Punches, Chisels & Heat Treatment

Learn the fundamentals of tool making. This session will focus on how to make some of the basic tools in every smithy's tool box and how to heat treat them appropriately for their intended uses. Students will start with a simple center punch and move on to chisels and punches as time permits. (Students should have previously taken our Tapers Workshop or have equivalent forging experience)

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Making and Using Stake Tools

This class will introduce students to small stake tools with complementary hammers and how to use them for creating 3 dimensional forms. (Students should have previously taken our Tapers Workshop or have equivalent forging experience)

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Hand Tools

There is no satisfaction like making something with tools that you have also made. Students will forge various punches and chisels used when either cold or hot working steel. Using carbon steel students will hand forge various punches and chisels, grind them to refine the shape and perform a basic heat treat on them. (Students should have previously taken our Tapers Workshop or have equivalent forging experience)

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Punches and Chisels

There is no satisfaction like making something with tools that you have also made. Students will forge various punches and chisels used when either cold or hot working steel. Using carbon steel students will hand forge various punches and chisels, grind them to refine the shape and perform a basic heat treat on them. (Students should have previously taken our Tapers Workshop or have equivalent forging experience)

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Bench Chisel Set

There is no satisfaction like making something with tools that you have also made. Students will forge out a set of bench chisels in tool steel. Typically a set of 3 sizes can be made and heat treated in a class. Students will wish to add handles and do the final sharpening as an exercise at home though a demonstration will be given on making handles with simple hand tools. (Students should have previously taken our Tapers Workshop or have equivalent forging experience)

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Striking Knife and Bench Chisel

There is no satisfaction like making something with tools that you have also made. Students will begin by forging out a striking knife from tool steel. These tools make fine layout lines in the wood which not only make a mark far more accurately than a pencil can, but also sever the surface wood fibers reducing tear-out. The striking knife will also have a scribe point on the other end for marking points prior to drilling or doing layout in metal. The striking knife will then heat treated. In the second part of the class we will forge out 1" bench chisels and heat treat them. Students will wish to add handles and do the final sharpening as an exercise at home though a demonstration will be given on making handles with simple hand tools. (Students should have previously taken our Tapers Workshop or have equivalent forging experience)

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Drawknife

There is no satisfaction like making something with tools that you have also made. Students will forge a versatile woodworking tool, the drawknife. Using fire and tool steel, we will hand forge a drawknife and heat treat the blade. The blade will then be sharpened and then, time permitting, be used to make its own handles. (Students should have previously taken our Tapers Workshop or have equivalent forging experience)

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Tongs

Tongs are critical tools for the blacksmith. They must securely hold blistering hot steel while the iron is worked under the hammer yet be light and agile. A set of tongs will run $30 to $60 each and one needs dozens to fit a variety of stock sizes and tasks. Being able to make your own is an invaluable skill for any budding smith. (Students should have previously taken our Tapers Workshop or have equivalent forging experience)