Fullering tool

[Chris C]

Getting ready to make a fullering tool that fits into my anvil's Hardie hole.  Am I correct the arms making the fuller don't need to be hardened since they are striking steel brought straight out of the forge?

[Frosty]

The fullering dies themselves do't really need hardening but where you strike with the hammer might. If you're making a round stock type spring fuller the the top tends to get bend up in use. It's not big deal to flatten it out when it becomes a problem. I usually make them from salvaged coil spring, unhardened, I bring the finished spring fuller to critical and lay it on the anvil face to chill. It's a cheat but I don't have to worry about hardening and tempering.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

I usually normalize coil spring too. Of course my swing arm fuller gets the swing arm replaced every 5 years or so; it's one of my most popular tools when I teach. (It's on it's 3rd? arm, the pivot bolt gets changed yearly as students don't seem to understand that you hit the bar right over where you are trying to fuller so all the force goes into fullering and not shearing the pivot bolt!)

[Chris C]

Well, I started on my fuller "arms" today.  I had some truck leaf springs.  Cut straight down the center they are about an inch and a quarter wide.  I'll have to wait until I get some propane to straighten them out.  Will start on the upright part of the jig tomorrow.  I've got the Hardie hole post and the base of the jig welded together.