Subject: Re: Chisel sockets

From: "Roger W. Schmitt" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 22:05:46 -0400

At 02:40 PM 9/18/96 CST6CDT, you wrote:
>> Date:          Fri, 05 Jul 1996 22:42:38 -0400
>> From:          [email-masked] (Clay Spencer)
>> Subject:       Re: Chisel sockets
>> To:            [email-masked]
>> Reply-to:      [email-masked]
>
>> At 6:56 PM 7/5/96, [email-masked] wrote:
>> >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.
>> 
>> 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
>> 
>> 
>> 
>Another way, used in many tools fro the 19th century, was to fuller a 
>"fan" instead of a tang.  Roll the fan into a cone, and forge weld
>the overlap.  Tools from this period also showed evidence of a 
>separate piece slipped over a short tang, and tenon welded inside the 
>socket, much as described above.
>

(snip)

A few years ago the Woodwright Shop on PBS visited the Williamsburg, VA
blacksmith shop and demonstrated making a wood chisel with a tang and cup
from one piece of metal. If I recall correctly, the piece of stock was upset
in the middle of its length. The bulge was worked until it formed a
cylindrical shape around the shaft of the chisel. This cylindrical portion
was about 1/8" to 3/16" thick and about three time the diameter of the shaft
of the chisel. The blade portion was formed from a piece of the shaft
extending from one side of the cylindrical piece and the tang was formed
from the other portion of the shaft. It was then brought to a red heat and
the tang was placed in a tool similar to a nail headed except the shape of
the "header" determined the shape of the bottom of the cup. As I recall,
they struck the cylindrical portion down over the "header" and formed a very
attractive eight sided tulip shaped cup at the base of the tang. I believe a
steel cutting portion was forge welded to the blade portion of the chisel.

It's been a few years but I think this is correct. I know that the only weld
would have been for the hard steel used as the cutting edge. Hope this helps.

Roger

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1996 17:46:37 -0400 (EDT)

> cylindrical shape around the shaft of the chisel.

...

Yeah, I believe that's right.  He forged the body of the chisel directly
from bog iron, in a portable forge using charcoal fuel.