you don’t weld, you must be careful when chiseling in the mouth. The split from the mouth could line up with the seam from the fold. This will essentially cut you’re your rams head in half. The simple solution is to move the mouth up or down a little bit, so they don’t intersect. If you decide to weld it, you can place the mouth anywhere on your workpiece , it won’t interfere.
Twisting the horns is the most difficult part. This is the step that can ruin your project. The key is to only move the horns if the steel is red hot from the forge. If you bend or twist when the steel is to cold, there is a high risk of breaking one off. You can see more of my projects here.
After the head is complete, now its time to bend the shank. This could be turned into a hook, a fire poker, or many other usable household items.
When you flatten your rams head fire poker, like you would normally, you can damage the horns. You could loose the shape that you worked to hard to create. The solution is to hang the horns off the edge of the anvil, that way the wont be smashed.
Clean UP
Lastly, a soft wire brush that spins in a drill works very well for cleanup. The soft wire gets into all the small parts of your piece. For this job, I have a DeWalt 3/8” drill that I bought at a garage sale for 10$. It has worked flawlessly for me over the years. Even though the DeWalt drill is corded, its plenty long enough, and flexible, so it doesn’t tangle easily.
If you want to watch more of my process, you can check out the video below.
Leave a Reply