BP1007 How to use the Hot Cut

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BP1007 How to use the Hot Cut
by Uri Hofi


Cutting on the HARDIE is an operation that We often use!! We use it to cut off a finished element. To prepare the steel for the next step or to incise the bar and proper it for a tennon.

In many smithies they use two types of hardie and some times more. I use only one hardie for all the operations. I am going to demonstrate the three basic methods I use.







THE TOOLS: ANVIL HAND HAMMER,HARDIE

THE HARDIE Is forged out of a lorry rear axle and this steel is good for cold and hot cutting. The HARDIE is 3" high and 1 1/2" and more wide








Ground sharp to 30 degrees




FIRST CUT























You lean on the hardie in the place you want to cut parallel to the floor and 90 degrees to the hardie. You hit easy with the hammer while rotating the steel the other direction from you ,until you get an even incision around. Then you hit harder while rotating until you get a very thin nipple connection in the middle.















You hit with the hammer out the piece is falling and you see the cut.





HOW WE DO IT

The cut before demonstrated the possibility to have square cut on the two sides but some times we need that the near side will have a point and the far side will have a straight cut.















We lean the steel on the place. We want to make the cut. We hold the steel again 90 degrees to the hardie and parallel to the floor and we forge a light incision around the steel again.




















We push the steel down 15 degrees (You remember that the hardie is 30 degrees) so we push down half of it, and continue hammering while turning until we come to the center. You can see that we get a cut that the far side is straight and the near one is a short point.
















We hit outside and brake the piece and we can see the final cut.

Some times when we cut we need the opposite that the strait cut will be on the near side and the point on the far end.

Then we tilt the steel up 15 degrees and the hammer too to the same direction.

If you stop in the middle of the process depend on the depth that you are coming too this is a start of a tennon (you do not need the "blacksmith magician" The hardie is having many more uses may be we will speak about it in the future THANK YOU URI HOFI