Hello,
Was looking though a blacksmithing tool cataloge, thinking up ideas for tools I could make in the shop, and I saw 2 tools that I wondered what they where used for. One is a "monkey tool", one is a "anvil devil". What are they for and how do you use them? I looked in all of my referance books and I'm not finding any info on them. I could make them easy if I did have a use for them.

A monkey tool is usually for making round tenons on the ends of bars. It has a slightly oversize hole for a specific size and square ends, e.g., a monkey tool to work 5/16 might have an 11/32 hole. In use, the tenon is forged and the tool slipped over the end of the bar, then struck so the shoulder around the round tenon is squared. The name comes from the belief that "any monkey can use one". (BTW, my grandfather, who was the real blacksmith in the family, called all ornamental smithing "monkey work" not because it was easy, but because of the various tools designed for repetitive processes).

An anvil devil is a little hardy with replaceable cutters designed primarily for farriers to nick horseshoes.

Anvil devil is a small triangular piece of hardened steel it is used for cutting steel the steel is heated and layed on top of the tool and hit with a hammer. It also can be used with a holder that keeps it from jumping off of the anvil and hiding in the shop somewhere.

I made my anvil devil from an old triangler 1/2" thick file. The tang end is cut off and the other, tapered end bent at 45* to hang through the hardy hole to keep it from jumping off the anvil and is loose fitting so I can position it. The teeth are ground off of course and the top edge lightly sharpened. The file was 10" long new & the cutting part I left 4" long.

Jerry; what did you draw the temper too? As it's already hardened I figure all you need is to draw it so it wouldn't be so brittle/

Thomas