I agree, this thread is great...Msr`s.. Hofi, B Brazeal, Gerald and others .......thx a lot, great explanation and awesome pics..................Kerry

All I can say is WOW, thank you, thank you, thank you!

There is so much here to learn. I will be rereading this thread many times.

Archipile I do not see the thread as a DEBATE it is more information about a very interesting problam in the blacksmithing craft for more the 1000 years now.
The idias are coming fron different aproch,education,cultuer,tredithion and belives
you read learn try and muster what you think is ''best for you'' as many americans say
but use you comonsence and make you desicision by lots of thinking ang trying the systems.
I have prepered a compleat different aproch to the slitting and punching a hole or a decorated hole but this is to long for the thread it will come like a BP sorry abou thar
Hofi

I think that I may have miss-read your previous post as "argumentative" because most of it was typed in all capital letters. That's all Mr. Hofi, but, I do find it interesting that while some of the other folks on this board clearly subscribe to your system of blacksmithing, I have not had the fortune as to be exposed to your system, with the exception being, the BP section devoted to you alone. And so, after reading the suggested BPs I also find it interesting that your system of making tools is not all that different from theirs.

As to the other posts on this thread I am pleased that this has been a learning experience for all. Brian and I are working hard on getting that BP ready for flight. (although,right now, he is doing most of the work.) Just as soon as it is ready we will submit and then see where it goes from there. Let us all keep in mind that Glenn and Andrew are so busy with everything that they can't find their butts with both hands!

Edited April 5, 200917 yr by archiphile

some times I write cptal letter just because I like them very much and no other reason
and also because my eye sight is not as good as it was 50 year ago.
best regards
Hofi

Here are pics of some fire tools I finished yesterday that show some slitting and drifting.

I took some closer pictures of the slitting punches and the plugs that come out along with some drifts that I use when slot punching. I am trying to show what can happen when you are not lined up perfectly when you punch the plug out from the other side. The plug will show you where you are off. Also, if you go too far with your punch, your punch and plug will show where you went wrong. I do go almost all the way to my anvil when I'm punching like this, not just half way. I'm also including a few other punches with a similar grind, but I separated the different types this time. Let me know if this is clearer.

Good stuff Brian and Hofi and everyone else. This is essential info especially for beginners like me who need to know how to make these tools the right way.

Well done...:):)

YES PLEASE!!!
I would love to see a detailed blueprint for how to make your own slitters and drifts (round and square). A Video would be even better but I'll be thrilled with anything that explains the whole tool building process. Step bt step instructions on how to USE the tools properly would be wonderful as well. Thank you so much Archipile for volunteering to do this.
SWEET!
Sam

Okay, Archiphile, I think we have enough for the Blueprint.
I took pics of the steps for making all the punches and drifts this morning. As you'll see by the pics the punches and drifts are made exactly the same way. First, they start with the cut. I cut the same way that Uri Hofi shows on his BP on cutting so that I end up with a beveled cut that is centered. Then I make a square taper,[stop here for a square punch, grind and heat treat], since I'm making a 3/4" slitter, I taper down to 3/8" square. Next, I go to octagon then round,[stop at either stage if you want a octagonal or round punch, grind and heat treat]. Finally taper down on only two sides then grind and heat treat. If you are making drifts, you only grind the slight bulge on the sides. If you want square drifts, start with square stock. I do not heat treat my drifts.

Gerald, I really liked what you called "wordy" in your above post. Keep those words coming! Also great pictures!

I'll take some more pictures of those punches so you can see the grind. What the grind allows me to do is hundreds of holes without redressing my punches, unlike a flat bottom punch that will require dressing as soon as it gets mushroomed.
Here are some other pics I took yesterday of the same principal. Let me know if it is clear. I intentionally included some mistakes that are marked with an X, so you can see what can go wrong. The handled slitting punch is ground for thicker stock and you can see how it touched the anvil and flattened its point.

