firebug

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.

Hofi uses this method sometimes to remove scale from a forging. You can put a little water on the face of the anvil and when you hit the hot steel, it causes the steam vapor to help the scale release form the steel. You only do this towards the end of the forging process.

Use the method described above by Alwin. You can start off with 3/8 steel. Hang about one inch off of the far side of the anvil. Rule of thumb is multiply the steel hanging off the edge of the anvil by 3 and that will give you the finished length of a smooth taper to a point. Using this rule of thumb you should have a 3 inch long tapered point. This method works with all diameters. Now, once you have the steel coiled up you can use a WIDE plade screw driver to start at the base of the coil and spread the turns apart. Heat the coil good and pry it apart from the base to the tip. If you have drawn it out to a VERY sharp point before you start your taper, you will not have to file it. Use mild steel, no need for high carbon here. I have made them from 3/8 round bar and actually use them. No problem with them breaking. When I get the chance I will post one that I made during one of my classes with Uri Hofi.

While reading this article I realized that Hofi had imparted that same wisdom to me many times over the years I have come to know and respect him. For some reason he has traken a particular interest in me, why I will never know. I would like to think that he saw something in me that is special. I realize though, that Master Hofi see something special in everyone. Maybe I just bugged him enough that he took pitty on me and decided to invite me to Israel. I have tried now for a couple years to make it over there and every time I get close something comes up. Right now I am dealing with my mother who is in the hospital and is not expected to make it out. My sister in-law has stage 4 lung cancer, she's 39. One of the last classes I took with Hofi in NY had to be cut short to drive back to Alabama because my other sister in-law passed away from breast cancer. She was 47. To say the last several years have been tough is an understatement. While all of this was going on we were building a house for almost a year and a half. AND on top of that the City of Montgomery decided to force me to retire from the Fire Department before I was ready, costing me 60 grand. Why do I tell ya'll this? Here is why. There is always something that "comes up". There is never"enough time". And, "we are not here forever". Life is a "blink of the eye" and someone "always has it worse than me". Trust in God. If you love someone, tell them now, tomorrow may not come. The job of a fire fighter and law enforcement officer has taught me this over and over. Watching those you love die is also a good teacher. To say that Hofi is a good teacher is an understatement. He is unlike any other teacher I have seen. If you have a chance to take his class, take it. Classes are an investment in your business, much like a tool. In fact, I believe knoweledge is a tool. Some people have more tools than others, fill your tool chest. I fully plan on continuing Hofi's teachings in the states when he no longer comes over here, providing I can do it to his standards. And that time may not be too far in the future. It is always better to learn from the Master and not the student when possible. I have spent many hours together with him and he is always teaching me if I am willing to learn. I have had the privilage to room with him in New York on several occassions. I am his Taxi while I am there. It is great. When Hofi teaches you he teaches not only the blacksmithing process but the reason behind it. You will never hear him say we do it this way because that is the way it has always been done. You are more likely to hear him say this is the way THEY do it but this is why that way is not correct. He sometimes will even demonstrate the traditional way to prove it is much slower, less efficient. The last class I took in New York was the Basic Hand Hammer Class. In that class was a Master Blacksmith from Germany. In order to be a master blacksmith in Germany you must go through a strict process which consist of many years of school and apprenticship, also a lot of money. In Germany you cannot have a blacksmith business unless you are a Master Blacksmith registered with the government. While driving this gentleman around he told me that Hofi was traumatizing him. I asked why. He said that everything that Hofi teaches is opposite of what he learned and was taught by the German Masters. But he said, it is better, it works. This is a perfect example, the best I know of that demonstrates how the traditions are taught because it has always been done that way. When I told Hofi what the smith said I had to explain to Hofi what "traumatizing" meant. Learn from Hofi and learn about life not just blacksmithing. He teaches design, math, nature, philosophy (sp) etc. You will not hear him say " that did not turn out right but you get the idea". He is very accurate with the hammer and it turns out right. Well I must go now, we are leaving for the hospital. Remember, tell that someone how you feel because you may not get the chance again. Hofi, I will see you again soon and I love you buddy. Gary Cremeens

