firebug

Well I really don't know where to start. I have read every response to the original question and I realize that many who responded know very little about the subject of the Hofi hammer or how to use it. Some would blame Hofi for that, it is not his fault. If you do not know how to hold a hammer, any hammer, and swing it in a way that wll not destroy your body blame the ones who have taught you. The principals that are applied to the Hofi hammer as far as grip and swing can be applied to ANY hammer, just not to as great of an effect as with Hofi's hammer. I took the Hofi's basic hammer class THREE times because the basis for blacksmithing of any style is how to hold the hammer and swing it, period. Think about that, to finish a product you must swing the hammer hundreds, if not thousands of times.

To invest 130.00 - 150.00 dollars on a hammer is not a lot of money if you look at it in any way other than what other hammers cost. First, it is the most used tool a blacksmith will have, period. Since you will swing the hammer hundreds of thousands of times over the life of the hammer that will last you practically forever, you want the best. Your hammer will make you more money than most any other tool you use as a blacksmith. The hammer can easily last 30 years which translates into about 4.50 a year to use it, cheap. That 4.50 a year hammer will pay for itself the first 10 minutes you use it every year. That is the practical argument for the cost of any hammer, not just Hofi's. If you blacksmith as a hobby then maybe you will say, hey I just do it for fun. I still believe you are better off with Hofi's hammer than most any other. The design of the hammer is such that it does not hurt the body when you swing it as long as you use the proper form when you are striking.

As some have said there are two parts to the equation when it comes to the Hofi hammer, the hammer itself and the method of swinging and forging with it. But, let me say that the method of swinging the hammer should be applied to almost all hammers, not just Hofi's. It would be difficult to apply the method to long handled hammers like the sweedish hammer. I know many blacksmiths love the sweedish hammer but it is one of the most distructive on the blacksmith's body. While the long handle gives you a lot of leverage on the hammer, it also gives the hammer a lot of leverage on your arm. It is very hard on your shoulder and especially your wrist. Simply pick up the hammer hold it near the end of the handle and raise and lower the hammer slowly with just your wrist and feel how much pressure that exerts on you. Many use long handles on a hammer, I for one will never do that for the above reason. Not one day have I been sore from blacksmithing. Not in my wrist, shoulder or back. A lady had been taking lessons with Frances Whitaker and using the sweedish hammer. She wanted to learn from Hofi so she went to him. The first thing she complained of was elbow pain as many smiths experience. The first thing Hofi did was get rid of the Sweedish hammer to her displeasure. She argued that it was the hammer used by Francis. Hofi said it was killing her arm. After only a few days of using the Hofi hammer the pain was gone. Look around at the blacksmiths that have wrist and elbow braces. You may get away with it for a long time but one day it will get you. Why even take a chance.

Another thing that many smiths do is put their thumb on the top of the handle. This is one of the worst habits you can have. There is a nerve that runs from the thumb up to the neck, cervicle spine area. After repeated assaults from the hammer blows you end up with nerve damage and neck and back problems. One of my good friends who was a blacksmith had to take pain medication because of this. He was in constant pain from a neck problem that did not start until he had been smithing for 6 or 7 years. The other problem with placing your thumb on top of the handle is that you kill the rebound of the hammer. As a smith you should depend on this rebound to not only help raise the hammer but speed up the striking which gets work done faster.

The Hofi hammer was designed specifically for blacksmithing using physics and bio-mechanics as a guide. It is hard argue with physics. Velocity of the hammer head is what creates work, not the weight of the head. You can do more work with a lighter hammer that moves at a faster velocity. If you can swing a heavier hammer at a faster velocity you will generate even more work.

Lets say that Billy Bob the traditional Blacksmith is going to grab his hammer. He reaches down and gets a firm grip on the handle, most of the time as far back on the handle as he can. He is right handed, his knuckles face to the right, his thumb is either on top of the handle or on the left side of the handle folding around it. His palm faces to his left. He starts his swing by raising his arm at his shoulder, bending his elbow then finally his wrist. Now he starts his downward swing reversing the above sequence. With his firm grip, once the hammer stikes, the rebound is deadened causing him to have to work harder to raising the hammer which slows his striking down. The traditonal way to strike only uses three joints or pivot points. The speed of the hammer is limited by the natural limitation of the bodies joints. Many smiths lean over the anvil which further limits the distance the hammer can be raised above the head. This not only limits hammer travel and velocity but also strains the back.

