Hans Richter

Gents, and one specific lady – you are welcome to ‘steel’ as much as possible. Since I was born and discover I missed a third hand I’m lyrical about springer fullers. And yes I’m hypocrite -because 'the journey is the reward’ and I like to create lots of the stuff by myself (shop building, tool/equipment making, air hammer design and building, first steps in bronze casting and so one) If you want specific details don’t hesitate to PM me, I like to share my experience by 25 years of try and error in the colourful world of blacksmithing. After all, there is no bigger compliment then being (good or even better) copied. Thanks for your encouraging words and replies. Cheers, Der Hans

¾ in Hardy Tool Set almost ready welded and grinded most of the parts and cover it with linseed oil. Find out that I miss a cutting springer fuller (3/4 in) and have to finish the ¾ in hardy anvil horn (Ǿ 0-2 ¼ in) Please lord, let me do some fancy forge work again, after seeing all this great work passing by (knives, sculptures, lamp and furniture) Cheers, Hans

Very a live again Aus. Will send you my delivery address soon. The back look like a shuffle of a plough and the welding’s are nice and smooth. And yes, still jealous of your scrap pile. Waiting for the next creating. Cheers, Hans

My thought are with you, wish you strength and prosperity. Hans

Booked some progress on the hardy tools and springer fullers. From left to right – mild steel cutting plate fits on hardy hole, an bottom anvil springer fuller offset, bottom fuller, bottom anvil, bottom anvil cutter, bottom fuller springer fuller offset. Anvil horn and turning hardy ready to come. Made all from 13 ChroMo and mild steel hardy square welded together with already mentioned 309 sticks. If you count approx. 70 dollares for each piece I saved several hundred dollars on it. The springer fullers will look like the same I already made for the bigger brothers of the ‘Benjamin’ anvil.

Very nice work David! Like both railings. Regarding the fishermen's motive, you have to be an fanatic fishermen to chose them for your stairway. But reminds me on some window trellis I made ones for an hunter.

Hi Das-thankx, used a rubber mat to, you see them hiding under foot between anvil and stand. In my case with the cast anvil that seams not enough. Will add 3 pieces of 1 ½ in thick wooden footplates under the stand legs also. I build the height on this stand and anvil up to my fist (when I’m standing next to him). All the other anvils are 2in higher. Now I have the idea to must bend over while forging. Hallo Jennifer, indeed will weld the mild steel hardy squares trough the 13ChroMo hardy heads. But will use the stick welder with AISI 309 electrodes to make a decent ‘black & white’ filled weld. Like I did with the dies sets for the air hammer with a FW multilayer and pre-heating. This requires a decent welding preparation with a serious bevel on the hardy squares of at least two times the welding stick diameter on an angle of 38°. Good result on the dies –use them now for more than a year without any ruptures or cracks. Ditto for welding joints between air hammer fullers and rebar handles.

Finished the first two hardy tools with a ¾ hardy square for the 150lbs UAT (Anvil hardy & Bottom fuller). And more to come, as an swage swans neck, an anvil horn and a bottom anvil tool. Also prepared the blanks of two springer fullers (cutting & offset). After that I think I can tackle the most common work steps on the ‘Benjamin’ UAT to. As you see I use chains (for the first time) to make the little boy quiet, he was singing and ringing on his metal stand like an ‘opera diva’ to entertain the whole neighbourhood. Accomplished the two other fire keeper toolsets on him, and feel (with the light material) no difference between the impact and usability with his bigger 250lbs UAT brother standing next to him.

Made a lot of this guy’s in the past. For replacement, refurbishing or extensions of historic buildings. Not familiar with washers or screws. Funny thing on this wall anchor’s is, you can see on the smiths marks which confession the first owner of the building was following. The X (Andrew Cross) for the catholic owner and the ‘Z’ for the protestants. I mostly forged the ‘Z’ in my region.