I have the 335 pound euroanvil and it is a good anvil for the money. I have pounded on it for a while now and have not damaged it. I have used mostly euroanvils at many of the schools I have attended. They have held up well in those circumstances also, new students. I would consider them a great VALUE pound for pound. I also consider anvils of that shape better than traditional english patterns, just my opinion. If you are going to by a new anvil I highly recommend that style versus the english pattern. If you have the money buy the Hofi anvil. That will be my next anvil REAL SOON. The shape is similar to the Euroanvil but much better thought out, smaller where it needs to be and bigger where it needs to be. They are made over seas and shipped here. The big problem right now is there is no US dealer. To have one shipped and inspected will cost about 2,500.00 for a 275 pound anvil. Not cheap but the anvil is worth it in my opinion. If you are going to use it in your business it will be a tax right-off and help with faster production which makes money.

ApprenticeMan, The reason the handle is short on the Hofi hammer is because IF you are holding the hammer correctly you will not hit the anvil face with the handle as it pivots in your hand. If the handle is made longer it will strike the face of the anvil as the hammer pivots. If you read the above mentioned blue prints by Hofi you will see where the hammer should be held at and how the hammer should PIVOT in your hand just before it strikes the steel. This creates an extra pivot point which normally doesn't exist and also creates more speed. The extra speed (velocity) creates more forging energy much faster than increasing the WEIGHT of the hammer would increase forging energy. So with increased speed you get more energy to forge with as appossed to using a heavier hammer. If you can forge more efficiently and faster with a lighter hammer it is easier on your body. Remember SPEEEEED (velocity) is better than a heavier hammer swung at a slower speed. If you put a longer handle on the hammer you are defeating the design AND the technique of using more pivot points to create more velocity which creates more forging energy. Using this extra pivot point in the hand allows the hammer to rebound after releasing the downward energy into the steel. We use this recoil or rebound to assist us in raising the hammer. This is one reason why you should not put your thumb on top of the handle. When you do this you kill the rebound and the assistance it gives in raising the hammer back up to strike again. The other reason is because it does severe damage to your nerves in your arm and neck. There is a tremendous amount of energy tranmistted up the handle of the hammer and if you use a tight grip with your thumb on top of the handle that energy is transferred to your body. Using the Hofi style hammer and forging technique WILL save your joints and you will move the metal faster as long as you are using correct form. This is all based on science and body mechanics. Believe me it works!!!

Well my shop is located on my property, we have 10 acres and just built a house. The building is an arched type structure much like the military uses. It has a 4 foot straight wall before it arches over. It is 30 x 70 and 15 - 16 feet tall in the middle with a walk thru door and a 10x12 door on each end. It will not burn. I built a second floor on the left side. It sits on a cement slab and is wired for all of my equipment. I have a 70 airhammer, a 165 pound airhammer, a iron worker for punching and shearing. a 14" cut off saw as well as a large horizontal band saw. A 4500.00 scrolling machine which also makes rings of almost any size. A 300 amp Hobart MIG with a portable feed. A 120 gallon industrial compressor with another 80 gallon tank. A very large roll around mechanics tool box full of stuff. Miller SP135 MIG and two sizes of cut off torches with bottles. Hypertherm 1000 plasma cutter. Little Beaver auger, and a core drill as well as a walk behind trencher. Numerous hand tools such as 6 palm grinder, drills, etc. God only knows how much the supplies I have gathered in the past 18 years are worth. 330 pound Euroanvil, 75 pound Mousehole Forge, very large twin screw chain driven post vice[expensive]. Several large post vices including one that belonged to my granfather. Numerous tongs and 3 Hofi hammers. I am sure there are several things I am forgetting. The 165 Phoenix air hammer and the compressor cost me over 10 grand. I have about 2000.00 worth of hammer dies for it. All of this xxxx for a one man show. I hate to even think about what it would cost to replace it. I have NO insurance on it. The good thing is it WILL NOT BURN. As a retired Fire Fighter/ Fire Investigator that means a lot to me. My last shop was built out of woooooood. It sits on the back side of my property with one way in and one way out. Most everyone around here knows I am ex law enforcement and carry a weapon MOST of the time. I even carry one when I cut grass. About the only way I can see losing it all would be from a tornado. Having said that, we have had at least 4 pass within a mile or less from us in the last 15 years. I watched one from my front yard less than a 1/2 mile behind us. I guess if I had a total loss to replace everything including the building it would probably be in the range of 75,000 dollars. That would hurt my feelings to say the least.

