eric sprado Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 May we please put this one to sleep??? Thanks for your efforts to request reliable sourses Glen! Oh-forgot to add fishermen in list of oldest professions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Eric The thread should stay open so a resolution to the problem can be posted. We will monitor the thread and keep it on topic. The holiday weekend is over and both hans and the seller should be available to contact each other. The next post should be from hans136 providing us details of his contact with the seller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 The holiday weekend is over and both hans and the seller should be available to contact each other. The next post should be from hans136 providing us details of his contact with the seller. Jan 2 2012 is a federal holiday due to the first being a sunday so a lot of businesses are closed and people returning home from vacations. smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hans138 Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 guys i just wanted to say that im glad every one here put in there twp cent and just for the record i really have no major animosity against mr hofi or what he does, i recently done a bit more research on this site and it was nice of him to show some techniques and i hope he shares more, and not just him but other people who would share there knowledge cause i know how people like to guard that info to have a heads up on the comp. my cousin the chef says all great chefs have no secrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalevra Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 hi there, been using hofi hammers for many years now, and by that i mean hammers actually coming out of hofi's shop. lots of copies out there, some quite inferior. it has to be understood that the hofi hammer's shape and proportions are not random -- they come with a very particular type use. a very well-known and skilled smith derided the hofi hammer in a conversation, stating that the head of the hammer was too short, causing him to scrape his knuckles on the anvil. it was immediately obvious from this remark that he simply didn't know who to use it properly -- it's the equivalent of complaining that the knife is at fault for you having sliced your finger. the difference in technique is subtle and takes practice as old habits have to be broken, yet the payback is well worth it -- you get much better accuracy, faster metal deformation, reduced fatigue and whole lot less stress on joints and ligaments. suffice to say that my wrist and elbow issues went away once i have adopted this method. i am sure that there are people out there who use similar grip and technique without even thinking about it - some of us have real smart bodies. i was introduced to the hofi hammer and forging method after i have already spent years apprenticed to various smiths in japan, and naturally assumed that i knew all the was to know about swinging a hammer. i was very, very wrong. so, again -- to derive full benefits from a hofi hammer one has to know, understand and use the particular forging technique. the hammers come with fairly sharp corners, and the individual smith is expected to grind & polish them to his specs. they can be cast of forged, doesn't really matter -- both work very well. at this point, i am not sure if hofi sells his hammers in the usa at all. i just came back from israel and got myself yet another one -- hofi has neat rows of finished hammers, cast and forged, waiting to go. in any case, a hammer made by hofi will always carry his name, and usually the date of manufacture, too. regarding other remarks about the hammer, making claims about the process: the forged hammers always have a slight hourglass eye (happens naturally when they are forged on a tapered mandrel from either side), and the shape is almost completed on the power hammer, not ground. naturally, the hammer is ground before heat-treatment and polished after. i was there during the manufacturing process, more than once, so i think i have grounds for saying so. it is not feasible to grind so many forged pieces to shape, especially since there is only one very simple simple belt grinder in hofi's shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Just for the record Hofi had nothing to do with the hammer in question. That being said I have been hammering for years and have had no serious issues with my arm. I use a standard cross peen for 90% of my work i am a professional smith for 15 years 19 total. I never even heard of this guy untill about 5 years ago. I get angry when I see a video on you tube where the man in question says that other hammers are a killer and blacksmithing can be a killer craft if you don't work like him. Its just not true. I have tried genuine Hofi hammer I did not like it. I would also have change the way I make many things because of the shape and weight of his hammer, things that I make well and quickly. To be totaly blunt if you want to save your body use a power hammer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 This topic is now over, as it has turned into Insults in violation of IFI policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Hans138 has a hammer that he thinks has a problem. He HAS NOT contacted the seller in order to resolve the issue. Hans did not purchase an original Hofi hammer and Hans did not purchased the hammer from a authorized Hofi dealer or distributor. The thread has continued to cast shadows on the original Hofi hammer and Hofi neither of which was ever involved. This post will be added to the original post so people do not have to read 60 posts to get to this point. The topic is closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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