[TheForge] Re: slitting chisel / drift

[Mike Spencer]

dave> I have no identifiable tool steel (other than automotive coil
dave> springs) from which to make the slitting chisels and drifts.
dave> Can someone give me the process for hardening & tempering
dave> forging tools made from automotive type coil spring?

There seems to be a lot of variability in springs. So you have to
experiment with one particular spring until you know how it responds
for you purpose(s), then mark that spring "precious" and use it for
the relevant purpose until it's gone.

I, too, live where running down to the store for some H13 (or
whatever) just isn't worth the effort in most cases.

I *do* like the idea of making offset slits on opposite sides of the
bar. (Sorry, I deleted the post and have forgotten who said it.)  I'll
have to give that a try.  My only addition would be that using a slot
punch instead of a chisel will leave a tidier opening.

Somewhere I saw a description of how to make box-joint pliers that
dealt with this problem.  But probably not in qhuite the way you need
for a big railing.

- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^