As far as the cast version of the hammer and the hand forged version of the hammer, I have both of them and like each one. I like the beauty of the hand forged hammer but always use the cast hammer. For some reason I like it better when it comes to forging. The difference between cast versus hand forged is more than beauty when it comes to TOOLS. Tools are used to produce work therefore the tolerances may need to be closer than can be achieved when free hand forging a tool. This can be the case with a hammer. When a hammer is forged you cannot get the metal exactly where you want it to go, it will be close but not as close as what can be achieved by casting it. When you are attempting to make a hammer that is as balanced as possible you will only achieve this with a cast hammer, in my opinion. Cast is the only way to precisely control the flow and placement of the steel, and therefore the weight and balance of the hammer. A hand forged vase is a static object not meant to be used to create other objects like a tool is used. This not only allows for variation from one vase to another but THAT is what makes it beautiful, a work of art. The individual variations and imperfections that make the vase a one of a kind can work against you when those same elements are incoporated into a tool. I am looking forward to Uri Hofi's new hammer. If it is any better than the 3 of his I already have I don't think I will be able to stand it. On another note. The traditional way of doing things is not always the best. Hand forging a hammer is only one example. Many times it was hand forged because that was the only way to do it. If they had the technology that we have today 200 years ago, I am sure there would be 200 year old cast hammers. There is a saying," prove all things and keep that which is good". Just because it was always done that way does not mean it is the best way.

One thing I would say is do not cut the throat of other Blacksmiths in the area. You are not only harming them but yourself and the business as a whole. A perfect example is the Mexican stuff that comes into this country. Now we all know that it cannot compare to hand forged stuff found in the states MOST of the time. But, it is cheap and that is what many in this country have come to expect, cheap blacksmithing. It is no different when we cut each others throat just to get a job. I no longer NEED to practice on many things that I do so I charge what it is worth. If I lose the job then I would rather not work than to work for nothing. If you sit down and figure you can build that widget for 5 dollars and everyone else is charging 25 dollars for it, wouldn't it be foolish to only charge 10 dollars for the widget? You could charge 22 dollars, which is 3 dollars less than the other guy. He will still get some work because you haven't cut his throat, you will make an extra 12 dollars compared to what you were going to charge. Everybody stays in business. I would rather charge more and do less work and make more money. The point here is to get what it is worth which many times can be based on what others are charging for it. Do some research if you can concerning other smiths in the area. Remember to be realistic about your ability and the quality of work as compared to other more experienced smiths. People will buy a less than perfect piece many times as long as the price reflects it. As mentioned above, what is the cost of living in your area? What kind of market do you have, small town, high end neighborhoods, etc? What do you pay for overhead. This is where I have an advantage over most in my area. I have a 2200 square foot metal building that has been paid for for years. Now here is an good example of what I spoke of earlier. I have no rent, power bills run about 45.00 a month and I have no employees. I could use that to really under cut the prices of others but I don't. I charge close to what others charge. I know of folks that blacksmith for a hobbie and practically give their stuff away when they sale it. They are not only hurting themselves but those of us trying to make a living at blacksmithing. I am not talking bad about anyone, I don't believe many look at it like that. They enjoy the craft and want to share it with others, many times by practically giving away their products. I will stop rambling now, wait no I won't. One more thing. I have figured that if I cant make about 50 dollars an hour I don't mess with it unless I absolutely have no work which is never a problem. SO, figure out what it cost you to operate your business buy adding up all of the associated costs, rent, insurance, utilities etc. Then figure out based on a 40 work week what it cost per hour to run the shop. Then add to that what you think you time is worth, as one mentioned above, 20 dollars an hour, what about 30 dollars? That is something that only YOU can answer. Your clients will help you with that one too sometimes. Remember this, do whatever it is you know how to do to make money to keep those doors OPEN. I am moving towards blacksmithing FAST thanks to Hofi. But, I have been doing ornamental iron since I was 12, I am now 43. I can do hand rails, security doors and windows, columns, mailboxes etc. I do all of that, whatever the customer needs. I have read where some refused to do a security door or window guard because it was not what THEY wanted to do. That is fine, nothing wrong with it if you can afford to turn the work down. I want to do nothing but blacksmithing but there are certain security window and door jobs where I make nearly a 1000.00 a day. I do not turn that down. The point here is if you can be diversified do it until you can afford to be more selective. Another thing that I like is working by myself. Not only is the overhead lower I get a lot done and if it is wrong I know who to blame. I almost fired myself twice last year but after a "come to the meeting" with me, I have been a pretty good employee the last several months. Later

