Absolutely true. I've done it myself on a few occasions, to demonstrate that working metal moves the molecules, causing heating. You have to start with a piece of relatively small low-carbon steel bar, say 5/16" (8mm) and use a good-sized hammer. You draw a taper, flipping the piece every blow so you get the maximum movement and you can get it to a red heat. The odds are good that you'll split the end of the stock, but that doesn't matter for a quick demo.
The same principle is what allows me to heat 3" of the end of a bar and, using the power hammer, run that heat two feet up the bar. It just takes really good timing on flipping the bar between blows so you don't get it too far out of square.
Absolutely true, I'm sure.
Absolutely true. I've done it myself on a few occasions, to demonstrate that working metal moves the molecules, causing heating. You have to start with a piece of relatively small low-carbon steel bar, say 5/16" (8mm) and use a good-sized hammer. You draw a taper, flipping the piece every blow so you get the maximum movement and you can get it to a red heat. The odds are good that you'll split the end of the stock, but that doesn't matter for a quick demo.
The same principle is what allows me to heat 3" of the end of a bar and, using the power hammer, run that heat two feet up the bar. It just takes really good timing on flipping the bar between blows so you don't get it too far out of square.
Rich