Made my first hot cut. Looking for feed back.

[Kelly R]

This was made from 3/4” coil spring. 
Looking for feedback on anything that could be improved on. There is a lot of forge scale on it which I’m not how to remove. I brushed it each time I pulled it out of the but couldn’t remove it all. 
not sure if the edge if supposed to be completely sharp?

[Goods]

Looks pretty good! I usually keep mine pretty sharp, but it’s not really required.

As for the scale, on my last heat, I brush it aggressively, and the just use planishing blows to get a better finish. Still a skill that needs more development for myself…

Keep it fun?

David

 

[Frosty]

Pretty good looking hot chisel, well done. Yes sharpen it all. If the scale bothers you you'll need to either soak it in vinegar or sand it off. Wire brushing cold WILL work but you'll need a cup brush on an angle grinder or PopEye arms to do it by hand.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Kelly R]

Thanks guys. I’ll try the vinegar when I try making a hole punch. Do you usually take a brush to it on every heat before working it?

[Frosty]

I do, to make sure there isn't any scale on it or it gets driven into the steel leaving permanent marks. At forging heat it doesn't take much brushing if you use a Butcher Block Brush, they have flat high carbon bristles and are really aggressive. 

Some folk leave a sharp edge on their anvil's far side to scrape the scale off before working it. Others have the brush attached conveniently rather than hold it in their hand. It keeps your hands farther from HOT steel.

Frosty The Lucky.

[George N. M.]

Looks good.  I like a curved edge like yours for a top tool because you can move it along a line easier than a flat edge.  For a bottom/hardy tool I like a straight cutting edge because you are generally just cutting a piece straight down on it.  Generally, you want a sharp edge on it but sometimes you want the impression of a blunted edge.  Whatever suits your needs.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Kelly R]

I planned on doing a hardy hot cut but haven’t decided on what shape would work best because I’ve seen it both ways. It would seem easier to cut stock with a straight edge. 
How wide are they usually?

As for having a chisel with a blunt end might be what I end up with due to this being the first time I’ve ever heat treated anything. I made about for cuts into cold 3/4” round and the edge hasn’t changed. Finger crossed

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

I do, to make sure there isn't any scale on it or it gets driven into the steel leaving permanent marks. At forging heat it doesn't take much brushing if you use a Butcher Block Brush, they have flat high carbon bristles and are really aggressive. 

Some folk leave a sharp edge on their anvil's far side to scrape the scale off before working it. Others have the brush attached conveniently rather than hold it in their hand. It keeps your hands farther from HOT steel.

Frosty The Lucky.

I did purchase and use that type of brush but not on every heat. Which I should start doing. 

[Frosty]

If you see scale flakes forming get rid of them before hitting it. 

I like a curved edge on my hardy but only just. About like the edge on an axe. It only takes a slight curve to let you find and feel a center punch so you can cut precisely where you want. 

A curved hot chisel lets you cut pretty tight curves too. A blunted cold chisel is what I use for veining, I'm not fond of the really large "veins" you see so many folks put in leaves. That's just a matter of taste of course, not the "right" kind of veins.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Rojo Pedro]

Nice one. 

Are you going to harden it? I found my punches seem to hold up better with heat treatment but havent tried it on a hot chisel

[Charles R. Stevens]

Curved consent rates the energy splayed buy striking the tool to a smaller point, for rough work or work where you are cutting a line longer than the tool they work great. 

[Kelly R]

2 hours ago, Rojo Pedro said:

Nice one. 

Are you going to harden it? I found my punches seem to hold up better with heat treatment but havent tried it on a hot chisel

Thanks! I did harden it. It seemed to work well but time will tell. 

[anvil]

Nice tool! I too like a radius cutting end but prefer a little flatter of a curve. Still, this shape would certainly have a place with my tools. I nearly always heat treat my hot work tools even if the temper is changed. They hold up better and its good practice.  

[Kelly R]

I just used hot cut today and I would agree that maybe a flatter chisel with radius more on the outsides would work better. I guess I get to make another one. 

[Frosty]

No, you don't want a hot chisel that has different radius across it's edge. Or am I misunderstanding what you mean by" a flatter chisel with radius more on the outsides"?  You want a uniformly curved edge, just a larger radius. Look at an axe blade and make it wider. 

You want to be able to stand your hot cut on edge and rock it smoothly, like a rocking chair but only a few degrees, 5-6* each way works nicely.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Coil spring is a great "prototyping" chisel material; then when you find a design what works well for YOU and have more forging skills you can reproduce it in a high alloy steel like S-7 or H-13 that will last a lot longer in use. But keep your prototypes for "rough" use in the future.