As far as the Hofi Hammer is concerned, it is the only blacksmithing hammer I own. I have three of them, two cast and one forged. I bought one at the B2Design air hammer school in NC and one at Metalsmith in New York and won the forged hammer on here, it was auctioned off. The biggest thing and the most important thing is to know how to hold the hammer and swing it. I cannot stress that enough. You do not have to beat the xxxx out of the iron, let the hammer do the work. I have taken many classes with Hofi and I am going to Israel most likely this September. I have watched that 72 year old man stand at the anvil ALL day long and then do an hour and a half demo at night during his schools. You cannot do that if you squeeze the juice out of the hammer handle all day. The hammer should pivot in your hand and your grip should be light. There are some don't agree with this but I have seen it work. Once you master the basics that hammer can take you anywhere you want to go. If you EVER have a chance to attend one of Hofi's classes do it. While to many they may seem expensive, think of it as an investment. If you are serious, especially if you plan on making money from blacksmithing, take the classes.

They are pretty much ready from what I have been told. They are in the process of having them casted. Some have been sold. There should be more ready to be shipped soon. Correct me if I am wrong Hofi.

Has anyone on here ever forged Titanium. I have a couple NICE pieces and want to make tongs and other things out of it. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Larry, Hofi has designed a new anvil and it should be ready shortly to be shipped. He has had the prototype for a while and loves it. I am planning on purchasing one as soon as they become available. I also have a 330 Euroanvil which is nice. I am seriousily considering being a US distributor for the Hofi anvil. I will be at the upcoming class Hofi is teaching at the end of the month. I will get the update then. If you are not in a big hurry I would wait to see Uri's anvil.

Started in the ornamental iron business at the age of 12, in my grandparents shop. I made 50 cents an hour, it was the best thing to happen to me. I learned how to do iron work which is paying real good today. After that I joined the Montgomery Fire Department at age 19. I am going to retire in about a month. I am currently a Fire Investigator which required me to attend the Montgomery Police Academy since it is a law enforcement position. I can't imagine having done anything else for a living. Fighting fire is a BLAST. I now own my own business which is on my property in the country. I do both cut and weld iron work and blacksmithing, thanks to Hofi.

look up a tattoo site called strikethebox.com It is a site for firefighter tattoos. Mine is on there in the "skull" section. It is a skull wearing a fire helmet in the middle of a red malteese cross. The cross has flames around it. It will be towrds the end of the selections as you scroll thru them. I am from Montgomery alabama. There are many different tattoos on there and it may give you some ideas.

Right now I am building drive thru gates, walk thru gates, mail boxes and fabricate fences. I generally make 50 - 100 an hour. I am not doing the custom forge work yet but am practicing my skills and attending classes particularly those given by Hofi. I have been outfitting my smithy and have done a decent job so far. I feel if I can't make at least 40 - 50 dollars an hour I don't do it because there is always other work that will allow me to make that kind of profit. But as someone else said, it depends on your location. I live in Montgomery County Alabama where the economy is doing very well. I am going to really start forging this October. That is when I will be finished building my house and I am retiring from the Montgomery Fire Department.