Dan P.

I did read about using the round end of a typical rounding hammer for using on tools in a copy of "Anvil" magazine years ago. I don't see how in practical application it makes a blind bit of difference.

Excellent advice, smoothbore; "in mens sana, in corpore sano" Personally I keep fit by walking. I have dogs. It's very engaging, and these days as often as not I have a 1 yr old strapped to my back.

Blacksmithing is not a good work out. It also has intinsic health hazards (airborn particulates, repetitive strains, etc.). No reason not to do it for fun, though. But for working out, try cycling, walking, jogging or actually working out (in a gym).

I've always called the big sledge hammers that are weighted very much to one side "swing sledges" and the equal sided or smaller ones "rapping hammers", the former being for forging and the latter for striking tools. I don't know where I picked up those terms, but when using two strikers with swing sledges, they do have the effect of falling to the side (getting out of the way) after striking, and their long offset heads seem to give better clearance to better avoid "hammer clash" when using strikers. As far as swinging the things around, I don't know if there is the need and thus the skill level to see this done these days, but I believe you will see something like it in those old videos on anchor making.

My hammer only has one face. Do I win a prize?

As I believe I pointed out on some previous occasion when this "hammer as die" claptrap was trotted out; Any hammer with a round edge has an infinite, literally, number of "dies". The more complex the curve (e.g. the edge of a "crowned" hammer face) the more times you can times that infinity by itself. In the case of a "cat's head" hammer, I think this adds up to infinty x infinity x 100 zillion = a hammer that wierdly you never see anyone use. So many "dies", so few friends. Sad.

​Whose reasoning?

Whose reasoning?​

Deja vu. This same question came up some time ago. I'm hesitant to post the link because it contains some examples of me being a facetious little troll, but it does contain input from the great man himself (please note that the material being forged in the video is copper) for those who are curious;

And a dog walking past at around 1:20?

The right hand double handled hammer in Alan's photo above appears to be a sphere. Wild! Video footage of double handed sledges (dollies? mollies?) can be seen around 40 seconds in;

Arftist, 12 years is plenty of time in this business. Plenty enough for me, anyroad! And plenty long enough to never have used nor seen used a particular tool. In my opinion.

​ You are quite right, a flatter may be the cherry on the icing of a comprehensive body of tools. I always have to ask, though, because I've been in this game, I guess 12 years now, and have neither used a flatter nor seen one used (for its intended purpose!). And, no offence meant, it may not be your primary or even secondary flatter, but the one in the picture you posted looks quite, quite unused!

You will end up using the hammer that suits you best irrespective of what type it is, though I have seen those "Swedish" hammers from Peddinghaus turn up with bent peins. My advice is to steer clear of fads and obsessions, and find yourself a good old 2-3lb engineers hammer.

Yes, but there are 101 tools you could make before a flatter. What use a flatter, really? Save your steel for something more useful, says I.

Steve, cats can (and do) carry diseases that can effect humans and yet other diseases that effect livestock. Being very effective predators, they also take a heavy toll on birds, amphibians, reptiles and small mammals, species which often don't need any further pressure on their population levels. So, wherever you live, do yourself, your local farmer, and your local wildlife a favour by destroying cats wherever you find them.

At first glance; £1500 Apprenticeship Grant for Employers. Let me break that down; -£1000 to buy little Timmy a return flight + room and board near some industrial forging facility in the Indian Subcotinent. +£500 indenture fee paid to me by the proprietor of said facility for a year of little Timmy's labour (plus training, I guess). Leaving a balance of £1000 for me for a fortnight of beer and skittles in Tenerife! God Save the Queen!

Cats in shop? May I recommend a Marlin .22? Worked for me! Revolting creatures.

Gloves?

Water on the anvil, good welding heat, hold the work piece just above the anvil, give it a good wallop. Plenty of water, mind. Hot anvil is better. Oldie but a goodie! Also used for popping off scale.

I don't know if it is the same thing as a Brooks, but I've had a couple of forged anvils marked "JB". Good anvils. This anvil is what I believe they called a Portsmouth pattern?

I have a soft PW. I am the second owner since it was new, it has never been in a fire, and it is not very much harder than mild steel. Maybe some were left unhardened for whatever reason? Or maybe we've both just scored duds?

No, it is the same spring mechanism as yours, just with a guard. This mechanism is/was popular in Italy. I am interested in the clutch on yours, because this type of hammer is very artful in its simplicity; very little to go wrong, not much that can't be fixed.

http://www.angele-shop.com/shop/de/federhammer-m-60