Traditional chisel making video

[Marko Milisavljevic]

If you have any interest in old chisels, you will want to watch this video with Peter Ross:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365386383/

[Steve Voigt]

Thanks Marko! I really enjoyed that. It was helpful to see the welding process--the scarf joint is the opposite of how I thought it would be.
Now, if only there was a similar video of making tanged chisels.

[Warren Mickley]

Thanks Marko! I really enjoyed that. It was helpful to see the welding process--the scarf joint is the opposite of how I thought it would be.
Now, if only there was a similar video of making tanged chisels.

I saw a tang chisel video at Williamsburg one year. I think it was about 20 minutes, but maybe omitted some finishing steps. The bolster starts as a little worm of iron that is wrapped around and welded. They showed the video at the Woodworking conference. It was made while Peter was still there, but I think it was another blacksmith. This year we are going to the conference January 18 to 21 if you are free. Lodging is cheap in January.

I have talked with Peter several times about chisels, the first time around 1998. He also did a wonderful job of drawing and measuring the 40 chisels in the Seaton chest. Here is a picture of one of Peter's chisels. I have two pictures of a chisel by Ken Schwartz, current master, but I can't get them to load.
ross chisel 3.jpgross chisel tang.jpg

[Steve Voigt]

Warren, thanks for the info and the cool pics. I'll have to keep the conference in mind. Don't know if I can get away, but I'd love to, and it's only a couple hour's drive for me.

[Kees Heiden]

That was very nice to watch.

Blacksmithing would also be an interesting hobby, but you can't do them all. I don't think my neighbours would enjoy to hear me banging on the anvil.

[george wilson]

I'd like less of the constant personality from Roy,and more from Peter Ross. He interrupts too much.

Warren,good to hear how they did the bolster. Peter mentioned he had figured out how to do it years ago to me. But,he never finished his thought and explained it.

I have made very effective bolsters on small chisels. I taper the tang. Then,make a tool steel bolster with a tapered square hole in it that jams over the tapered tang. It isn't going anywhere,though I could silver solder it. You can't tell it is not from the solid on the chisel. And,it's filed octagon like they used to be made.

Kees I chain my anvil down tight so it just goes clack clack. Chain it down tight like the one shown below,which I made the pattern for. Not all anvils respond from being chained down. Some wrap innertubes around the body of the anvil. There are a few other ways of deadening them. You will go deaf if you let your anvil ring,and use it a lot,so the ring of the anvil is sort of a myth.

The one shown is one I made patterns for for the Anderson Blacksmith Shop in the museum,about 30 years ago. Before I retired I was making an earlier style 5 legged anvil for them.

[John Vernier]

I have made very effective bolsters on small chisels. I taper the tang. Then,make a tool steel bolster with a tapered square hole in it that jams over the tapered tang. It isn't going anywhere,though I could silver solder it. You can't tell it is not from the solid on the chisel. And,it's filed octagon like they used to be made.

I have a James Howarth paring chisel, a high-quality sheffield make probably from the early 20th century, on which the octagonal bolster is clearly silver soldered to the tang. It looks just like the forged bolsters except for the fine silver line visible in strong light, especially on the handle side which is visible at the moment as I need to put a handle on it. I also have some early 20th-century English carving chisels which I suspect have torch-welded bolsters (they aren't very carefully ground bolsters, and I think I see remains of weld bead). I wonder if forge-welded bolsters gave way as wrought iron became less used and torch welding and soldering became common.

[Kees Heiden]

There is a series of short videos from Ashley Iles how they make tanged gouges. The first video shows how they shape the bolster and tang under a powerhammer. As far as I can see they have some kind of form and just hammer a piece of round stock into this form.

http://www.ashleyiles.co.uk/tool_production.html

[Shawn Pixley]

I use the magnet on the horn to reduce the ring.

[Pat Barry]

I'd like less of the constant personality from Roy,and more from Peter Ross. He interrupts too much.

Warren,good to hear how they did the bolster. Peter mentioned he had figured out how to do it years ago to me. But,he never finished his thought and explained it.

I have made very effective bolsters on small chisels. I taper the tang. Then,make a tool steel bolster with a tapered square hole in it that jams over the tapered tang. It isn't going anywhere,though I could silver solder it. You can't tell it is not from the solid on the chisel. And,it's filed octagon like they used to be made.

Kees I chain my anvil down tight so it just goes clack clack. Chain it down tight like the one shown below,which I made the pattern for. Not all anvils respond from being chained down. Some wrap innertubes around the body of the anvil. There are a few other ways of deadening them. You will go deaf if you let your anvil ring,and use it a lot,so the ring of the anvil is sort of a myth.

The one shown is one I made patterns for for the Anderson Blacksmith Shop in the museum,about 30 years ago. Before I retired I was making an earlier style 5 legged anvil for them.

I can't believe you were able to get your work done with such a wimpy looking anvil George. How many folks did it take to move that thing?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I can't believe you were able to get your work done with such a wimpy looking anvil George. How many folks did it take to move that thing?

He had to chain it down so nobody would take it.

[george wilson]

That was one of the 300# anvils I made the pattern for for the blacksmith shop. I think mine is only a 200# one.

It is seen below,in my less than organized blacksmithing area. It is a special anvil called a Soho Engine Forger's anvil. The hardy hole is at the horn end of the anvil. Why,I don't know. I made the bic iron to fit snugly into the hardy hole.

The anvil is polished finely enough to forge silver on without transferring any marks from the anvil to the silver.

[Steve Voigt]

That was one of the 300# anvils I made the pattern for for the blacksmith shop. I think mine is only a 200# one.

Wait, what? You made the anvil? How?!?

Actually, it's probably better if I don't know. You guys are such a bad influence on me! If this keeps up I will be smelting iron in the backyard before long!

[george wilson]

I made the PATTERN!!! If I could forge an anvil,I'd really be a very tricky guy!!

Just before I retired,I made another pattern. An earlier style 300# anvil with 5 legs. They are trying to fond someone to cast them from tool steel. The previous foundry closed. The anvils were cast from 4140 tool steel and hardened. They have not gotten sway backed in 30+ years of daily use. It is not possible these days to get anyone to forge anvils and weld the faces on like was done in the old days. Takes huge equipment and a waterfall to quench them.

Below is an as cast 5 leg anvil. They made the hardie hole too large for some reason. And,the top has not been ground. This one was done in a local ship yard. I think this is a rather ugly anvil with that small horn on it. But,I was given an original to closely copy,and did so.

Very early anvils had "church windows" forged into their sides. The 5th. leg is a vestige of that feature. I don't know why they had the arched,so called church windows.

[Steve Voigt]

That's a cool anvil, George.