Alwin

Rebar is not the most consistent stuff so predictably hardening and tempering them is a challenge. The size adds to the difficulty- the one in the picture is made of 30 inches of 1/2 inch rebar. The texture is the reason to use it. I use mine for doing detailed chisel work with the anvil backing, as well as punching and slitting holes.

I realize that, but it isn't necessary. They hold up great without hardening and tempering them.

Here is the holdfast I use. It is a design I worked on for awhile and it works fantastically. I make it out of rebar because the texture seems to help. It is allowed to cool in the air after it's made. Don't harden it because it could break under tension. I use holdfasts like this for 1.5-2 years before they wear out without adjusting them.

I've never heard of the tubing idea, but I might try it. Using tong clips is a habit I need to get into. I still think titanium tongs might help as well.

What kind of tong clips do you prefer Brian?

Then how would the sand stay in. It doesn't seem that there would be any advantage to tubing with sand, it would be heavy and not as strong. The Ti is light and has some shock absorbing properties while still being strong.

It is rare that something causes a noticeable shock transfer, but I do this almost every day and anything that lessens vibration transmission to the body helps joint longevity. I have a big chunk of Ti that was given to me. The idea of welded tubing filled with sand sounds kind of scary with getting things hot.

I am thinking more about the shock absorbing characteristics of Ti. It is nice to lessen the vibrations reaching the body wherever possible.

I make my own hammers and chisels. The chisel ends are softer than the hammer face so I just don't worry about hitting them with whatever hammer I'm using. On the hardy if I am going to use the piece in the fire right away I'll cut most of the way through and then break it off with a pair of tongs as I head back to the forge. If I'm not going to use the cut off part right away then I'll use a shearing cut as my last one. Depending on where I want it to fall I'll either come down on the far side of the hardy to shear it or put it on the far side of the anvil and come down with the hammer just off the anvils side to shear it there. If you practice that you can drop the cut offs right next to the anvil. Cutting hot gives you more control over the breaking. I find that cutting steel cold is a little less predictable and is generally the time when I'll accidentally go too far or send steel flying if I'm not careful-so I'm careful about when and where I do that.

If I wanted to eliminate the V in the pintle, I would figure the circumference of the pin first. Then, I would take the steel I would use to wrap it and scarf the end. I would bend at a right angle maybe an inch back from the end of the scarf. From that bend I would measure back the circumference of the pin minus about 1/8 inch, and then make another right angle bend. If you hold the spike material up, both bends should cause the material to go in the same direction (it should look like an u with both ends pointing up. Next, I'd bend that center section into a loop. Basically I'd make a collar that was about 1/8 of an inch from closing all the way. That way as you weld it on the material stretches to the size that fits the pin exactly all the way around. Depending on how hard you hit when you weld you might need a little extra space, maybe up to 3/16 of an inch so that it fits exactly when welded.

I have been thinking about making some Ti tongs. Anyone have experience with using Ti tongs? What do you think? What sort of thickness is necessary to make them durable?

I love mine. Over 5-6 years of constant use the softness in the face has disappeared. I can't say anything I don't like about it. The waist is really large which makes the most efficient working area on the anvil larger that most other ones of the same weight. For the first few years and even rarely now, I'll take a flap disk and lightly go over the whole surface of the face to make sure it is really smooth. It is important to have a smooth anvil face because when you hit steel, the spreads by sliding on the anvil face. The less friction the better. It is very rare that I need to touch the surface now. I lightly smoothed the transition from the face to the horn so I could draw steel on the horn close to the face without leaving marks in it. I also slightly rounded most of the edges. I love the shelf on mine. I use it all the time for straightening, shaping curves, and just for having a longer area to straighten stock while standing with my hip next to the heel. I like that the anvil isn't really wide because I work over the far edge of the anvil and I don't have to lean or swing out from my body. I think it is a very good design, and really hard to beat for the money.

I use a sand mounted box which is extremely solid. I go years without adjustment. My stand is not just a simple box. About 4 inches below where I want the base of my anvil to be I have two pieces of angle iron welded on opposite sides. I fill the base with sand to 2-3 inches above the angle iron and then take a plate that fits snugly into the box and tamp the sand down. Then I take the plate out by grabbing the narrow finger slot in the center and pulling. I add a little more sand, put the plate in, add an inch or so of sand above the plate, and set the anvil in it. The compression of sand in the small space between the angle iron and the plate really helps to prevent the anvil from moving. Once you get the sand packed it doesn't compress so it is a very solid base. The inch or so of sand that the anvil sits in takes the ring out of the anvil amazingly well. My stand was made for my anvil so it fits it really tight which also helps to prevent the anvil moving as I work on it. I have the 335lb Euroanvil which has been a great anvil. The base of the anvil is large enough that I don't need a pyramid shaped box for stability; vertical sides work great and let me get quite close. I am not sure at what size a rectangular box ceases to be stable. The weight of sand in the bottom makes it quite difficult to move around. A lighter anvil might need some fastening device to prevent it from bouncing around on the base, but I have never had any trouble with that.

Thanks for the info Mark. I have been meaning to make a bolster for hardy tools because it always makes me nervous using a heavy sledge on my anvil when I'm not working over the waist. Why do you drill, chisel, and file instead of drilling, drifting, and filing. Is that faster?

Mark, how did you make the bolster plate?

You may have seen this but here is a link to pictures of the making of a huge bell in the style that you've made yours-which I really like.

It looks a lot like a William Foster I used to have but there are lots of possibilities.

With hand tools and without a guillotine tool, I might recommend using a butcher with a rounded edge on top instead of a sharp chisel. It means you're fullering instead of cutting and will prevent cold shuts while you are improving your skills. Your butcher should be flat on one side and the angle that it slopes down on the other side makes a difference. If it has a very steep slope and you aren't very accurate with your hammer when shaping the tenon, you can push some of the metal in the tenon side back into the shoulder creating an overlap. A more gradual slope on the tenon side of the butcher will mean that it takes longer to get the tenon to size but it will decrease the risks of a cold shut. As you get better and improve tooling, a sharp butcher and guillotine tool will make it much faster. It may also be that a little practice with a sharp butcher is all you need. When forging a tenon by hand it is very helpful to hit a few times on one side then flip 180 degrees and hit a few times on the opposite side, then turn 90 degrees and do the same.

I agree with Mark, take the hammer you use, get in the stance you prefer to forge with- I think mine is with my feet about shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent-then rest the hammer on the anvil. Your elbow should be just barely bent. That way even if you are working thin flat bar your elbow won't get overextended. An elbow that finishes straight at the end of a blow will rapidly develop tendonitis.

Thanks Mark, that is very interesting. I will have to play with that soon. I really appreciate how generous you are with information and admire your skill with photographic description.

One other technique, though probably not as good as the electronic measuring device, is to use a roll of solder. You just form the solder into the shape, straighten it and measure.

For most commissioned projects I will draw the design. The smaller simpler ones I will just eyeball with my past experience as the guide. For larger projects i sit down and figure the lengths and order of assembly. If I am working on an idea for myself I'll often just make it up as I go and by doing that I sometimes stumble onto wonderful new ideas and techniques.

That is a great squid.

If you figure out how to sit it level with a metal shim, you can then weld that to the base.

That makes a lot of sense. I've just seen the long taper in which you need to carefully consider the transition of the taper in respect to the candle cup hole, and I imagine keeping the cup level and not distorting it would be very tricky even with a thick cup. Everything is much easier with a good backing and your way eliminates most of the problem of leveling. I'm sure I'll try it sometime soon. Thanks