Cut stock in half the easy way

[Glenn]

To cut a rod (round or square) in half. balance on the hot cut hardy and tap with hammer. You have a mark to use as a guide for hot cutting. rc

[primtechsmith]

Two things I have learned from working with yesteryearforge is: 1. when cutting stock with a hardie use a brass hammer. and 2. NEVER hit cold metal with a forging hammer. Have a "cold" hammer hanging near your vice or close to your work area. That way you will spend more time forging and less time re-dressing your hardies and hammers!

Peyton

[T-Gold]

I use an engineer's hammer (small double-faced sledge) for most of my forging -- one side of it is the "dirty" side and one is the "good" side. Comes in handy for stuff like this.

[Kristopher Skelton]

2# brass hammers can be had from harbor freight for less than $15. Copper hammers are just a few dollars more.

Watch for the dark line to form on the piece being cut (if using a hardy tool) and then use tong or pliers to twist off the piece being cut- no hot metal flying all over. DON'T keep whomping on the piece- that's a good way to send hot metal onto someone's foot, into that plastic bucket in the corner, or somewhere else you don't want it to go or can't find it now that you've cut it off and need it.

[Ralph]

Originally Posted by primtechsmith

Two things I have learned from working with yesteryearforge is: 1. when cutting stock with a hardie use a brass hammer. and 2. NEVER hit cold metal with a forging hammer. Have a "cold" hammer hanging near your vice or close to your work area. That way you will spend more time forging and less time re-dressing your hardies and hammers!

Peyton

Curious. So do you have a seperate hammer you use with a cold chisel? After all the striking end of the chisel os cold.
I personly only use one hammer for about 99% of my smithing. It is a 2 1/2 lber cross pien that I dressed the face and pein to have the same crown. Also
made the pein's 'face' to be about 1/2 inch across mebbe more.
Either way I usually only have to redress the faces once or twice a year.

Year before lastr I had redress about 4 times but it was due to working until I was too tired and cut thru some stock and hit the hardy.
I also know I do not have the hammer control I would like, but then again I have not had much chance to hammer in over a year so I know I will be very rusty once I start again, assuming the arm and side finally let me.

It is fascinating to hear how so many smiths either learned or just do things. We are all different. nice thing about it is we can help others see it in a different manner.

Ralph

[primtechsmith]

I usually hit my chisels, punches, and fullers with either the 2lb. ball pien(cold hammer) that hangs by the vice, or with the 2lb. brass hammer. I seem to feel my smithing hammers are for hot steel only. Also using a brass hammer on punches, chisels, and fullers (when doing more than a tap for a center punch, or veining on leaves) is more life for the tool. Hardened steel from the hammer will mushroom these tools out and cause potential projectiles down the road, or extra work to grind it off.

Besides, I don't want to go to he** for hitting cold iron!!! :shock: :wink:

Peyton

[ThomasPowers]

When I want to do a through cut I do the last blows with the hammer head to the side of the hardy insted of it coming down on top of the hardy.

Thomas

[Marc]

A few things along this thread:

To get to that balance point quickly (for cutting in half) I put the piece on my hands as they're held out sort of like a karate chop. Then slide my hands together until they meet. That'll be the center. I haven't done it hot, but I would guess any old bar/rod stock would replace my hands just fine.

On my hot-cut hardy - I made it from a piece of leaf spring. I ground the bevel most of the way, leaving something like 1/8" flat. Then I ground the center sharp, leaving a 1/8" wide "strip" on each edge. That gives kind of a stop that a hammer would hit before hitting the sharpened edge. The method also leaves those stops raised a little, and should take into account whatever crown your hammer has.

And lastly - Tom Latane demo'd for one of our meets. He's a big repousse guy. He uses mild steel for his chiseling hammers. Not only does it cut down on chisel mushrooming, but the hammer develops a dish that he feels helps keep the blows centered.

[frogvalley]

You can of course use a cold cut hardy in your anvil. You won't go to H for hitting cold iron if your doing prep work using the right tools. :lol:

And hit it with any old hammer. Don't need to be fussy, I have triplicates of all the hammers in my shop and as long as its the right weight for the job, pound away. Spreading the mileage around prevents any one hammer from being worn out.

4 lb cross pein is my primary hammer, 2-3 lbs next, 2-3 lb ball peins next and then as needed for other 50 or so hammers.

Of course I like my power hacksaw for cutting best.

[yesteryearforge]

Maybe im guilty of teaching bad habits or if not bad habits perhaps useless habits, but I use different hammers for different uses.
Such as
I use a brass hammer to cut off with and to hit the chop fuller with which pretty much eliminates any damage to either.
I have what I refer to as cold hammers that I hit punches , chisels , and cold metal with.
I use a wooden mallet for straightening spirals and twist if they get out of shape
I go to the trouble to dress the faces of my hammers very nice and want to keep them that way.
Besides I have a plethora of hammers.
Most smiths that I know have a lot of hammers , and whats the point of aquiring multiple hammers if you intend to use only one hammer for everything.
I take efforts to keep from marring up the face of my anvil and think it only reasonable to do the same with my hammers.

MIKE-T