Mushroomed tools

[Iron Falcon 72]

Is there a safe, dependable way to rehab an abused tool that has been mushroomed? Is it case by case? I realize that some may be too far gone but are there some guidelines on how to make that decision?
How does one prevent mushrooming?

[welder19]

you can grind off the mushroomed part of the tool just besure not to let it get too hot. If you grind a taper to the end it helps to prolong the mushroom effect.

welder19

[jimmy seale]

that or cut it off- striking tools are not hardened on that end, even then i would chamfer the end so it will last longer, but mild mushrooming can be ground off, just look for cracks then grind or cut, hope yhis helps,j

[Frosty]

I usually grind any mushrooming off and chamfer at the same time to preserve as much metal as possible. Be sure to check closely for cracking and grind past any.

Afterwords, keep them dressed by rechamfering as soon as mushrooming reaches the dia of the shaft.

frosty

[Jacques]

I've got an article from the fifties at home about how to safe-end tools. Will try to find it when I get home and give a few pointers.

[forgemaster]

Fire weld the spalls back into the head. Get the head hot and forge the spalls back into the head, then take a wash heat (a light fire welding heat), flux it and fire weld the spalls back into the head of the tool. After fire welding allow to cool slowly then close anneall and re heat treat the tool before using the tool (close annealling can be carried out by burying the tool head down in the fire after finishing for the day let it get to about cherry red and allowing it to cool VERY slowly in the dying fire). This was a job we always used to get at TECH College when I was an apprentice, if we had finished our jobs early and were begining to run amok, "hey you blokes either get some fire welding experince fixing up some anvil tools or I'll be sending you back to your boss for the afternoon", (ahhhh the old days).
When the tool gets so far down as to not be able to reweld the head we used to forge up a block of mild steel and fireweld that onto the top of the tool.
Phil

[Jacques]

From Science and Mechanics, December 1947

"The entire procedure consists of cutting the striking end of the tool down to sound metal, where this is necessary, and grinding a small shoulder all the way around the cut end. A reinforced band of bronze is then deposited on this shoulder, by means of the oxy-acytelene torch, and the striking end of the tool is ground square, completing this operation"

All this is accompanied by a series of pictures about the process, one of which is a group of blacksmith tooling that has been treated that way.

I've once been at a safety show and at one of the exhibits there has been a badly mushroomed chisel. A piece breaking of had blinded the guy working with it.

[Frosty]

Not AT the safety show I trust!

A few years ago we had to undergo a week's worth of operator training and safety training was included. Of the MANY really unsafe practices shown as the "Right" way to do things the two that really stand out to me were. Attempting to pull a piece of equipment out of a hole with a chain plainly marked "lifting ONLY". AND a guy airing up a truck tire while standing directly in front of it.

There were lots of other blatantly unsafe tools, practices and gear present too, the badly mushroomed axe head being used to cut cable being another and one that ties in nicely with this thread.

We were ALL very impressed by the whole class. A number of us failed and had to retake a section but they couldn't tell us what we did wrong. AK DOT was one of the test participants. The program didn't make it to a second season, the "authors" couldn't figure out how to make it work.

Typical training program written by lawyers for gvt. bean counters.

Frosty