Has the thought of forging ancient weapons crossed your mind? If it has, forging a Chakram might be an excellent option to consider.
The Chakram is a circular throwing weapon. It is a weapon that originated from the subcontinents of India. It is useful in physical combat and also during wars.
You can also refer to the Chakram as an Indonesia Silat weapon. It usually has a diameter of about 12-30 centimeters. The Chakram has sharp outer edges that cut when thrown at a person.
The Chakram usually has a designed handle in the middle. The design of the handle can take any form that suits the handler. The Chakram is a handy weapon.
Nowadays, people forge Chakrams with beautiful designs.
Essentials
To forge a Chakram, you would require essential tools. The tools you need in forging your Chakram include;
Forge
Belt grinder
Angle grinder
Tongs
Crucibles
Punch
Chisel
Hammer eye drift
There are steps and guidelines you have to follow when forging a Chakram. These steps will help you achieve a good output and they are;
Instructions on How to Forge a Chakram
Step 1: Get Your Materials Ready
The Chakram is circular so you can either get a circular plate made of steel or a plate of any other shape. If you are making use of the latter, you will have to cut out a circular shape.
The steel plate should be thick and massy. The essence of making use of thick and massy plates is to make forging easy and worthwhile. The steel plate can break when forging if you make use of flat plates.
Step 2: Heat the Steel Plate
After getting your circular plate, you should heat the steel plate till it becomes red hot. The steel plate should be hot to make forging easy.
To heat the steel plate, you have to place it in a forge. You should heat the plate in the forge. When the plate becomes red hot, you should retrieve it from the forge. You should make use of tongs or crucible to retrieve the plate from the forge.
Step 3: Make a Hole
Just like every other Chakram, your Chakram should have a large hole or space in the middle. To make the hole, you have to;
Quick Steps
- Place a punch at the middle of your circular plate. Beat the punch with your hammer to make a hole in the plate.
- You should ensure you frequently place your steel in the forge to heat. Doing this will keep the steel hot and make forging easy.
- You should enlarge the hole to your preferred size with the use of a hammer eye drift of the required size. Use the drift and hammer to adjust the size and shape of the hole and the plate.
- To create the hole, you have to place the hammer eye drift in between the circular steel plate.
- After placing the hammer eye drift, you should beat the steel against the drift to enlarge the space in between.
Step 4: Hardening and Tempering
This step is essential in forging. The step includes other steps; reheating and quenching.
Reheating the blade is necessary as well as reheating the right way. You have to be careful and cautious when heating the Chakram. The heating should be even to reduce wobbliness.
To make the heating even, you have to change the position of the Chakram frequently in the forge. After heating it for a while, you should proceed to quench.
You should quench the hot Chakram in a quench liquid. To quench the Chakram, you have to retrieve it from the forge. You should then dip the Chakram into quench liquid which can either be oil or water. Reheating and quenching will make the Chakram hard, durable, and sturdy.
Step 5: Grinding
To make the surface of your Chakram smooth and shiny, you have to grind it. Grinding helps remove scales from the surface of metals.
Quick Steps
To grind your Chakram, you should make use of a belt grinder and angle grinder. When grinding, you should;
- Place the Chakram against the working grinder.
- As the grinder works and grinds, you should rotate the Chakram to enable uniform grinding.
- You should also grind the inner part of the Chakram.
- The essence of grinding is to make sure the surface of the Chakram is smooth and even so you should grind the Chakram uniformly.
- You should also grind the edges of your Chakram to make it sharp.
Step 6: Polishing and Finishing
This step is a freestyle step because polishing and finishing depend on your taste. The way you polish doesn’t have to be a method. You can be diverse with your polishing styles.
You should also add finishing touches to Chakram.
FAQs on How to Forge a Chakram
Question
What liquid is best to quench my hot Chakram?
There are several liquids used in quenching, but there are two most commonly used liquids; oil and water. Both are suitable quench liquid, but it is better to make use of oil. Due to specific properties of oil as a quench liquid, it is best to make use of oil to quench your Chakram.
Question
Can I sharpen the inner part of my Chakram?
It is advisable to grind the inner part of your Chakram but not to sharpen it. The part that cuts is the outer part of the Chakram. The thrower grips on the inner part so you shouldn’t sharpen it so it won’t cut the person.
Question
Where will the handle of the Chakram be?
Not all Chakram has handled. Forging a handle for your Chakram is not compulsory. For Chakrams with handles, the handle is always at the center of the Chakram.
The handle at times divides the Chakram into two halves.
Video on How to Forge a Chakram
Warnings
When forging, you should follow certain safety precautions. These precautions include;
- Always put on safety wear.
- Do not make use of a damaged tool.
- Always make use of the appropriate tool for every task.
- Wear safety goggles.
- Do not handle hot materials with your bare hands.
