51 Papy Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Not sure what I did or how this happened. But the piece that shattered hit my thumb...no blood no hurt I got lucky. I would like to know if this was preventable. I have been punching and drifting holes with this punch for a couple of years. I have had the punch for years. I wasn't half way through the boss on a pair of tongs. I was quenching after every strike. Metal was red/orange hot. If I was being stupid let me have it. Papy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Don't think you were being stupid. Looks like the punch was fully hardened all the way to the portion you strike. I usually only quench the bottom 2" of mine, and then attempt to hit the striking end with a soft hammer whenever possible. I usually use a brass Harbor Freight hammer or the head of my treadle hammer (which is mild steel). Glad you didn't get hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Was this a punch you'd made, or one from elsewhere? I second what @Latticino says about a soft hammer; I have a ~6 lb hammer with a wrought iron head that I use for almost all my (solo) punching and drifting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted July 31, 2017 Author Share Posted July 31, 2017 I have no idea where that punch came from but it's been with me for years. I didn't make it. Guess I'll have to make one and a soft hammer. Just seemed strange that it failed several years after I started using it for a hot punch. Thanks for the comments. Rather be lucky than good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Metal fatigue ?? SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Catastrophic failure of a small crack that propagated slowly til.....it'd like wings falling off airplanes. It hardly ever happens their first commercial flight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted July 31, 2017 Author Share Posted July 31, 2017 Thanks Slag and Thomas. Guess I'll spend a little time with the magnifying glass going over chisels. Some of these came off the farm or have been collected over the last 50ish years. I don't want to do this again the outcome might not be so good. Papy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 make a set of tongs to hold your chisels with and always protect your eyes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted July 31, 2017 Author Share Posted July 31, 2017 The eyes are always protected. I ware prescription glasses and in the shops I ware safety glasses that the company got me. Tongs might be an answer. There is no end to building tongs seams like you always need the pair you haven't built/ don't have. Thanks Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I have an S1 hot chisel that used to be part of a pharmaceutical pill press and came to me with a nice large top with a nice indentation under it that a set of tongs I had fit perfectly---I cut a small section of pipe and flattened it and slipped it over the reigns to dedicate it to the chisel. Unfortunately some of the "advanced students" were using a heavy hammer on it and missed and hit the tongs so many times they busted them. So I built a new handle for it out of stuffin my scrap pile: Sorry about the bad photo; low light, cheap phone: I'll probably try to weld up the tongs next time I have my welder hooked up as I have more of these pill tools And I've loved using that chisel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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