The Hofi Hammer - - The REAL story

[Glenn]

I contacted Hofi to answer a question on another thread. Below is his reply.

I forge the hammers mostly alone, some times one or two of my students, that are studying with me now 13 years, are helping me. The grinding, the heat treatment, the final fine grinding, the handling, and the hrc test is done solely by me.

The cast hammers are cast in a casting factory but every one, I repeat every one, is tested and then the final grinding, and handled, is done by me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hofi

[Glenn]

From the email:
The final real story on the so called -- Czech hammer.

If one will look at the Euroanvils site on customer anvil, he will see me on the upper left side while demonstrating at the ABANA 2004 conference forging with my Hofi cast hammer on a Euroanvils 500lbs. On the opposite side Stephen Feinstein the founder of Euroanvil with Haberman Jr.

This Stephen Feinstein took my cast hammer copied it made a drawing and took it with him without asking me or having any permission to do it to the Czech republic and gave the drawing to Vaclav Hanton, and ask him to produce the hammer. Vaclav Hanton refused to market the hammer in the USA so Stephen Feinstein took it to another producer in the Czech republic by the name of Stanc. He is producing now the Hofi hammer on a cnc milling machine and one can also see it on the attached photo's. This one is sold in the USA for 20$

How they do it I do not know, because in Europe it is sold for 35 euro which is $49. Stephen Fenstein made a very very unethical and unfriendly act. If a Swedish hammer is produced to day in China it is still a Swedish hammer. If a French hammer is produced to day also in China and other places it is still a French hammer. If a Hofi hammer is produced to day in the Czech Republic it does not make it a Czech hammer, it will always be a Hofi hammer.

Hofi

[phil shelton]

how do i identify who built my ''Hofi'' hammer that i bought in the us from one of the blacksmith supply it apears to have a ''Hofi'' torch mark but it is different than the hammers that are shown here my handle is starting to come lose.

[larrynjr]

take a picture of the hammer, especially the touch mark and post it here. I'm sure Hofi would recognise one of his own.

[phil shelton]

just so everybody knows hofi contacted me and requited pic i sent them and am waiting for his reply but he was living on a trip so it might be a while . so i uploaded them here so everyone could see.their are more in gallery.

[Hofi]

HELLO PHIL
NOW that I saw the photos on the member gallery and they are clear and focused
I can tell u that this hammer was forged by the big blu when he still was using the touchmark I gave him ( that says ''HOFI''in hebrew) under the agreement we have between us. WHICH HE BREACHED meanwhile.

if the handle is loos heat the hammer eye with a rosebud easy both sides to 200 degrees and hammer the handl out with a 5/8x 1'' flat steel wait until cool down and clean the remaining glue in the hammer eye and on the handle and glue again with
sikaflex 11 fc let it set for 48 hours and clean brush it with a rotating brush with 8 thou thick steel fibers not on very high speed.

HOFI

[Jan]

Haha!Mr.Hofi knows what he is talking about=>so called Czech hammer doesn't exist and I know that 'cos I'm Czech Or...any hammer in this country should be called CZ hammer,no?

[Glenn]

Jan, we are talking about two different subjects.

The Hofi Hammer which was mis-named Czech hammer.

and any hammer made in Czech Republic is a Czech hammer, the same as any hammer made in Germany is a German hammer and any hammer made in France is a French hammer.

[Glenn]

Let me correct the above statement. Many different styles of hammers can be manufactured in a country. It does not change the style, only the country of manufacture. The French style hammer can be made in Czech Republic, China, Germany or France and still be a French style hammer. It was worded poorly in the previous post.