Llabak Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I've been working through the Blacksmith's Primer, and I got sick of meat forks so decided to make something as a gift for a friend's daughter who had a first communion party yesterday. Took me about 45 minutes or so, but I think it turned out not half-bad for a first go. That's picture 1. Now as far as my questions, here they are: 1) I can't seem to get my biscuit to pop out when I'm punching. The metal just pushes over to the side and I end up having to break it off with a pair of pliers. What does this mean? Does it have something to do with the hammer delivery or is my (home made) punch not right? I thought I had a picture of the punch I made, but evidently I don't. I can take one later if need be. 2) When making the above project, I seem to have done a number on my hot cut chisel. I fear I got sloppy with quenching and I'm wondering if I messed up its temper. Attached is a picture of the ding. Should I just re-grind and move on, or do I need to re-heat treat it? More generally, do you grind the blade before or after the heat-treat? 3) My anvil has seen better days. The face isn't really flat anywhere, and it looks like the sides have been pretty abused (pictures 3 and 4), making it not super easy to shoulder. How critical is it for me to get this fixed when I'm just learning? Thanks for your responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 1) I can't seem to get my biscuit to pop out when I'm punching. The metal just pushes over to the side and I end up having to break it off with a pair of pliers. Check to make sure that your punch and anvil surface are flat, square, and meet evenly, and that your punch is perpendicular to the surface. 2) Should I just re-grind and move on, or do I need to re-heat treat it? More generally, do you grind the blade before or after the heat-treat? You will need to reheat, harden and temper if your tool lost its hardness. 3) My anvil has seen better days. The face isn't really flat anywhere, and it looks like the sides have been pretty abused (pictures 3 and 4), making it not super easy to shoulder. How critical is it for me to get this fixed when I'm just learning? Your anvil looks ok to me. Learning to work around an anvil's unique characteristics can be a useful skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I don't see anything wrong with the anvil, use it. Could be several things happening with your punching. #1--Punch needs reworking= not flat which will not allow a uniform plug= think "hanging shad" here;) #2--Could be you are not striking the punch correctly/more to the side. #3--Not a flat surface on which you are punching. All are easy to fix. Punching holes is like anything else with blacksmithing, practice. It is not as easy as it looks and when done correctly it is faster than drilling and the public enjoys seeing it done--one of those easy WOW things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I don't see anything much wrong with your anvil at all. If you actually need a square edge or fine flat face, make one to fit the hardy hole. Yeah, you'll probably need to re-heat treat the chisel. No big thing. Punching takes practice, I get hangers when my punch is dinged or I'm not on tagret punching from the back. Either way it's operator error. Pretty decent cross. Have you tried a Fredrick's cross? Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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