Subject: Chisel sockets

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 18:56:28 -0400

Does anybody know how the sockets (not tangs) were made on chisel's.  Was
 the socket formed from another piece of metal then forged welded onto the
chisel or was it a continuation of the chisel that was somehow drawn out,
flattened, shaped then forged welded.  Are there any books that would explain
this process.

Thanks

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From: [email-masked] (Clay Spencer)
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 22:42:38 -0400

>flattened, shaped then forged welded.  Are there any books that would explain

In Robb Gunter's class at John C. Campbell Folk School several years ago,
he taught making the socket from pipe (3/4" black) by tapering it in a V
swage until it fits tight on a tang. The open end of the socket could be
drawn some over a bick ot slender horn. The short tang was fullered and
drawn from the spring stock used for the chisel. Then we fluxed both pieces
and forge welded them together.
Clay

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From: "Roger W. Schmitt" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 23:28:55 -0400

>flattened, shaped then forged welded.  Are there any books that would explain
I saw a demo on the "Woodright Show" on PBS a couple of years ago where he
visited the Williamsburg Blacksmiths. I believe they upset the middle of the
piece to provide material that was formed into the socket. I remember that I
was impressed with the nice 6 or 8 sided socket that they formed.

Take care,

Roger W. Schmitt
Alliance, OH

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From: "Marrin T. Fleet" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 13:39:21 CST6CDT

> Date:          Fri, 05 Jul 1996 18:56:28 -0400
> From:          [email-masked]
> Subject:       Chisel sockets
> To:            [email-masked]
> Reply-to:      [email-masked]

> flattened, shaped then forged welded.  Are there any books that would explain
This is a subject in which I am also interested.  I have a number of 
older chisels, and two basic techniques are exhibited on the older 
ones, and a third technique on the modern ones.  The first, 
and I believe original method, is to forge a fan shape where the tang
would have been.  This is rolled into a cone with the edges 
overlapping a generous amount, about a third of the circumference 
of the cone, and then forge welded.  After seeing a failure in a 
forge weld of a pre-Civil war chisel, I looked more closely at 
several others, and can see a forge line in several.  

As we moved into the latter part of the 19th century, it looks like a 
pre-formed cone was forge welded to a short stub of a tang.  Buck 
chisels of the 1890's exhibit this clearly.  This is the method 
suggested by a couple of folks that I know that make chisels on 
occasion.  They take a piece of pipe, about 3/4" pipe for most sizes 
of chisel,  and forge it down to a cone, whith the tip just slightly 
open.  A drift into that small opening sizes it for a matching tang
forged on the chisel.  The assembly is brought to a welding heat, 
and struck with the aid of a punch inserted down the cone to spread 
the tang and weld it to the inside of the hole.  I tried it once, and 
it wasn't real hard, and with practice I believe I could make it look 
almost as good as theirs! 

In either of the above methods, this seems to have been done prior to 
welding the "shoe" of high carbon steel to the sharp end, except for 
some later pieces probably from the early 20-th century, which seem 
to have been entirely of high-carbon steel, with a cone welded to a 
short tang.  

Modern chisels, which are made entirely from the same high-carbon 
steel, seem to be die-forged all of a piece.

These are my own observations, backed up with inquiries made to 
various people at the National Ornamental Metal Museum, here in 
Memphis, and to a blacksmith/History professor here at The
University of Memphis. 

Look close at a few older chisels, and tell me what you think.

Marrin Fleet
The University of Memphis
[email-masked]