Date:         Wed, 11 Sep 2002 00:57:33 +0100
Reply-To:     Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
Subject:      Club hammers and chisels (2)
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P.S. For very severe chisel work where you want it to keep cutting without blunting, use a 1/4" cross-cut chisel, which has a blade angle (included) of from 100 -110 degrees. An electrician's chisel (2 1/2" wide flat blade) used for 'chasing' conduits into brick walls is also very useful in your toolkit and usually last well until they 'go walkies'.

 A style of chisel (really a drift) is made that is actually designed specifically for loosening nuts and bolt heads, this has a single small working face angled about 10 to 15 degrees from blunt (flat). These are intended to strike the nut approx. tangentially, driving a small sharp wedge groove into it first and then as more contact area develops gaining a grip that eventually 'shock' loosens the bolt or nut - start lighty until a good groove that is not likely to shear off is to be had - then positioning and holding firmly, club it progressively harder 2 or 3 times. Angling 'inwards' from the true tangential avoids just shearing off small chippings from the edge of the nut face and maybe in a bit towards the supporting mass - access restrictions will usually limit the angles that can be got but even studs can sometimes be loosened with such a tool - keep it ground correctly. I don't know what they're properly called but a loosening drift sounds about right - its a cross between a flat faced drift and a chisel...

.. I feel better now!

Clive
'88 Syncro Transporter