ABSTRACT
The hot forging of metals is an important subsidiary process to workshop production and possesses many advantages. In hand forging the shaping of the metal is carried out under hand control, and accuracy depends upon the skill of the smith. For heating the metal some form of forge or furnace is necessary. For roughly forming the metal, direct blows from the hammer alone may be used, but for cutting off, forming and other finishing operations, various hand tools are necessary. Chisels are used for cutting metals and for nicking prior to breaking. Fullers are used for necking down a piece of work, the reduction often serving as the starting-point for a reduction. Wrought iron and mild steel may be welded by pressing together two surfaces of the metal after they have been raised to the correct welding heat. The three principal types of weld are: the butt weld, the scan weld, and the vee or splice.
