new smith

[tatertatum]

My name is Steven Tatum I

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Steven, glad to have you.

There's nothing wrong with a 70# anvil it'll just limit you to lighter stock. Ball peins are fine hammers and you can reforge them into specialty shapes reasonably easy.

This will do two things for you:

First and foremost it'll give you valuable hammer time working on a goal oriented project. having a clear image of what you want a product to look like from the start will speed the learning process. Believe me, there are a number of things to consider and plan even for a simple project like mashing the pein into a different shape.

Secondly you can save the money you'd spend on the hammer for other tools, materials, books, etc.

If you'll click "User CP" and edit your profile to show your location it can make a big difference. IFI is represented by members from more than 50 countries and a lot of info is location specific. If local folk know you're around they can invite you to gatherings, tip you to tool deals and offer hands on help. It's a win win all round.

Frosty

[Dragons lair]

Steven, Bit of advise on the czech hammer. As it comes you probably won't like it. That said it is pretty easy to fix. I got one insted of a hofi. First use hammer bounced left right left forward. Next day drove to Big Blu picked up one of his. About 8X the money.
Got home set them togehter. Ground the face smaller. Radius ground the face. Radius ground the sides.(balances the weight loss) handle was crooked and twisted. Replaced with handle from BB. Now except for a 1/2 lb weight diff they forge the same. Have about 1 hr and $30.00 more in it.
Ken