Blacksmith cutting is the process of separating a piece of heated metal by striking a hardened, sharp-edged hot-cut chisel with a hammer, or by driving the hot metal onto a sharp-edged cutoff hardy tool in an anvil. This technique divides metal into pieces, such as cutting to length or splitting a material, and protects the chisel and anvil by not cutting all the way through the material but rather creating a shear point to be finished by breaking.