Local Pawn shop wants $15.00 for this tall wedge?? I was debating wether it could be turned into a hot cut hardy....

This is what it looks like, and let me know if you think I should get it.

Could be, but it already has a shank. It might be used as a hand-held hot cut, so you could see what you are cutting.

 

Sayings and Cornpone

My horse's bloodline...by Long Rope out of Hidden Canyon.

I might need to cut it off though because end to end it's almost as tall as me 6'1.

Depending on the size of your hardy hole -  Jack Hammer / paver breaker bits make excellent hardy tools.   These point tools come in a couple of sizes.  The smaller size, if you can find them will forge to fit  smaller hardy holes while the larger size works well for  hardy holes in larger anvils.  

 

Go to tool rental stores and ask for dull and broken tool bits.   Tool bits for the smaller demolition hammers are a good choice for hand held chisels and punches, 

 

Sounds like you have found a digger bar.   The steel in that bar is likely to make some decent tools but you won't know for sure until you try.

I might need to cut it off though because end to end it's almost as tall as me 6'1.

If the whole thing is good tool steel... great = several punches/drifts/chisels... etc. I'd offer them $8-10, I'd be surprised if they didn't take it. Imho, it's worth getting even if you don't use it for your hot-cut.

Local Pawn shop wants $15.00 for this tall wedge?? I was debating wether it could be turned into a hot cut hardy....

This is what it looks like, and let me know if you think I should get it.20130615_141132.jpg

 

I think I would buy that for 15$ but I would not carve it up to make a hardy of hot cut. It already looks like a good tool. Up here (minnesota) they use similar tools to cut holes in the ice for ice fishing. Maybe some kind of tree bark remover. But too nice to cut up for a hardy that could easily be made from a piece of leaf spring.

I think I would buy that for 15$ but I would not carve it up to make a hardy of hot cut. It already looks like a good tool. Up here (minnesota) they use similar tools to cut holes in the ice for ice fishing. Maybe some kind of tree bark remover. But too nice to cut up for a hardy that could easily be made from a piece of leaf spring.

Kind of like the whole "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If you have no use for something as it is, why not modify it into something useful to you? It looks like it is already almost the right shape, and would take much less effort to transform into the hardy and chisels or whatever than leaf spring. But I am not saying your opinion is wrong... just wrong for me. :) (Not much ice-fishing on the Gulf of Mexico.)

I like the idea of getting wedges at garage sales.  These are the tools used to split logs.  You can forge a shank on the end, but it is a little challenging single handed.  Also a little dangerous.  Maybe just thin it down so it fits in a vise, and make do until you can make a hot cut the traditional way.  This is what I did.  Technicus Joe has a great video.  Brian, Dave Custer and others also have great videos.  It took me a while though, several tries over nearly a year.

It our part of your ISLAND, that is called a Slick. It is used for removing bark from trees, works better when the tree has just been dropped.

 

A real quick Hot Cut is a 3" piece of a shear blade, welded to a piece of square that fits your hardy hole.

 

I don't know if there are any Saw Mills near the Gulf of Mexico :) , but there probably are sheet metal shops with press breaks.

 

Neil

My suggestion is rather than spen $15 buck on a piece  of unknown steel, order a piece of tool steel. Old World Anvils sells 4140 for 2 bucks a pound. The approach I would take is get a piece of 1-1/2 square. I start with about 3 or 3-1/2 " piece, put a blunt taper on it,and drive it into the hardie hole. Next step, forge your chisel end. Then heat treat and enjoy a real tool, rather than a converted something. Forging tools from scratch to a specific dimension improves your smithing greatly.

if it is 6 foot , some people called those a railroad bar. not real handy for setting/tamping fence posts but good for rock and prying.

That's what I love about this site...tons of helpful people with something to learn from every day. Thanks guys.

Hey Bauce, I just posted in your other thread where you were looking to buy one. I recently made an ugly one that has been working for me, and that was out of a weird bit of steel. Had to square up and then upset it quite a bit, and then flatten, but it's doable. If you have a piece of an axe head or an old hammer head you could make one. In an afternoon. I reccommend using a heavy hammer to do the work with though if you don't have a striker. At least 4 lbs.

Thanks Harris, I just responded to your other post too.