Thanks Frosty, i did file off the mushroomed end of the horn and blended it into a continuous profile. Lost the nice patian but I want a tool and not a showpiece? Might have been hard to fit the nose into my micro forge
it is such a joy finally owining one, and one that is over a hundred years old I am guessing.
Got a couple of good books and found some freebies on a UK college site. Picked up a pair of tongs to go with the vice grips, scrounged around the internet for some hammers, just short some old steel - starting to regret throwing out all those car axles,torsion bars, shock absorbers and broken hammers, over the years.
I think I can start making some mid-size tongs to start with. Have been looking at hardy tools, punches and drifts as these seem to be relatively small and simple and I can start to try hardening techniques. Are hot cut off hardies and others also efegctive when offset to the bulkier part of the anvil?