VaughnT Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 The other day, I made a pair of hooks for a customer. He liked the look. I liked the look. Sounds like a good deal all around. For a single pair of hooks, layout and cutting for the splayed end is easy enough, but it got me to thinking about how one might streamline the process. If you have an order for 20 hooks, that's a lot of finagling! If I had an Ironworker that could simply nip out the 90º notch on the end of the bar, that'd be fantastic. If I had a vertical bandsaw, I could cobble together some fence or the like. Having neither.... that's problematic. Right now, I'm scribing the lines and cutting the notch with an angle grinder. It doesn't take a lot of time, but every minute adds up. Honestly, it's probably just the aggravation making it seem like it's taking forever. So, I had the idea to make up a nipper that'd sit on the anvil. A top die of H13, maybe. Something that'd go through the hot steel but not easily lose its cutting edge. Not sure if it'll work since that's a lot of surface area for a man-powered tool to sheer through. Anyone make up a nipper of their own? Surely, I can't be the only one to consider it, so I'm thinking it's probably a bad idea or else we'd see them talked about more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Why do you cut stock away? Make a cut along, in the centre with a hardy tool ... or your grinder with a 1mm disk if you want, and forge each side in the shape you want. It will look much more authentic and no missing material Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 And cutting from the front will get the bevel inside the V started in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Or take a piece of high C bed frame and make a corner chisel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Like this one: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 For steel I wouldn't angle it down but more a straight across with chisel edges. I have a couple of different shaped hardies; most ex farrier use, that come in useful from time to time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 This one is specifically for cutting a rounded corner for split-rein tongs. For VaughnT’s project, a sharper corner, a more acute angle, and a square edge would certainly be appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 If he was willing to redo the heat treat he could even forge in a curve on the flanges! I see the specifics of your chisel to the job. Nice. I've used bed frame chisels to clean corners in large mortises; though now I have several old corner chisels including an Ohio Tool one---Prison Made! Dug it out of a dumpster at the fleamarket. Dealer wouldn't take what I thought was a fair offer; but dumped all his leftovers when he left---including a Susan B Anthony dollar?!?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Dumpster diving pays! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 Thank you all for your thoughts. Oddly enough, I never even considered a corner chisel even though I just forged one a couple weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 I'd have to try both a linear chisel or saw cut and notching to see what I liked. I've done that kind of finial a few times with a longitudinal cut and the sharp edge of my anvil, it only takes a few minutes. If you're going to forge the corners out anyway . . . ? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 I have 3 curved hot cuts made from rr tools that work great. However my beverly shear#3 makes short work of anything under 3/8". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 On 8/13/2018 at 1:42 PM, Frosty said: If you're going to forge the corners out anyway . . . Forging the corners out isn't the goal. I could make a simple cut down the center and then draw the ends to a point like you and others have suggested, but that's now how you get this look. It's a valid way of decorating an end, but it's not the way I'm going with this particular style. By notching the bar, all you have to do is knock the tips over the far edge of your anvil and you get that little "something extra" in the design without a ton of added time involved. What I think I might have come up with is something akin to this leaf notcher I found online. Looks like it'll do the job in theory, but I'm not sure if the principle can be scaled up to something that'll go through 3/14" or 1/4" stock when struck with a 4# hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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