Hi Jennifer, will mangle the whole 13ChroMo piece, that’s included the hardy and the square to. Unfortunately no other material at my disposal. Will quench it and distress/heat treat is on the usual way. Regarding the 70kg anvil – hi is still ‘virgin’ accept the pimping (wire brushing/coating) and rebound test. Made the fire keeping tool on his ‘bigger brother’ the 250lbs UAT.

After forging about 1 year with the Kinyon style/Harry Zoeller copycat Air power hammer -I still think I could have better results with a massive anvil below the bear. I chose for a bear weight of 55lbs (capable to forge blanks till 1in) -and they teach me to have at least 5 times (even better 6X) the counter weight of the anvil at your disposal. Started with an oil sand filled hollow anvil tube with a weight of 180lbs with an humble ball bearing rebound of 30%. Results in a low impact and a lot of frustration. Filling the anvil with concrete will have the same effect as with oil sand and his density. That means only a ¼ of the density of the volume mass of steel. In the mean time I fill the hollow anvil tube with stainless steel blasting grit with is at least ¾ of the density of massive steel (in combination with a mix of high viscosity oil and fine sand to fill the hollow spaces). This results is an acceptable rebound of 65% on the lower dice (on 240lbs -but still to low). Now I’m looking for a massive replacement of the anvil in de-mountable parts to keep my hammer portable because his separate parts still fit in the trunk of my station waggon. So if possible give the choice to massive steel parts mounted close together.

This configuration will became the ‘Tumulus Forge’ mobile equipment for fairs and social projects. Will accomplish them with a nice little vice I’m able to trade against the already mentioned 70lbs ASO. The whole stuff fits in the trunk of my station car, before I’m able to visits Das’s property at night to ‘borrow’ his fantastic trailer. B.t.w. I don’t even have a trailer hook behind the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia yet . Heard from my network about some nice project with long term workless youth in Brussels area maybe this is a thankful first assignment for me. Keep you informed. Till ten I will continue (not with forging) again with toolmaking, because the ‘new’ 150lbs UAT comes with a hardy hole of approx. ¾ in, -but all of my tools have approx. 1 ¼ square –same for the home made springer fullers. Anny suggestions for some kind of adapter are more than welcome !!!!! Till then I make the most common hardy’s from square ¾ mild steel welded by AISI 309 through the 13ChroMo tool body I have to forge/shape. Will share this results to. Cheers, Hans

Das, jalous about this induction tool of your's. Do you have any specification (brand, power, diameter) 58er a real pice of art!!!

Nothing to edit or comment just astonished. Even we have the same age, the pictures remind me that I started behind the anvil 10 years later then you and stay there less often then you. Impressed by the technics and accuracy of the beats. If you ever look for an apprentice or a helping hand I’m at your service

Great videos Jennifer, thanks for sharing. Regards, Hans

Gents, beside of the fire hazard you (maybe) mentioned, most of the wood composites are self-extinguishing if no other source of the fire fife-angle is added (ignition source, temperature, catalyst, mixture, composition or extra oxygen) As a work safety advisor I’m more worried about the possible high formaldehyde contain (in the glue) of the possible used card board, plywood how’s come straight from the construction site. If it used for furniture its maybe an E1 quality board with low formaldehyde contain. For the rest be careful of FAH exposure which come free at higher temperature an in closed rooms. Caused in headache after exposure or cancer at an long time period. IKEA had a serious problem with it not so long ago with some of their furniture’s.

Hi Jenny, I m a little confused to, and I feel very sorry about it. Even got an admin warning about inappropriate language use for another miss step I partly XXX-ed out (hope the one and only). I mean ‘coal coke’ with is translates by Google as ‘Steinkohlekoks’ straight from German my mother tong. Apologise to all of you, but it’s still a German/Belgium/Dutch cosmopolitan talks to you -and I didn’t spent some longer time at the North America continent yet. And yes, give the first workshops, and want to supply every student with his ‘own’ anvil and forge. Also placed the double/tripple features on the Dutch/Belgium/German CL to refund some money to continue this expensive hobby. Maybe this explains the ‘gearing up’ the amount of tools and equipment (beside of my disorder to do things right and not only half). Das, Frosty, Sfeile, Bubba thanks for your reply’s -it’s an honour. About the ‘borrowing’ of ideas on IFI, there is now bigger compliment then being copied (look by example at Frosty’s T-burner or AS’s square forge and Aus’s sculptures) Mike, a very nice tool stand instead of the plastic I use. I handle the ‘1in –rule’ to give some space between the tools to grab them properly. Do this with the tongs and hammers but also with the space between the vice opening. So with some turns open or close you are able to clamp most of the material you work on very soon. Wish all of you a nice Pentecost Monday. Hans