The technique of hammer striking that is taught by Hofi is significantly different. Now when Billy Bob picks up his hammer his palm is facing down towards the anvil face. He lightly grips the handle about 2 - 3 inches behind the hammer head. He only uses his thumb, pointing finger and middle finger for griping. The last two fingers are used more to limit the swing of the handle as the hammer pivots in your hand. The thumb is on the left side if the hammer and does not wrap it, but rather runs along side it. By doing this you are creating a pivot point. Now you have four joints or pivots points for the hammer instead of the traditional three. The velocity of the hammer head picks up much more speed just before it strikes the iron by pivoting between the thumb and pointing finger. Since you have a loose grip and are merely guiding the hammer, you have much better rebound to assist you in raising the hammer back up. Therfore, not only are you putting much more energy into the iron with the higher velocity, you are able to strike faster. This method allows you to accomplish much more work in less time. One way is simply by the increased velocity imparting more energy into the iron. Another way is the rebound assisting in strike speed. This allows you to strike faster keeping the iron hotter longer. It took me two classes to finally grasp this and to be able to demonstrate this. I was new to blacksmithing and was not accurate with my hammer blows. Now when I strike you can see the hammer putting heat back into the iron, keeping it hot enough to work. When I was in Israel Hofi had broke the finger next to his pinky on his hammer hand. He taped his middle finger to it. He was hammering with thumb and pointing finger with very little help from the rest of his fingers. I witnessed this for 2 weeks.

The Wrist: The reason you want to face your palm down is to avoid injuring your wrist. Close your hand like you are holding your hammer in the traditional way. Pivot your hand up and down. You will notice that there is a natural limit created by the bones of the wrist. When you swing in the traditonal way you are hitting this limit and over time this can cause damage to the joint. Now rotate you palm down and raise and lower your hand. You will notice that you have much more range of movement. The movement is mostly limited my soft tissue like tendons and ligaments. These can be exercised and stretched to the point that you could actually touch your fingers to your arm. There is much more movement in the wrist in that direction than we would ever need to use to strike with. The odds of damaging your soft tissue using this method is very remote.

The Hammer: As I stated above, the hammer was designed for blacksmithing. Keeping the mass around the eye of the hammer is what helps to keep it balanced. As does keeping the weight on both sides and ends of the hammer the same. Saying the hammer is balanced has nothing to do with the handle weight. It means that the weight of the hammer head is distributed equally around the eye. Also, the hammer head is short in length, not long when compared to other hammers like the sweedish hammer. This helps when you tilt the hammer to keep it from twisting in your hand. This balance helps to keep the torque or twisting motion off of the wrist. Since the hammer doesn't twist your wrist your grip does not have to try to prevent that. Again this helps preserve the joint. With an unbalanced hammer any blow that is less than striaght will creat a torque on the wrist. Even a slightly tilted blow will generate torque on the wrist, you may not percieve it but it is there. The more the tilt the more the torque.

Uri Hofi was 52 when he started blacksmithing. As with everything in life Hofi asked why is this done in this manner or that manner. He questions conventional wisdom which I have also found to be wise. He often says, if you can show me a better way to do something then I will do it that way. Within a few short years of smithing Hofi was teaching at his school in Israel. Also within a few short years of starting he was teaching in other countries besides his own. He has been invited to teach in the U.S., Holland, Itlay, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan as well as other places. Many of these countries have dedicated classes every year taught by Hofi, some more than once. Not only has he developed his own hammer but anvil too, commonly reffered to as the Ozark Pattern Anvil. That was originally the Hofi anvil he still has the original drawings that he made for it. Once Tom and Hofi parted ways in the business the name was changed to the Ozark Pattern Anvil. That is a whole other story in and of itself.

