kalevra

hello, there is a company specializing in killing vibrations from machinery. Apparently they are very good at it, if pricey. The name is Fabreeka (I hope I have spelled it right). A smith friend of mine used them on his big hammers and is very happy as he has neighbors right across the wall. Good luck! kalevra

Hello Minotaur, I read Russian, so if you need any further assistance with the language, etc. feel free to contact me. As luck would have it, I have a Beche hammer and you are right, the hammers are very similar. I will be installing mine in the coming weeks, and it would be fun to compare notes. How did your hammer make it here? cheers, kalevra

Hello, I am the guy Uri Hofi has referred to as his translator/striker in Japan. I lived there for 12 years, and was apprenticed to a swordmaker, then a knifemaker, and then had my own shop. I currently live in Oregon. So here is my take on this debate: I don't know what ThomasPowers means by " limited use case" . Japanese swords were, and in theory still are, built to slash, with stabbing being a secondary function, though still quite a valid one. All swords are liable to breakage and chipping, some more so. The ashi feature in Japanese blades minimizes the damage to the edge when chipping does occur. The argument that ashi are an indicator of some kind of poor design or manufacture is illogical -- after all, the folded and twisted design of Western swords (say, Viking ones) was not purely an esthetic consideration -- combining high and low carbon steel, and homogenizing the steel through elaborate forge-welding protocol serves a practical function, too. No one would say that these strengthening features are an indicators of a weak design, right? Rather the reverse is true. As to the sword being the secondary weapon, I have to strongly disagree. The Japanese valued single combat above all else, and for centuries battles were in essence viewed as multiple single combats, with individuals clashing with spear and sword. That, and the fact that any kind of urban combat in the densely populated urban centers called for a very heavy reliance on the sword makes the bow and the horse be seen in a somewhat different context. Another related fact is that at some point in Japanese history the horseback fighting has become less important, the foot soldiers became more prominent, and this was reflected by the re-design of the sword right after the first attempted Mongol invasion. So, no, the sword has been the prime tool until the introduction and wide-spread use of the musket. I have an old Japanese sword. It has seen battle, as evidenced by the nicks on its softer back -- this is when the opponents blade was parried. The blade itself is perfect, neither bent nor chipped. I realize that this proves little as the previous owner might well have died without delivering a blow himself. Still, I have seen many such swords, blades 300 and 400 years old, obviously using tools with numerous nick on the back to show for it, and still in great shape. In general, I admit a bias towards Japanese cutting tools. I fell in love with them when in Japan. I specialize in Japanese chef's knives, and every single person, from friends, their moms and uncles to professional chefs for whom I have made these blades, have become converts. Japanese cutting tools just work better. They are often made with superior materials, the design is truly ergonomic and practical ( and I mean REALLY ergonomic, and not some half-baked notion of comfort), the workmanship is uncompromising, the standards of excellence are extremely high, and all this sort of attitude had time to evolve over a very long time, somehow surviving the industrial revolution without getting lost in mass production. True, a good Japanese tool requires respect, care, skill and understanding (no cutting nails with a fine woodworking chisel, no chopping beef bones with a sushi knife). So what? We here are in the business of skilled, respectful, mindful use of tools, aren't we? I do not claim that everything the Japanese make is better than what the West has to offer ( I, for one, much prefer my German anvils for ANY forgework). But they come pretty darn close in many areas -- they are highly skilled, sincere, very patient, mindful craftsmen, with lots of talent and an ability to adapt and adopt new ideas, and centuries of excellence behind them.