Hi,Dave!

Offset-wise,would not just a flattening of the split area work just as well?It moves the material out,width-wise,leaving more of it to create that tapered look that is the essence of the heart-shape.

Making the "convenience" bend is probably not the most stressful part,though it is kinda rough(the real damage comes from the very localised,concentrated peening,which may happen concurrently against the edge of anvil).
But is the bending necessary?Afterall,the heart has near a 90 deg.corner,so that the tines can be forged by opening them +/-120 deg from stock(it's a bit awkward forging with your arm high,but builds character! )

Man,that's a shame about your horn-tip!Wonder if you can just tack something on to it,afterall,the horn is just a dead-blow part,so that the rebound,hardness,et c.,is not an issue.
Making a bick for your hardie hole would just take a moment,it doesn't have to be that nice,or sturdy.
But,actually,just curling the tapers with a hammer works well,not againt a surface,but against the resistence of the stock gage itself,+ the heat difference.To my way of thinking that makes for the fairest curves.

But everyone works differently,anyway,and i'm sure that you'll develop the techniques of your own that work for you just as well.

The heart-shape with something else off the end of one of the tines is easy,it's just that the split was started a short distance away from the end,that extra mass can then be forged into something else too.

Anyway,Dave,you're doing a great job,keep on hammering!

Wow! This is turning into a great discussion, lots of meat to it.

The butcher I was referring to is a single bevel chisel, be it a top tool, hardy tool or set of blades for my gillotine tool.

Jake my bush man! Great suggestions all round, thank you. I didn't even think about your suggestion to taper the stock before splitting, I do it that way as a matter of course and just didn't think of alternative methods. Dave, Jake isn't suggesting a round taper but a flat taper before splitting. When I make a long split I use either my countersink punch or a bluntish center punch to set the bottom of the split by punching through from one side and then evening it up from the other. This eliminates the sharp bottom left by a chisel that makes a weak point.

All in all Dave, the way you did it in your BP only needs some repetition to polish your techniques and it'll work just fine. I suggested the butcher for a single issue you mentioned, not as the RIGHT way to do this. There are more ways to split a piece of steel than you'll EVER need to remember.

Frosty the Lucky.

I learn so much reading these posts. As soon as I get some propane I'll try this. I'm so far behind in my little hobby shop I need to get moving with things. Thank you all for your instruction.