In Germany he was made an honarary Master Blacksmith. Germany has a very regimented government requirement to be a master blacksmith. You must complete about 5 years of structured school plus about 3 or 4 years of being a journeyman working under other masters. Plus it cost about 20.000 dollars. The question came up about a non master teaching master blacksmiths. What did they do, they made him a master. He has received the highest civilian medal given to the public by Germany for his contributions to blacksmithing. He has been received in one of the countrys where blacksmithing came to the United States from with open arms. Yet here he meets with much resistance by the traditionalist. I was fortunate enough to be in a class that Hofi was teaching with one of the German Masters. I took him to lunch one day and he said Hofi was traumatizing him. He said that Hofi was doing things opposite of what he was taught but it worked better. At the end of the class this master stood up and addressed the students. He told us how fortunate we were to have Hofi teaching and that we should learn all we can from him. This man has a full time Smithy in Canada now.

I know that there are those that say Hofi copied Habberman's hammer or anvil. That didn't happen. Just look at the differences between them. There is no Czech hammer so he could not have copied it either. Many anvils and hammers may share similarities but the differences in the Hofi anvil and hammer when compared to others is significant. Hofi is producing his anvils overseas at this time. If it wasn't so expensive to get one over here that is what I would use exclusively. I love them. Everything on his anvil has a purpose or use, even the base of the anvil has a use. From the number of pritchel holes, the location and size of the shelf and the location of the hardy hole, the width of the face and the shape of the horn combine to make this one of the best anvils money can buy. I love them.

So you see, to say that the only thing that makes the Hofi hammer better than another hammer is "the hype" or drinking the "coolaid" just demonstrates that people will engage their mouth before they engage their brain. Hofi has achieved more in his lifetime than many would achieve in 2 or 3 lifetimes. Go to his web site and look at his education and business experience. If I could only learn and do half of what Hofi can I will be a very successful blacksmith.

One of the best things about this site and the thing that set it apart from other blacksmithing sites was the Blueprints. When are they going to return? Without them this is just another blacksmithing site. I have been one of the better supporters of this site early on, but I don't visit anything like I used to. Bring back the BLUEPRINTS.

Here is a chance for you to learn from one of the best blacksmiths in the world. I have taken 3 hand hammer classes from Hofi as well as 3 power hammer classes. The skills I have learned have been instrumental in me becoming a successful blacksmith. You will learn more in a week than you can learn in 6 months or more of traditional training. This may be one of the last times if not the last time he comes to the states to teach.

Two of his students have won the world blacksmithing championship in Stia Italy in the last few years. Hofi teaches in Germany, Italy, Chzec Republic, Japan, USA, Holland to name a few. Go to centerformetalarts.com and click on upcoming seminars.

I emailed the individual to see if he/she was still interested in the awning. I am awaiting a reply. I will let you know what becomes of the communication.

Later when I am proficient at the techniques that Hofi teaches I will teach here in the states, ONLY after Hofi no longer comes here to teach. I am glad you liked the article.

As I began to write this I had been back from Israel for about 2 weeks and I still cannot believe what I learned about blacksmithing as well as culture, another culture 7000 miles from home. I remember many times Uri Hofi telling me that blacksmithing is about culture, he is right. He has described traveling to the Czech Republic and how smiths have lived in family homes for hundreds of years. How many families have worked in the same smithy for generations. It is mind boggling when you think about it. They have worked in smithies that are much older than our country.

By looking at blacksmithing as a cultural experience you can begin to understand why things are done the way they are. Sometimes things are done a certain way or a tool was made a certain way out of necessity. While these tools or ways of doing things are not necessarily wrong, they may not be the most efficient way of doing things, enter Uri Hofi.

Uri Hofi is unique in that he has traveled extensively around the world to study and teach blacksmithing. He has studied and taught in the Czech Republic. He also teaches in Germany, Japan, United States, Holland, Italy and the Ukraine. These are just the ones I know of, I am sure I am missing some. It is well known that Hofi always asks can it be done better, faster more efficiently? This is sometimes a sore subject between traditional blacksmiths and what I would call progressive blacksmiths.

I remember the first time I met Uri was in North Carolina at a air hammer class. I knew the first time I attended his class I was fortunate to have found him. I am even more fortunate that he loves to teach and pass on the things that he has learned. It was at the second class I took with him in North Carolina that he invited me to Israel. I spent the next 3 years trying to get there. I finally made it.