Brian is the handled slitter in thiese pictures the one uou use to slit the hammer eyes? if so does it have the point on the end ...in the DVD you just tap it to mark the hot iron it appears to be flat ...I'm not sure how to make it!
the pictures did not come withe the quote

Brian is the handled slitter in thiese pictures the one uou use to slit the hammer eyes? if so does it have the point on the end ...in the DVD you just tap it to mark the hot iron it appears to be flat ...I'm not sure how to make it!
the pictures did not come withe the quote

Yes it's the same punch and it is ground the same. In the video the tap to start the eye is just a small pin prick at first so I can see if I'm in the center or not. If I'm not I can make another pin prick until I do get the center. Once you get the center, then you start driving the punch. As you can see in the video, we took our time to find the center and still punched the hole in one heat, and the plug fell out onto the anvil. That video is not edited. It is actual time minus the time to heat the piece. It took us 42 minutes to do that video. We turned the camera off in between heats, so the video is 20min. 35sec.
If you go back a few posts towards the top of this page, I am showing how to make this punch end on a piece of 3/4" round stock. I make the handled punches the same except of course, I had to make the other parts first, and you have the hammer making video for that.

Edited April 9, 200917 yr by brianbrazealblacksmith

thanks Brian, I really liked the DVD been out all morning making a drift ...the only thing I have thats 1 1/4 is torsion bar boy is it tough especally with a hand hammer

I know what you mean, Jimbob. 1" would have been a whole lot easier. You should check out some suspension shops in your area. I get 4140 round stock drops from a shop near me in sizes ranging from 2" to 5/8" and every size in between in 1/8" increments.

I am interested too see a little more on the drifting processes used. What type of bolsters are you using?

thanks

I'll take some more pictures tomarrow to show you more explicitly what I use as a bolster. It has been talked about briefly in this thead, but not in detail. That was a very good question.

Brian
I'd like to see your DVD's. Where can we get them. Like i've said before this is a good thread. Just what I've been wanting to learn more about. Looking forward to the BP.
Thanks to everyone here

I know what you mean, Jimbob. 1" would have been a whole lot easier. You should check out some suspension shops in your area. I get 4140 round stock drops from a shop near me in sizes ranging from 2" to 5/8" and every size in between in 1/8" increments.

thanks for the tip on the suspension shops...I doubt that there are any out here in the boondocks but there might be in some of the larger towns around me .

Brian
I'd like to see your DVD's. Where can we get them. Like i've said before this is a good thread. Just what I've been wanting to learn more about. Looking forward to the BP.
Thanks to everyone here

I got mine from the tailgating section ...only took two days from Calif. to Georgia

100 3/8 '' holes that were chisele/slittered + driftes in 9/16'' and 5/8'' round steel 1045
for tongs order for Germany .
All the holes werte forged within 3.5 hours with the two chisels and 8 drift in the att photo's.
The 8 drifte are used one for a hole and falls dowen to the cooling water under the anvil prichel hole then only after the use of al the 8 you take them out of the water and start again.
The chisels are never coold evry hole I use one chisel and put aside to cool and then for the next hole i take the second chisel and so on For bigger holes som times I use 3 chisels because the cooling siquence is longer.
From time to time every 5 holes I deep the chisels in moly/graphyte solution to smoose and rase the cut.

I am interested too see a little more on the drifting processes used. What type of bolsters are you using?

thanks

Here are different bolsters. The one with the welded on hardy stem is the kind Alfred Habermann used that would fit in his anvils with a large hardy hole. The other one like his just sits over any hardy hole. the other types are what I came up with recently to solve all the problems that the others present. The radius blocks are alot easier to make and they can support your material perfectly as it develops and they work on any anvil.

whoops, I pressed the wrong button. Here are the pictures.

jimbob,
thanks

Mr. Hofi,
I'll be glad when I'm able to get one hole good in decent amount of time. I think all of you in this thread will help. I think I have a slitter made that might work. I'll try it tomorrow.

With the right tooling and some training you''ll master the proces.
You must be very decisive and concentrae and you''ll have no problam.
Hofi