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PSA: I keep seeing people use a cold chisel on high carbon steel without annealing first

I was at a meet in Knoxville last month and watched three different smiths try to cut a piece of 1095 with a cold chisel, only to have it skate off or chip the edge. They were all surprised when I told them to heat the steel to a dull red and let it cool in the forge ashes first. How many of you actually anneal before doing any major cutting or shaping on hard stock?
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2 Comments
jamiesingh
Yeah, that's basic shop practice, right? You'd think folks working with 1095 would know it's basically glass until you soften it up.
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jessicaw54
You ever try just hitting it with a torch for a minute to take the edge off first?
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