Stumptown Forge

I have to agree with Brian that it is not a good material if you are just starting. First because of its excellent properties it can cause some pretty bad habits because it is so forgiving. More importantly its tuff stuff and because of the narrow forging range needs to be forged quickly. Forging H13 especially in the 3/4 to 7/8 range for hand tools is really power hammer work. I use this material for nearly all hot tools in my shop. It is important to soften the striking side of the tool as previously discussed. I find that I prefer the S1 - S5 and S7 steels for cold cutting tools or edge tools that I use in the fly press etc. This is a great material to use. Its consistent, has great durability but it has a learning curve and you need to be very careful not to heat up past critical tempature.

I feel so lucky to be able to do something I love. Good days in the shop and bad days (we have all had them) there are days when I cant do anything right. You know I still enjoy the day because I learned something. I also try to make the day fun. I decide what to work on every day and what my goals are. This makes everyday feel like a win when I accomplish my goals. No matter what you do, you need to build in time to advance your skills. I try to reinvent myself every couple of years to stay relevant. I will go back through my library and try techniques I have never done before. This has opened many doors to me to push through my own comfort levels. I think like many things you have to have passion for the work. If not....why bother its too hard.

I look at this time to develop new clients. Also, I take slow times to invest time into the shop. The project for the shop I have been putting off until.....its slow....

Wow, Thanks for sharing the hammer with us. Have you seen or tried this hammer?

Adrian, I always stop in the Gallery to admire your work. Well done.