My trip to Israel was one I will never forget. I stayed on a Kibbutz. This is best described as a small self sufficient community. Access to the community is usually restricted by a gate. When you enter the Kibbutz Ein Shemer where Uri lives you see large trees shading the road and people riding bicycles around the community. Many people residing in the kibbutz do not own a car, there is no need most of the time. You can walk around the kibbutz or ride a bicycle which is what I did. I stayed in an apartment on site and was only a 5 minute walk away from the smithy. I stayed just across the street from the community laundry mat and the cafeteria. I found the food to be very good. Many of the vegetables were grown on the Kibbutz and were very fresh.

There is a small store located on the premises where you can buy most of what you need between major grocery store trips. As a resident if you need a vehicle you simply log on to your computer and check to see if one of the many cars that the Kibbutz owns is available and reserve it. When you pick the car up at the car pool you only pay for the time you use it instead of all of the expenses incurred as the sole owner.

There are beautiful gardens planted throughout the Kibbutz by the residents as well as one for the community. I noticed the birds that resembled ours. There were their versions of the Crow and Blue Jay as well as beautiful parrots flying around.

While I was there I attended events that marked their Memorial Day, Independence Day and a Holocaust Memorial. I have to say that I feel privileged to have done this. I was treated as though I was a member of the community, it was very moving to have been a part of this. I will never forget it as long as I live.

The Kibbutz is a very beautiful place with beautiful people who truly care for each other.

The day at the forge usually started around 7:30 in the morning and ended between 5:30 and 9:30 at night. I would eat breakfast at the cafeteria as well as lunch. We would usually start the morning talking about the lessons from the day before and go over what we were to cover during the day. There were breaks during the day to drink tea and discuss the current element we were making.

Occasionally a student would stop by and ask a question or drop off some fresh fruit. Once or twice a week several students would come in at around 5:00 and we would work on a project such as producing hammers or making a humming bird out of 1.5 inch solid bar. It was a group effort but it also allowed me to meet other smiths from the area. They all valued Hofi’s advice and all of them were current or past students of his. This was another example of how blacksmithing is really about culture.

One evening a student brought a box full of meat with various side dishes from the local area. We gathered outside under a sculpture that Hofi made from the elements created by different students and we had a bar-b-que. I enjoyed this very much as it allowed me to get to know other smiths from different cultures. As I write this I just realized that one of the smiths that attended this feast was someone that I watched on Youtube recently. He won the world forging championship in Stia, Italy. He spoke in Hebrew on the video but I heard him mention Uri Hofi several times. He was there with his son and seemed to be a very nice and un-assuming man.

The talent that I observed while in Israel makes me believe that right now the center of the blacksmithing universe may be located in the middle east. I am not talking about traditional blacksmithing but progressive smithing. Blacksmithing where new methods are used to create the same end result. Where things like large rose buds, gas forges, fly presses and hydraulic presses are common place and used almost every day to produce things in one fourth the time it would take doing it the traditional way. There will always be the argument between traditional blacksmiths and progressive blacksmiths and I guess we have to agree to disagree on many things.

One thing sticks out in my mind. While teaching me how to forge leaves in one heat, complete with veins, Hofi made a statement. He said that he has forged many leaves but he his stilling learning from this little leaf. When he told me that I realized just how far I have to go. And, even though Hofi is one of the best blacksmiths in the world he is still learning from what many would say is a very basic element, a leaf. I believe this is the reason Hofi is so good. He is constantly trying to learn things, better ways of doing things. To the point that he is still analyzing his technique on the most basic of elements, a leaf. I am trying to teach myself to pay attention to every hammer blow and exactly how I am holding my hammer on every swing. By doing this I am teaching myself to be critical of everything I do.

I thought I knew Uri Hofi and his capabilities as a blacksmith until I walked into his gallery. The first time I turned on the lights and saw the displays I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. He had everything from sculptures to little hand forged handles for gates. What I observed went from one end of the blacksmithing spectrum to the other. It will take me a lot of time just to sort thru the photos of his work. One of my favorite things in the gallery were the birds forged from a solid piece of material.

