How are chisels made?

28th February 2020


How are chisels manufactured?


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		Carbon steel is turned into chisels through a process called “heat treatment”. It may also be “drop forged” in order to increase its strength. These general principles apply to both cold and builders’ chisels. Any differences in the procedure will depend on the type of chisel being produced and the manufacturer.

		Heat treatment
		In order to be turned into tools which will work correctly, carbon steel is heat treated. For cold chisels, this ensures that the tool will cut through metals.

		Firstly, the steel is hardened, which enables the tool to weather better.

		However, this process renders the steel incredibly brittle, so it is subsequently “annealed” and “tempered” to reduce this. The process of hardening is achieved by heating up the steel and subsequently allowing it to cool down. This is done using a method called “quenching”.

		You may be able to achieve enough heat through use of several items, including a forge or blowtorch.

		As the steel heats up, it will change colour depending on its current temperature. Using a glow chart, the user can determine exactly what temperature the steel is currently at.

		Drop forging
		When purchasing chisels you may find that they are advertised as having been “drop forged”. These words indicate how the product was produced and also just how strong it will be.

		Similarly to regular forging, a red hot metal is struck repeatedly with a hammer to get it into shape.

		Unlike regular forging, however, the metal is hammered into a die (similar to a mould), which contains the shape of the structure it will become. There are two types of drop forging: open die and closed die.

		Drop forging is also an indicator of quality, as a drop forged tool will usually be stronger than one made by machine or by casting.