How to forge tapered socket framing chisel?
Hengjie Ma
chisels. Just how is this done?
Does one upset the socket end, drill an opening in the end, and then use
a tapered punch or bick to make the socket?
Also, is spring steel the way to go or should I buy new steel, which
type?
Thanks,
Chip
Ernie Leimkuhler
You want different steels for different chisels.
Many large chisels are not meant to be struck.
They are used as hand planes and simply pushed through the material to shave the
surface flat.
For these a really high carbo steel works best, like a handfile.
You can forge weld a handfile onto the egde of some softer steel to give you
that glass hard edge.
For chisels that are struck you want to be careful how hard the egde is or you
will chip it in hardwood.
Usually a medium carbon spring steel works well for these, having been quenched
in superquench to get the most hardness out of the steel.
Forming the socket can be done in a few ways.
The old way was to forge out a flat fan and roll that into a cone.
Forgeweld that solid and then forge weld that to the base of the chisel.
I knew a guy years ago who made up a couple of forging dies.
He cut off a 3/8" thick slug of steel from a bar of 1" steel.
Punched a hole in the middle to make a donut.
Then heated that up to white heat.
He dropped it into the conical die and WHAM went the conical punch in on top.
He ended up with a nicely forged cone with a hole in the tip.
The cone was then forge welded onto the chisel base.
--
--
There are only two kinds of food: good and bad.
Also, all of life's big problems include the words "indictment" or "inoperable."
Everything else is small stuff.
Alton Brown, Host of Food TV's Good Eats.
Chip Piller
What's superquench?
I have a 2" framing chisel with a laminated blade. I assume that the majority of
the chisel, the socket and top of the blade, is made from a low/medium carbon steel
that is not too hard or brittle. The chisel has a thin laminated piece on the
bottom of the blade, this metal forms the cutting edge of the chisel. I assume that
this piece is a hardened high carbon steel like from a file.
So how does one forge weld the two together and how does one manage the quenching
and tempering to produce the desired result? It just seems like it would be
difficult to forge weld a small thin piece to a large thick piece, but I have never
tried it.
John O. Kopf
JK
Chip Piller wrote:
>
> Thanks for the reply.
> What's superquench?
> I have a 2" framing chisel with a laminated blade. I assume that the majority of
> the chisel, the socket and top of the blade, is made from a low/medium carbon steel
> that is not too hard or brittle. The chisel has a thin laminated piece on the
> bottom of the blade, this metal forms the cutting edge of the chisel. I assume that
> this piece is a hardened high carbon steel like from a file.
> So how does one forge weld the two together and how does one manage the quenching
> and tempering to produce the desired result? It just seems like it would be
> difficult to forge weld a small thin piece to a large thick piece, but I have never
> tried it.
> Thanks,
> Chip
>
> >
> >SNIP
Rob Fertner
more toxic/dangerous lye quench. It is a very fast quenching medium. Do not
use steel that is 50 points of carbon and over in superquench. It will
crack, break, and even shatter.
Use with milder steel and it will harden up. Do not temper, reheating takes
away any of the hardness the superquench gives. I saw Rob Gunter take a
piece of A-36 mild steel, cut off a small piece, forge the small piece into
a cold chisel, quench in superquench, lightly grind an edge, then use the
new chisel to cut through the original parent stock without deformation.
Superquench is good for making temporary tooling quickly with mild steel.
The formula is:
5 gallons of water
5 pounds of salt
28 ounce bottle of blue Dawn dish soap
8 ounce bottle of Shackley's Basic I (wetting agent)
Stir it up each time before use, because it settles out.
When the blue color turns green, it's time to make a fresh batch.
Hope that helps,
Rob
"Chip Piller" <pil...@sns.gov> wrote in message
news:3C45CE5B...@sns.gov...
Ernie Leimkuhler
> Thanks for the reply.
> What's superquench?
This is from last year.
> As requested (and after I finally remembered to look it up):
>
> Rob Gunter' Experimental Quench - replaces a 10% NaOH solution
>
> Contents:
>
> 5 gallons water
> 5 pounds table salt
> 32 ounces "Dawn" dish soap
> 8 ounces "Shaklee" Basic I
>
> Quench at 1550 F (stir before using and agitate during the quench)
>
> The general effect is to boost a steel up a grade in hardness,
> i.e., if under a normal quench, it would reach Rockwell 40,
> under this quench, it will reach a Rockwell 50-55. From my
> experience, it will do little to mild steel but will have a
> noticeable effect on steels with even a bit of carbon.
The purpose of Superquench is to make medium carbon steels as hard as possible.
> I have a 2" framing chisel with a laminated blade. I assume that the
> majority of
> the chisel, the socket and top of the blade, is made from a low/medium carbon
> steel
> that is not too hard or brittle. The chisel has a thin laminated piece on
> the
> bottom of the blade, this metal forms the cutting edge of the chisel. I
> assume that
> this piece is a hardened high carbon steel like from a file.
> So how does one forge weld the two together and how does one manage the
> quenching
> and tempering to produce the desired result? It just seems like it would be
> difficult to forge weld a small thin piece to a large thick piece, but I have
> never
> tried it.
> Thanks,
> Chip
>
That is a lesson best taught in person.
I suggerst finding a local smith or smithing group willing to teach.
try www.abana.org
Rob Fertner
Dawn has reformulated with a more concentrated formula, hence the new 28 oz
bottles.
Rob
"Ernie Leimkuhler" <er...@stagesmith.com> wrote in message
news:ernie-B3B51E....@news.mindspring.com...
Fdmorrison
>Hi, I want to learn how to make heavy duty tapered socket framing
>chisels. Just how is this done?
>Does one upset the socket end, drill an opening in the end, and then use
>a tapered punch or bick to make the socket?
Sorry this is late.
I don't think that was the "usual" way. I don't know the answer, but from the
19th century ones I have, I think the socket was wrapped/welded. Probably
pretty much a machine operation.
I'm not at all certain, though. I wonder just how old socket-type chisels are?
My guess is that the tang type are the older form.
Frank Morrison