TomN Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I'm hoping to make a touchmark and some hardy tools soon. I have some spring steel to make the touchmark out of, but a few questions on how to make it. I'm still in the design stages at the moment, but when I come to make it, I was wondering how people go about making and treating them. I was thinking of something quite simple, such as a hammer, or an anvil shape with my initials in it. I will try and put up some photo's of sketches later. In terms of treating them, i'm presuming that I will normalise the spring steel, just in the forging of it. Once I have my shape do I harden the end and then temper, and to what colour? I'm guessing blue or purple. For hardy tools, I need to make a hot cut and would also like to make a few other general shaping tools, such as a square block to use in replacement for the edge of the anvil and also a shaping tool for making leaves. Could I make the square hardy and the shaping tool out of mild steel? I'm guessing that I would have to make the cut off tool out of tool steel, as I currently can't forge weld. I'm guessing that the most sensible thing would be to make the shape out of mild steel, then weld in a section of tool steel for the cutting surface? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hi Tom, Anneal your punch material first (Longer cooling off period than normalising) Normalising makes it machinable, annealing just a bit easier When you have your design on the end, harden and temper the working end, If you intend to use it primarily on hot materials go towards the Darker blue end of the spectrumMild steel will work for the hardie tools, for the hardie itself, a mild steel block for the base, you could forge weld in a piece of tool steel, alternatively a piece of thick spring steel can be electric welded a mild steel base, the top edge can be ground to the shape of hardie you want.What size hardie hole do you have in your anvil? May have some old tools knocking about I have to dispose of due to shutting down and moving that may fit, or nearly fit and shanks can be ground down to fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenbeast Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Tom, i made my first hot cut by hammering out an old hammer head to shape and welding it to a mild steel shank to fit my hardy hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomN Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 I will measure my hardie hole this weekend and let you know! I would be very grateful of these tools and I will pay for any transport and maybe a bit extra as well. Don't want yout to part with things for free, if you could make money from them! Looks like I will need to borrow my friends mig welder. I can get the shapes roughly made out first though. Really looking forward to getting going on this! Tempted to sack off rugby on Saturday, so I can get an extra day in at the forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenbeast Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Tempted to sack off rugby on Saturday, so I can get an extra day in at the forge. Ha i know what i'd be doing and it doesn't involve any sweaty men. (well apart from myself) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hey Tom. I just forged a hardy hot cut out of a metal that I wasn't positive what it was. Read thru this thread and you'll see that I had to add a piece of leaf spring for the cutting edge. It works great, now. :)http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/26049-another-hardy-hot-cut/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomN Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 I had read it already George and even put in a question about the metal, that you answered in the thread. Haha. I think the fact that I don't have an avatar makes it difficult to recognise my posts. Very useful indeed and will think of making one in this way soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomN Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 For a cold cut, I was planning on just on shaping the bits i've got with an angle grinder. Do I need any kind of heat treatment, or tempering to harden the ends, or just regrind the end as and when necessary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenbeast Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Make sure you're only making tools you actually need, i've not needed a cold cut yet, so i haven't made one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomN Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 If i'm splitting something i'd like to mark it out with a cold cut, before going through with a hot cut. Besides, i'm awful at making a straight line with cut tools, so need the practice! I have a couple of perfect bits to make cold cuts from, so just need to shape them with the angle grinder and then see what the heat treatment I need for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenbeast Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 fair enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Note that you can *bolt* the spring steel section to the hardy hole shaft if the spring steel section makes firm contact with the anvil face. So take a section of leaf spring that spans the hardy hole by a good margin and straighten it and forge/grind the bevel on and then an inch or so down from the edge drill and bolt a shaft for the hardy. Not an elegant solution but for folks who can't weld or forge weld it'll work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomN Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 I can borrow my friends mig welder, so am planning to bring a few bits back home with me, to get it done over this weekend. We'll see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Hi Tom, Cold Chisels need hardening and tempering, Temper to between straw and brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomN Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Ok thanks, John! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.