Give the new mobile forge a try and fire it up. Burns like xxxx and able to heat up 10in material at the time (low cold blow on the hair dryer and half open ash valve). Use the try out to prepare 3 sets of fire keeper tools – cokes shuffle, slack poker and extinguisher mob. Forged the eyes and taps with the air hammer and preserve them with a linseed oil coating. Also picked up the 150 lbs UAT anvil, wire brushed them and use the linseed -results in a nice little xxxxxxx with a rebound of 90% +. Made an anvil stand I copycat after a well-known IFI member starts with a J jhcc; only deference ‘bevel it and give it a paint job’. The anvil comes on my first metal anvil stand which is a combination of a stainless steel base plate and mild steel legs (no other fitting base plate available). bubba682; please have a look at the black & white stick welding with an Aisi 309 filled weld. So the mobile forge/anvil is ready to go. Looking forward to the first fair or social project again. Cheers, Hans

Please, some generous anonym sponsor send me a flight ticket

Absolutely agree with tkunkel, so many very nice things (craftsmanship & art) passing by, -so much inspiration. Must be honest I didn’t see anything I dislike. Compliments to all of you. Very happy to found IFI and this many of soulmates and smith brothers & sisters. Have a nice long weekend. Cheers Hans

Finish the two mobile solid fuel forges. Can’t wait to light one of them up this coming weekend after coming back with the 150lbs UAT. No drawings, made ‘as build’ with only some referring measurement’s (diameter brake drum, height). Try to listen to several advice of several wise men’s on IFI as by example the size drum (diameter of drum -10 till 12in is quit enough for a field forge) and the use of scarifying bars in de air inlet (double useful in combination with the spaces between and the fraction of your cokes ½ - ¾ ) Will handle the air intake again with opening and closing the ash scuttle (air escape) as I do on the other solid fuel forge for many years. Curios about the tube ventilator, after my opinion his is not powerful enough, so maybe I have to pimp the whole forge with a hair dryer (I don’t like the idea because of the look) Next project will be my first mobile metal anvil stand instead of the by me preferred wooden stands which absorbs the beats and are gentle to your wrists. Got also some nice ideas from IFI regarding this project and maybe the guys I copycat will recognise their own stands. Have a nice day ‘Der’ Hans

Das, whem I can come to pick-up the little agressive spider on the left/upper side of the picture wich I like most

Thanks JHCC, have to drive about 180 miles because the seller lives on the oposite side of Belgium. Hope the holes are go through the anvil, and/but find them very often filled/stocked with some piece of mild steel or mud. My 250lbs UAT was one of them. Will keep you informed. Cheers, Hans PS. did you forge some pieces on the treadle hammer yet?

Found a decent (smaller) anvil now after the already mentioned 75lbs ASO disaster. A 150lbs German pattern and an UAT again. On the pictures hi looks incredible pretty. No really a bargain at 300 dollares. Will check everything this time by myself. Only drawback is the small hardy hole (<1in) so not all of my hardy tools will fit and I have to rework some hardy’s or make them new. Wish me look when 'it followed my home' this weekend. Cheers, Hans

Hi, Das -thanks for the tip, will cut the opening and place the door later, not so satisfied yet with the thin solid fuel containment made of tin Jennifer, Frosty, -the lady of the house shares your oppinion and will use (kidnapping) the stands for flower tables. The legs are simple 'belly' bars left overs from a balcony fence but very stabil. Thanks for your kind reply's.