Hot Cuts, Anvil devils, metal cutting on the anvil.

i found this at a garage sale, and considered it because i could see the atha mark on it. i was *going* to forge it into a straight-pein hammer, but now i think it's a cold cut, and i should just leave it (now that i've reground the striking face and the 60 deg cutting bevel. is it a cold cut? what's the thickest metal i'm wanting to cut with it, or is it just for marking cold metal? thanks. bill

Hi Folks, Not wanting to open a huge debate but I do have a question. As I seem to have an abundance rail road spikes I was wondering if I could craft an effective hot cut tool from a rail spike. I know they are not ideal for knives and fine cutting tools but I am guessing that the quality of steel would be fine for forging some tools. I am wrong in my assumption? Sorry for the beginner question. Regards, Nick

I found this in my moms garage. It was badly rusted so I soaked in vinegar for about a week. I had the intention of resetting the bevel and using it as a hatchet, but I notice the eye is shaped for a hammer handle and the hammer face is flat like a forging hammer. I wonder if it could be better used as a hot cutting tool? here's more pics. Let me know what you think. Not sure what type of steel it is.

I thought you guys might like to see this. I recently acquired a new anvil with an 1 1/4" hardie hole and didn't have any tools for it. I decided to make a hot cut from H13. The only thing I could find that was big enough was a piece of 2". I decided to give it a try and see what happened I ended up with a nice functioning tool. It doesn't look that pretty and it got a little crooked on me but it works like a champ. The hammer is short handled 10lb sledge that I used to do most of the work. I hurt so bad the next day I didn't know if it was worth it or not then I used it to cut some steel today and I forgot how much it hurt already!

While cutting a length off of a ¾ x 2 ½ bar a chunk of the cutting edge broke away. I was quenching the tool frequently to prevent it from becoming too hot but obviously it hardened and then shattered. It can be reforged or ground back but I enjoy antique/vintage tools and hate to bust them up. Anyone else had this issue with hot cuts or punches.

Here is my first ever top tool. Started as one inch square bar. Punched and drifted to 3/4 inch, then hammered the bulges down to make the hole oval. Hot wax finish.

Got another item off the to forge list over the weekend! forged myself a Brazeal style hot cut hardie with tapered shank and curved blade. did most of it solo as I was starting with just 3/4" sucker rod (4130), which is not terribly difficult to forge. had to enlist some help to forge the fullers and strike on the flatter because I ran out of hands. it is actually as small as it looks, my anvil's hardie is 5/8" so it had to be pretty small to fit. unfortunately because I started with a piece that I had previously squared up for an unrelated project I ended up with a much narrower waist than I had anticipated and it sits right at the lower edge of the fuller, which I …

I made this hammer eye chisel over the last couple of days. Its not perfect but it does punch a hole. I ground off all of the scale that's why its so shiny. Its made from one inch sucker rod.

Here is my new hot cut hardy! Thanks for any comments or criticism! Thanks, Kyler

It is forged out of spring steel,no power tools used in the forging process.I started on a round bar,forged on an octogonal shape then i used the slit and drift method for the handle socket and after that I drawn out the chisel point.

Any one have a working knowlage of how the metal working draw knives/scrapers work and are made? I find myself reaching for or hand tools as I get older and just might like to add one to my tool kit.

I came up with a different hotcut hardy several years ago that is far superior to any other hardy out there, and it is made much more efficiently. It has a tapered shank which will fit into any hardy hole, and I leave the chisel end curved. When the hardy is struck it locks itself into the hole, so it doesn't move. This alone allows your effort to go into your work without losing your efforts to a bouncing or chattering hardy with a shoulder. I don't care how tightly you fit a hardy with a shoulder to your anvil; it will loosen up wth work. The tapered shank will get tighter with work, and a sharp blow to the side of the hardy will remove it. I know alot of people would a…

I've been lacking these basic tools, so I decided that enough was enough. Hot Cut: (no attempt was made to make it pretty - I have no striker or power hammer, so I was a little tired by the time I got it functional, and I needed to use it right away) I have to say, doing this alone made me glad I have a 4 pound hand sledge. The normal 2.75 lb hammers just weren't cutting it. And the round punch (ex masonry drill bit): Will be grinding both of these once my belt grinder arrives on monday. Cheers.

