Forging Bolt Heads

[Fiftyfour]

Does anyone here forge heads on today to make lock and Tang bolts?
I have done a few with mixed results but just wondering how others might be
Doing it and what types of forming dies have been made.

[Bob Roller]

Why bother? That's why lathes came into being.

Bob Roller

[Fiftyfour]

On the bolts that made, I started a rod near the correct diameter, forged a rough head an then did final shaping with on a lathe.
The forging is where I had issues.

[rich pierce]

I need help there. I tried making a header but it wasn’t very effective.

[54ball]

 Member James Wilson Everet has many topics on period screws, screw plates and such.
 Most of those methods use iron not steel. Steel is harder to form and will or could ruin an old screw plate.

 For your piurppses, a drilled through bar or plate with head and shoulder drilled drilled out to make a die. The red hot stock is placed through the top of the die and the the head swaged formed with a hammer. The die has a removable bottom or deep enough so the bolt blanks can be popped out from the underside. With care I think this could be done with threaded bolts to re form a period head.

 Of course afterward clean up with a file and cut the slot.

[JCKelly]

Lazy man's way. I get carriage bolts of about the right size. File off that square, file in a screw slot.

If the bolt is just a tad too big around for the screw hole in the lock plate, just file that bolt dia down a bit & thread with the die size you want.                           
                     Don't need a lathe if you have a file.

Mechanically clean off most of the zinc, finish removing zinc by soaking a while in lye.

Not at all so much fun as forging but gets you a nice hand-made looking side nail.

[Scota4570]

I have turned them down from stock that is larger than head. But, normally I buy them from Track for a buck.  You can modify the head. 

Perhaps make a split die with a head shaped recess.  Put the wire in the die, held firm in the vice.  Leave some sticking out of the die.  Heat the wire with an oxyacetylene torch then smash it into the die?   

[P.W.Berkuta]

I have turned them down from stock that is larger than head. But, normally I buy them from Track for a buck.  You can modify the head. 

Me too -- I buy a dozen or more of each size and style then tailor them to the project at hand . I'll make internal lock screws but try to buy most all of my lock & tang screws. Some parts are more convenient and cost effective to purchase

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I prefer to buy lock and tang screws when I can find good ones, but usually end up turning them from bar stock.  Like Mr. Kelly, I used to take 1/4" carriage bolts and in my electric drill 'lathe', file off the square and threads down to 3/16" and thread them 10 x 24.  That big head on a 1/4" carriage bolt is lovely for a lock bolt.

[Hungry Horse]

Upset the heated end of a rod the size of the bolt you want. Upset it enough so there is enough metal to form a head. With a piece of plate clamped in your vise, that has a hole the size of the bolts shaft in it, drop the red hot future bolt through the hole. While it still red hot put a head on it with a shop made punch, dress it round, and cut the slot.

  Hungry Horse

[Mark Elliott]

If you are forging a tang screw,   put a countersink in your heading plate.    The old time terminology for a lock bolt is a lock nail because you make them just like a nail; just as Hungry Horse said.