Blacksmithing for Beginners - Understanding Cold Chisels 

Thanks for sticking around. As you know I was having a lot of problems getting videos out back then. It's a nice surprise to find out how many followed me over here.

@@df-intheshop330 thanks for the video, quick question can you use masonry cold chisels?

They are addictive

Same here. I always thought they were for working with stone

Thanks - not to many people have

This might be my favorite video of yours

I never get tired of making them or using them

You probably had searched The wiki but just to be safe I'm going help you identify a cold from a hot chisel a cold chisel has a duller steeper bevel edge(the angle of the chisel that forms a v shape) it's for preventing the edge from breaking a hot on the other hand has a less incline bevel but must only be used when the material is at forging temperature but if you insist though it will break and nothing will happen

Not lost art just no one wanna learn it

Glad to help.

I will be using a 3 lb mallet, gently, hope i get it out good

Thanks

Yes there is always one side of the chisel ( bevel ) that is controlling the cut. The bevel that is rubbing on the work is acting like the sole of a woodworking plane and prevents to cutting edge from going to deep. So if you raise that bevel off the work than you loose that control and the chisel will tend to dig into the work. Also that is why the bevels need to be ground flat. If the bevels are rounded ( convex ) you will not be able to register the cutting edge to the work.

@@df-intheshop330 what are the limits of cold chisels and hand files you think? Like at what point would you just need a mill and lathe?

1) The ground surface of a cutting tool is usually called the bevel. A cold chisel cutting edge is made up of two bevels that are identical. If a cutting tool has two bevels that are not equal, the largest bevel is referred to as the primary bevel and the smaller bevel is called the secondary bevel. In either case, both bevels added together would be the included angle. 2) The slotting punch was used to quickly remove the web between to or more drill holes to provide access for other tools like engraving chisels or files that would bring the hole to it's final dimensions.

@df-intheshop330 Well I really appreciate the direct answer and your descriptive of what you explained in the answer. I think are giving me a bit more credit than is due because even though your description is GREAT, I think it's still over my head because I'm just trying to figure out on what part of the ground cutting edge is 55/60 degrees lol!!! And your answer, to the second, is excellent. I have a feeling that "where is this used and what is going on here" will sort of work itself out as I get a better grasp of this trade in general - but super informative stuff and really cool, yet relatable and simple, presentation system. I'm definitely a fan and I'm quite excited to learn more in your classes coming up here Thanks ,once again €for posting this content and I'm looking forward to seeing what you have in the pipeline

No problem. I'll take another shot at it because this will really slow you down until you understand this. Sharpening tools is a very important skill. If you look at a woodworking chisel. It has one ground face that goes from the top of the tool to the other side where it comes to a point. In this case the bevel angle is measured from the flat face of the chisel. The cutting edge of the chisel is the base of the angle. On a chisel that has two bevels the base of each bevel turns into an imaginary line that runs parallel to the body of the tool. So for a cold chisel it has two 30 degree bevels. Each bevel is measured from an imaginary centreline in the tool because the bevels are equal. As for the slotting chisels that was used mainly in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. They din't have all the milling cutters that are available today so there was still a lot of hand work being done before a part could be put on a shaper of planning mill.

@df-intheshop330 OOOOOOOHHH - OK yeah that makes a MASSIVE DIFFERENCE in my overall understanding of this. You are the first person to actually make sense, not "kinda makes sense" or "yeah I think I get it" this makes PERFECT SENSE!! You dumbed it down for me in the most basic way, but I actually get it now. I love machining and engineering videos, and I'm just now getting in to metalworking, and as such heat treating, and although I've watched a lot of the "big names" out there, they have one common flaw (not a fair word because I'm not in their shoes) and that's that simple concepts for them are glossed over as nothing because said concepts are so far in their past that it's easy for them to not realize that we're not all on the same learning baseline. And some of those channels are so large that if they were to respond to every basic/elementary level question, they would be giving their wives or husband's or grandchildren absolutely no time. So with that being said, not only did you answer my question(s) in the nicest and most polite way possible, you also answered them in a way that couldn't be more clear. I actually get it!! And I appreciate it - seriously! Now please go enjoy your weekend - I'm sure there are other people who appreciate your knowledge and willingness to help others as much as I do. I'm looking forward to the rest of your videos!