Uri has become more than a friend and mentor. I consider him more of a grandfather with a funny accent. The whole time I was there he was concerned with what I wanted to learn. He knew that I had spend a lot of money and wanted to make sure I learned as much as I could in the 2 week period. Well Uri succeeded in teaching me more in 2 weeks than I could have probably learned in a year.

I am afraid that Hofi will only be appreciated in the United States after we no longer have access to his unique skill and knowledge. If you ever have the chance to learn from him do it. I can assure you that it will be an investment in your future. Along the way you will learn about another culture, one that is much older than ours.

In summary, I learned that blacksmithing is not only about heat, smoke, steel and iron, hammers and tools or doing things this was or that way, it is about life and culture. Its about interpretation, how you, the Blacksmith see things personally. What is beautiful to you may not be to another. That is why you need to know about different cultures, so you may see things as others do. Learning about other cultures is what makes blacksmithing beautiful and alive. Being able to do this will make you a better blacksmith and a more successful one. Read books on history, theory of design, and other cultures.

The purpose of this article was not to teach but to describe my trip to Israel, I hope that I have succeeded in doing so. I am going to include some photos of some of the things I saw and experienced.

To everyone in the Kibbutz, thank you for making me feel part of the community for the short time I was there. To Uri and his family, thank you for your hospitality and making me feel like I was part of the family. I am already looking forward to my next trip to Israel.

Gary Cremeens, Firebug

Usually in the fall, sometime in October. If there is any way you can make it, do it.

I will let ya'll know when I hear from him.

I have tried to contact the member Orange Steel about something he has for sale. I haven't heard back from him and was wondering if anyone else has tried contacting him and what response have you gotten. He only has contact through the site by email.

Thanks, |

Gary Cremeens

That is right Frosty. For the most part it is nice to say that in this piece of steels former life it was a railroad spike now it is a knife, letter opener etc. I have made a meat turner out of one. By leaving the head people recognize it for what it is. In fact, if you want to get some spikes from a railroad employee that you spot working on the tracks make a few meat turners ahead of time. Keep them with you and when you spot a few guys working stop and tell them you would be glad to give them a meat turner for some spikes.No one likes a railroad spike more than someone who works on the tracks. "Hey Dave, look at my new steak turner." Yap, that'll get you some spikes.

A couple things here. One, if you see them working on the tracks just ask where to get some spikes or if they have any you could get. More than once I have had them take their magnet and dump a couple bucket fulls on the side of the track for me.

Two, while you are technically tresspassing most law enforcement officers have much more to do than arrest someone for picking up discarded railroad spikes. Stay OFF of the train yard. If you are at a country road crossing and see some used spikes I personally would pick them up. Don't pick up the new ones if they are in a pile. That is how they stage their material sometimes. Don't walk miles down the track to get them, you are on their right of way. They don't like it too much when civilians get near the tracks, especially when a train is passing. Stay away from any stopped train. Don't give them a reason to believe you are tampering with trains. I have some pretty graphic pictures of what happens when someone sets down in front of a moving train. Not pretty, he tried to head butt the train and lost.

In my past life I was a law enforcement officer so I am speaking from experience here. Having said that, Frosty has a point. Run into the wrong rookie one day and you had better be on your best behavior. Come to think of it anytime an officer of any kind interacts with you just be nice. It will make the situation much easier.

Remember this you are taking a calculated risk, that is it. About 99.9% of the time they will just say don't do that.

As far as selling knives made from rail road spikes, it is legal. You can buy the spikes as a civilian and therefore they could not prove the spike used to make the knife was stolen, for lack of a better word. Without that proof no charges could be filed.

