Anyone seen that white whale?

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Forum Owner & Moderator
Did you? Something I have wanted to try for several years has been a harpoon so now I can take this off my bucket list. I finally figured out how to start the head last night so I made a preform in the shape of a triangle. Welded a hay rake tine for a handle that I had straightened out a few minutes earlier and started forging. To my surprise it actually went pretty good and I only had to re weld the handle just one time. Next came the tricky part since I knew my last bandsaw blade had seen better days but I did manage to get it cut out. I'll go back in the forge one more time and draw out the area a little bit more where the shaft hooks up. I'm going to make the socket out of a piece of a very old 2 man cross cut saw blade. Hopefully by the end of the day I will have it together or close to it if it doesn't end up in the field behind the shop. Capt. Rayhab........

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I got all the piece made tonight. First picture shows the first socket attempt and the piece of steel for the second and final socket. A few pictures of me shaping the new socket. Last pictures shows all the piece to the puzzle. Unless I forget where the piece are tomorrow I should have it all together. This harpoon will be made from a truck leaf spring, a hay rake tine, and a piece for the 2 man cross cut saw. The metal part of a harpoon is called the iron. Now it could be also made out of iron but I'm not sure.

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Queequeg is a fictional character presented in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by U.S. author Herman Melville. He is the first principal character encountered by the narrator, serves as the chief harpooner aboard the Pequod, and plays an important role in many of the events of the book, both in port and during the whaling voyage. Although a "savage" cannibal, he is described with great sympathy and much admiration by Ishmael, by whom he is befriended early in the book.
 
Chuck Gedraitis Knives said:
Queequeg is a fictional character presented in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by U.S. author Herman Melville. He is the first principal character encountered by the narrator, serves as the chief harpooner aboard the Pequod, and plays an important role in many of the events of the book, both in port and during the whaling voyage. Although a "savage" cannibal, he is described with great sympathy and much admiration by Ishmael, by whom he is befriended early in the book.
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Chuck, I saw the movie awhile back but have never been good with remembering names. Is he the fellow that had all the body art?
 
He also liked to snuggle, if I recall. The scene where he and Ishmael meet (in bed by accident) is one of the funniest in literature, IMO. Fascinating reading, that Moby Dick.
 
wordsmith said:
He also liked to snuggle, if I recall. The scene where he and Ishmael meet (in bed by accident) is one of the funniest in literature, IMO. Fascinating reading, that Moby Dick.
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I'll have to take the time to read the book. Thank you guys for the suggestions!

As far as finishing off the harpoon this is as far as I'm going to take it. All it needs now is a little rope and a tree branch with one end sharpened so the socket will fit on it. I did find out since I finished this (harpoon = iron) that all the original irons were in deed made from wrought iron and not steel simply because steel was so expensive back then plus they needed to be able to bend and not break in very cold conditions.

Here's a very interesting site if your interested in learning more about whaling and the tools that were used: http://www.whalecraft.net/
 
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