Thats right I always use coil springs or old crow bars

cheers, think I might start out with trying to make some small chisels when I get my forge going.

All my chisels are just made by recycling spring steel. The links for my heat treating & forging carbon steel videos are in the description for this video

I make all my tools out of recycled scrap steel, usually coil springs or leaf springs. The most common steel used for coil springs is 5160. Plain carbon steels are identified by a number 10 as the first two digits in a 4 digit code. The last two is the amount of carbon in the steel. 5160 would be the same carbon content as 1060 but the 51 defines it as a different alloy. 1075 or 1090 is usually used for fine cutting edge tools.

The same chisels work on high carbon steel that is properly annealed.

Work that fine isn't done with a gouge but with a graver that has a solid cross section so you would grind the stock to the thickness you need and profile the cutting edge to the shape you need. Paul Hamler has a couple of videos on wire inlay that will probably help. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AN9Yzbgepj8.html

Any cutting edge tool will only work in materials that are softer than they are. The 1095 would need to be tempered to at least a spring temper. Even then the cutting edge will dull very quickly.

This is the first of 3 videos I have on forging and heat treating. It describes how I do it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZYO06j9Lgg8.html

This is mild steel and I don't usually have any problems with it. If you run into trouble first check the chisel and make sure its right especially if it is a new chisel. If the chisel is sharpened correctly and works fine on other pieces than you will need to try annealing to see if that corrects the problem.

I recycle everything from scrap - usually old coil springs. See my heat treating videos for more info.

As I get older I can beat that record any day by noon. lol

@@df-intheshop330 Dang. Oh, when are you going to work on another betty lamp? Like, one with a hinge lid? I think seeing you do that would be amazing. I myself am working on a betty lamp that is similar and I took some tips from your last video about a lamp. That one just seemed a bit.... empty

No these are to be used on cold metal only.

That was a yard sale find. There is only part of a tag left. It looks like it says Wisconsin? I'm not aware of anybody making these anymore.

Yes, everything I'm working on in the video is mild steel

All my chisels are made from spring steel

DF - In The Shop Thanks für the answer. I greet them.

'm no Xpert on cold chisels. However, I just used a Proto brand chisel in breaking up about 200 pounds of concrete so I could dispose of it. Drilled holes in the concrete with a rotary hammer then used the cold chisel sort of like a wedge, which could be pounded in to break the concrete. When I was done, I was amazed ----not a trace of damage to the chisel! From that I conclude that Proto must make good cold chisels. They have some excellent on line catalogs, too.

The process for making wood chisels is the same as for making cold chisels. Wood chisels need to be tempered around a dark straw to red brown colour and the angle of the grind is around 25 - 30 degrees.

You might look up Proto tools ---- they have some good on line catalogs.

I use coil springs or crowbars simply because they are the most readily available. 5160 seams to be the most commonly steel used for springs.

thanks just getting started in blacksmithing

No problem - I also have three videos on forging and heat treating carbon steel. They explain the whole process. This is the first in the series ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZYO06j9Lgg8.html If you have any other questions fell free to email me anytime.

"cross cut" and "round" describe types of files, not types of chisels

The chisels I'm using here are just made from coil springs. See heat treating videos. I've never worked with anything else.

No but it is definitely on the list.

Sweet.

DF, check out Clickspring's channel. he's a remarkable maker. he makes files from mild steel the way the ancient greeks would have made them.

great

I don't think anybody still makes these but they can be found at yard sales and antique shops that deal with tools.