What you have described sounds fine. I have investigated and responded to many house fires caused by chimneys. Often it is because they had an opening either from bad mortor joints or bad steel joints. This allowed the hot gases to escape into the chase area igniting the surrounding combustibles. Every so often we would have one caused by the build up of creosote in the chimney liner. You will not experience much creosote build up in a forge as compared to a wood burning fire place. Most of the moisture and particulates are gone by the time we shovel the coal into the forge. People who burn wood with a lot of moisture or soft woods like pine are asking for it. Burn hard wood like oak and hickory, they do not have the resin like pines do. I have been fighting fire before and watched the pine resin flowing down the burning wood inside a house fire. It was burning like gasoline. When you burn pine in a fireplace the resins and soot deposite more readily on your chimney wall as they cool when they rise. The build up can reach its ignition temperature and ignite. When it does it sucks in air like a turbine often causing a roar. The best way to extinguish the fire is to bust an exstinguisher in the fire place. The hot gases and suction will make the water or chemical rise and cool it below its ignition/combustion temp. Once the fire is extinguished or blacked out, get the fire department on the way and check for extinsion into the attic. This of course depends on whether or not you are afraid of fire. If you are afraid of fire just call 911 first.

This response is to the question of whether there is a fire hazard. As to whether the diameter is enough, I am not an expert on that. Mine is 12 inch square stainless steel exiting a metal building with plenty of incoming air.

Here is my first attempt at the Donkey wine bottle opener that Hofi makes. I do another one that he demonstrated that I will post at a later date.

Here I am in Israel at Uri Hofi's smithy with my Iforge Iron shirt on. I spent 2 weeks there and learned more than I could have imagined.

That is great. You will find that after you get used to it you will notice that you are not as fatigued from squeezing the juice out of the hammer handle. And like you mentioned a lightened grip will not allow this shock of the hammer blows to transfer through the body as much as a tight grip. Also, the lighter grip will allow the hamer to rebound better which in turn helps you to work less. Remember to allow the hammer to swing like a pindelum in your hand. It should pivot between the thumb and the first few fingers just as it is striking the metal. This creates much more speed for the hammer head. Moving the hammer head faster will help create more energy to depart into the hot steel, in turn moving it faster.

That looks like some nice work. Any idea what you are going to sell them for?

I would get the 2.75. If you already have issues with your wrist I wouldn't push it with the hammer weight. Besides, it is not the weight of the hammer that does the work, it is the speed of the hammer. If you can swing a lighter hammer faster than a heavier hammer you will get more work done. I am not talking about swings per minute but the velocity of the hammer head. That is based on scientific fact.

I have only been taught hand hammer technique by Hofi and feel fortunate to have had that oportunity. In fact, I am heading to Israel in two weeks for a two week class with him. I can tell you from personal experience that his methods are very effective and I have never had wrist pain or elbow pain in my hammer hand. I have friends that are blacksmiths and they have to wear wrist braces, elbow braces etc. There have been those that have had wrist and elbow problems and after switching to Hofi's method they go away. What ever you do do not place your thumb on top of the hammer. This does many things to damage the body and slows down work progress.

If you work at the anvil for 8 hours a day you can very easily strike 15 to 25000 times, yes that is twenty five thousand times. Now you know why it is important to use good form.

Where do you live?

I would definetely buy the Euroanvil. I have the 335 pound one. Couls have used a smaller one. Bigger is not always better. The biggert the anvil the more mass it has to draw the heat out of your steel. In many cases the face it too wide to work on for many projects. My opinion now is an anvil around 250 pounds give or take 20 is what you will need 90% of the time. The smaller anvils are easier to get around while forging. I am eventually going to have a Hofi anvil one way or the other. That is a very well thought out anvil. For now the Euroanvil is hard to beat for the money. I would probably buy the anvil that weighs around 260 pounds, not sure of the exact weight. i will probably buy the 175 pounder next to have a smaller anvil to work off of. I would definetely suggest that you put it on the metal tripod stand like they do at the Ozark School. After you get your stand made buy a tube of silicone adhesive caulking and lay in down all over the anvil base plate on the stand. Place the anvil on it and allow 24 hours to dry. The anvil will not move, kills the ring also. You can drag the anvil around your shop and it won't come off.

They are VERY accurate. Worth every penny. I gave my last one to Hofi and promptly bought me another one the same day. I use it all of the time. It has a "custom" mode that simply measures in inches as you roll it around the design. The wheel is thin and small which helps it to be easy to roll around different shapes. I usually measure the scroll more than once and it is the same each time. If you make scrolls for projects especially ones that must fit into certain areas it will pay for itself fast.