Local Pawn shop wants $15.00 for this tall wedge?? I was debating wether it could be turned into a hot cut hardy.... This is what it looks like, and let me know if you think I should get it.

Well my old hardy tools won't fit my new anvil, too small. What's the best way to make new ones? Would wrought iron or mild steel be ok or should they be tool steel and heat treated for a hot cut?

A friend has a barn full of items he has acquired at auctions and barn sales over the last couple of decades. He is going through boxes and knows I am a blacksmith. Whenever he finds something blacksmith related he gives me a call. Well he called two nights ago and I was able to get to his barn today. He reached in an old box and pulled this out. The shank is 1 1/4" square. It is 8" tall and weights 5lbs. It is definately hand made with no markings. I have never seen a hardy with decoration around the base like this. Anyone else seen one like this? The pictures don't do it justice it is pretty impressive in person.

Hello Everyone, I am in need of a hardie hot cut-off tool for my Anvil. I would like to forge one myself and looking for some direction. I have thought it thought it through and I am sure I can pull it off but I figured I could get some expert advice to help in the process. Thank you, JR

Ok the vast about of info. is sending me in circles. My plan is to buy stock to make some spring swages and a cutoff hardie (one inch hole). H13 seemed to be a great choice (keeps form at heat, easy? to heat treat, tough). I was reading some of Brian Brazeal's comments about tools and he mentioned that it was very difficult to forge by hand H13. 4140 was available free to him and worked just fine. I see lots of commercially available spring swages and hardies made from 4140 so the metal is a good choice. My question is; What are peoples experience hand forging H13? I'm looking at 1 1/2" rd to work for both my tools. Also how does H13 and 4140 respond to welding (the…

Pretty excited about these. Until today, I had to do all my cutting with a chisel, and I had to have another pair of hands. My anvil is broken off at the hardy, so I finally got around to making a substitute. A friend of mine had some pieces of 4" angle left over from some previous construction, so I made a hardy box out of that. Also, I made a round-topped hot cut to go with it. Thanks to all of you for supplying such a wealth of information and support.

Hello, I have a length of medium carbon steel (I believe it to be 1060) that I cut from a Railroad rail anchor, and want to forge a hot-cut out of a piece of it. I was wondering if this is do-able, especially becuase of its size: about 5/8", slightly rectangular. Also, if you have had experience forging a handled hot cut, could you give me some pointers and perhaps a picture of what I should be going for? Thank you all, Ridgewayforge

I recently acquired an old cut devil. My question is, is it a hot cut tool or a cold cut tool? How where they used and by whom? This one has a railroad stamp. What would have been it's likely use? Any comments are welcome.

Aaron came down from New England to spend some time with Brian. I went by last morning and got some pics of his first day of striking. (He is doing a good job, and learning fast.) I was able to take pictures of all the steps to making a Brian Brazeal style hot cut hardy. This is a good tool to make to help someone get used to striking. It can usually be made in about 15 minutes even if it is your first time striking. You can see another hot cut in the pics being used to cut the one being made from the parent stock.They are made from 4140 and are not hardened since they are being used to cut hot metal. When used properly, large stock can be cut without damage to the cutter…

Hi, i would like to know if there is any way possible yo make a cut off hardy tool for my anvil. The only good steel that i have that i can use is a coil spring. I have trid to un coil it but i cant find a way to do it. What are you all's experience with coil spring cut offs. thanks

Made some punches and a chisel over the last few days. It takes me a while to get things done. If I last 2 hours in the shop I've had a long day. It didn't used to be that way, but I'm gonna do stuff anyways. Bad knees and all. Anyway. I made several punches and a chisel from some spring I was given by Phil Krankowski . I was very happy to recieve it and he totally gets the credit for me having it. Another spring I was able to get was from Jake P. I made a bob punch from it but I'm not done with it yet. Also the chisel is from that same larger spring. I heat treated them today and took pics. I tried my best to run the colors on them but I'm not so sure I di…