Toolmaking - Sources of Tool Steel

[Oceaneer99]

As I posted on another topic, I've been making small music wire chisels, based on a set of miniature chisels and scrapers that Ray made.

I've also been experimenting with other sources of tool steel for toolmaking.  Here are a few that I've come across.  I'm still working on making tools from them, so I will have to report back later.

Hex Allen Wrenches:  L-shaped wrenches with a hexagonal cross section for hex-head bolts.  I bought two: 1/4-inch and 5/16-inch.  I annealed them in a propane torch flame, then heated the bend to red hot and straightened them out by hammering them with a sledgehammer against an anvil made from a section of railroad rail.  It took several repetitions to completely straighten them. 

I learned two things: 

1)  5/16-inch is too thick to be heated easily with a propane torch.  I will probably be able to heat treat the final tool, since only the cutting end needs heat treatment, but a propane torch just isn't hot enough to heat-treat a larger tool.

2) Don't hit the metal too hard when you are straightening something, or you will flatten it.  Seems obvious, but what wasn't obvious was that it is possible to straighten a big piece of rod without flattening it too much.

Masonry Nails: The usual sort of masonry nail is fluted and not more than 3/16-inch thick, though you can buy them up to 3 inches long here.  However, I did find masonry nails which are cut nails 2.5 inches long.  They have a rectangular cross section and taper from 1/8 inches square up to 5/16 x 1/8 inch.  They look like old-fashioned cut nails, but wider.  The head itself is rectangular and about 3/16 inch thick.  They cost under $5 for a pound, which is quite a few nails. You couldn't make a very long chisel or gouge with them, so they might need to be paired with a thin wooden handle.

Tension Pins:  These are spring-steel pins that are pounded into holes to act as stop pins.  They have a just barely-opened "C" shape.  I bought a package of 3/16-inch x 2 inch pins, sold for 40 cents each.  These could probably be cut or partially unrolled to form a gouge in short order (anneal them first).  They are available in a range of sizes up to 3/8 inches at the store I was at, though the selection of the 2 inch long ones was limited.

Bandsaw Blade:  I have a piece of an ordinary wood bandsaw blade.  I've been cutting lengths off from time to time to make blades for bowsaws and turning saws, even a crazy big scroll saw blade.  The blade is of course very thin, so you couldn't use it for much more than a thin marking knife blade.

Planer Knives:  I haven't tried these, but a wood carver who specialized in Haida Indian carving showed me a set of crooked knives that he made from old planer knives.  He said the steel was excellent for tools.  They would be expensive to buy new, but if you have a friend in the woodshop, you might have a good source of steel.  You could make knives or chisels from them.

Garet

[Oceaneer99]

I have three gouges cut out:

The first gouge is a tension pin that I annealed and then filed and cut with a Dremel to shape. I filed a bevel on the outside of the gouge.

The second gouge is the same size tension pin, but I annealed, then heated the pin and spread the end somewhat by driving a nail into the end to make a wider gouge.  I cut away part of the pin to leave a gouge shape.

The last gouge is a fairly wide one, with a larger radius.  It is made from a masonry nail.  I annealed the metal, then heated it to red-yellow hot and pounded the rectangular head flat on an anvil.  I filed the sides and then cut out the inner part of the gouge with a Dremel tool and small-diameter abrasive wheel.  This one actually looks pretty nice.  The blank is about 2.5 inches long with a rectangular tang, so I'll need a more traditional chisel/gouge handle than I made for the music wire chisels. 

These three have been heat treated (heated to cherry red and then plunged into oil).  I need to do a bit more shaping on my 3/16-inch chisel, then I will heat-treat it.  After that, I'll put all of these in the oven together for tempering.

I'll post photos, I promise!

Garet

[Oceaneer99]

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2335

A failed gouge

I tried to make a gouge from a masonry nail (supposedly hardened steel). After annealing, I used a Dremel and stone to cut the inside of the gouge, then hand filed the outside sweep and the bevel.

The handle is cut from some green wood from fallen branches I found near a creek during a lunchtime walk. A short length of copper pipe serves as a ferrule.

Unfortunately, after I sharpened the gouge, I tried it out, only to have the edge bend back on itself. A test with another masonry nail showed that I seemed to have heated it hot enough for heat treatment (a magnet no longer stuck), but the metal was still softer than a file after quenching. This is a good reminder to test unknown steel before you make your tools!

I found that the handle also fits 6-inch files, so all is not lost.

Garet