Material for Punches and Chisels

[Reoryx]

Hi guys, I'm just getting started in smithing (I should have my forge up and running this coming weekend) - I was just wondering if anyone could suggest an appropriate material for a basic set of chisels and punches. I assume the easiest material for a beginner to heat-treat would be a carbon steel. - Thanks for any responses.

[rthibeau]

I make my hammer eye punches out of A2, an air hardening steel. Heat it and forge it, set it aside to cool. Grind or sand to finish, let it air cool. Works great. Ask around machine shops, tool and die places, for drops or cutoffs. Preferably round rod or square bar 6- 8" long (more is better but then you'll be buying it), no more than 1" diameter. Any of the other tool steels would work as well, but I found A2 the easiest.

[HWooldridge]

H13 is designed for hot work and excels at that application. S7 and S1 are also good if you can obtain them. Can sometimes be picked up from plastic injection molders, die casting shops or mold/die repair places since they typically use these steels in their process.

[B. Norris]

I would just use what you have on hand. The high alloy stuff is nice, but not necessary and I would save it for that tool that gets used all the time. It is possible to make tools from mild steel and they will work, once or twice. If you only need the tool that once than you are set. Tools that will see a bit more use, (abuse,) deserve to be made from that old coil spring you found or whatever is high enough in carbon. A few years from now you will know which tools would be nice to have in an air hardening or red hard steel.

[Chris Pook]

for the junkyard scrounger, car springs, swaybars, axle shafts work good.

You can also buy cheap decent material typical punches from places like harbourfrieght and rework them.

[stevomiller]

I have had good luck using scrounged steels from axles (1050?), car springs (5160), and jack hammer bits (S5 and S2). All have been free for the asking, except for the occassional bribery of beer

I believe that the best "new" steel would be S7 or H13, depending on the usage you had planned. These can be bought through tool steel suppliers, or drops can be bought for a reduced price on ebay.

[ThomasPowers]

Re-work old stardrills and cold chisels found *cheap* at the fleamarket as a source of steel for tooling---remember when forging it that it should be treated like high carbon!

Thomas

[ApprenticeMan]

COIL SPRINGS! as a good set of starter tools, they are fantastic! I still have a straight punch I use alot, everyday I am in the forge, and it is still in great condition. It has only needed to be repointed 3 times, in the year I have been using it since it was made. And I punch by driving straight through, and then drifting the hole out.

[Nolano]

coil springs are nice and cheap for things like that.

[ApprenticeMan]

Literally nothing! Unless you count gas to wherever you get them, and the labor of straightening them and stuff. But what blacksmith in history ever shyed away from a little work!?