You can go to Lowes, Home Depot and look in the tool department. It should be around the other measuring devices such as tapes, rulers, squares etc. Look for a gray in color electronic measuring device shaped like a FAT pen with a red wheel on the bottm. The top is wider than the bottom. You can then turn it on and trace the C- scroll, S-scroll, ring, whatever shape it is and get a very accurate measurment. The tracer wheel is about a 1/2 inch round and works GREAT. You can trace drawings or other peoples finished scrolls and use the measurment to replicate the design. They are not cheap, about 50.00 bucks but the time and wasted material you save will pay for it in about a day or two if you do a lot of scroll work like me. It has a built in scaler too, it is used to figure footage on blueprints also. Example, 1/4 inch equals on foot.

Hofi inspires me for many reasons. He did not start blacksmithing until he was 52 years old. By that time many people are already thinking of retirement, not Uri, he was just getting started. He is now 73 and can still outwork many 30 year olds. He speaks of Blacksmithing as a language and says it is about culture, it is. Look at the different style anvils and hammers and you will find that they come from different cultures from around the world. He has taught me to ask "why is it done that way" not just about blacksmithing but about life," can it be done better, faster, more efficient". He has fine tuned many aspects of blacksmithing and in some instances totally redefined the way things should be done. He does not teach tradition for traditions sake. In fact some do not like it when he goes against the tradition. It is not enough to say it is done this way because it has always been done this way. In a few short years after he started blacksmithing Hofi was teaching at major conferences. He loves to teach, I love to teach and will carry his legacy on one day. Although I have watched many smiths, he is the only one that I formally take instruction from at this time. He is very intelligent, well versed in many aspects of life. He is constantly reading books on almost every subject, even at 2 in the morning. When you learn blacksmithing from Uri you learn about life and it reflects in your work. He is still learning and passing everything along to his students. If you are serious about blacksmithing he will teach you. He currently teaches in Israel where he lives and I am going next month, Holland, Japan, Czech Republic, Germany, US and other places. To have people start whole new schools to teach your method of forging speaks volumns in itself. If I were you and writing a disertation on blacksmithing I would definitely include Uri Hofi, definitely. Google Uri Hofi and see what happens. Gary Cremeens, firebug

One way to stop the "buy it all and reprice it on the spot to sale deal" is to not allow anyone to resale or sale anything during this sale. That way it may discourage someone from doing that. Seeing as how they would have to haul it all off and advertise to get their own crowd.

I have called the listed contact numbers for the sale many times and could not get an answer. I left messages and did not get a return call. I have also emailed two of the contacts with no return email. I am just trying to make sure the sale is still on because I would hate to drive over 500 miles to find out. If someone out there knows whether or not the sale is still on please let me know.

Phiillip, you are exactly right. I have spoken to Hofi about the size and anything much larger than the size he produced is overkill most of the time. And one of the considerations is just what you mentioned, getting around the anvil. I have also read discussions concerning anvil weight compared to hammer weight. The general idea is around 10 to 1. So a 2.75 pound hammer on a Hofi anvil would be about right. A 3 pound won't hurt I imagine. Hammers much larger MAY have enough mass to cause the anvil to move under it.

Hofi gave much thought to the anvil. Notice the face width, it is not as wide as many anvils because you do not need the extra width a majority of the time. The width of your hammer is only a couple inches, give or take. The width only sucks the heat out of the material and makes it harder to work off of the far side of the anvil.

Look at where the hardie hole is placed. It is near the front horn to give it stability as well as more support. Look at the pritchel holes, there are four of various sizes. An excellent addition to use for punching hole of various sizes.

It has the shelf near the front horn which comes in VERY handy for straightening work or for additional anvil width when it is occassionally needed. It also has an upsetting block and wide feet for stability.

All in all I can't wait to get mine. I currently have a 330 pound Euro which is a good anvil but I lust for the Hofi anvil.
:D

It will cost around 2400.00 for the anvil to be bought and shipped to the US. I will have one eventually. I am seriously considering being a US agent in the future. If there is an agent in the US that gets a quantity shipped over then the price will drop to probably around 2000.00.