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Hand Forged Bottom Fuller


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I began with 2" x2" x 4" long. I drew the hardie shank and fit that to anvil. Not a challenge. But when I forged the top section; taper it and round the top to form the fuller, the tool is tall and narrow. Not like a fuller which are  slender and long.

My work looked like the top photo when I began to forge the taper. But i wanted it to look like the bottom photo. How should i have drawn out the top section to provide width? 

It works fine as is. But looks like a cut-off hardie with a rounded top (as opposed to a knife-like edge)

I hope I'm  making some sense.......however.....the forum-site will now swap the photos so nothing i have said will make sense. Very strange website.

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I'm not sure I understand, though don't feel bad, nothing new! So what's wrong with it?

A fuller is sorta a hot cut with a rounded blade, obviously though about a 1/2" radius or more.

Width? you forge the taper for the blade of the fuller, upset it down some, forge the taper, up set it, again and again until you have the width you are wanting.

1 hour ago, SReynolds said:

Not like a fuller which are  slender and long.

Slender like as in width of the blade, and long as in height of the blade or the width?

                                                                                                                            Littleblacksmith

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Yes. I think. I don't  know.....

I'm  visualizing laying it on a side. It don't  matter at the start as it be square. Then drawing it to widen it, Not make it taller, rather wider.

Difficult to explain. It works but looks like a rounded cut-off hardie and bottom fullers dont look like that. The overall width should be as wide as the hardie square shank but three times longer. Like the above picture of the bottom fuller. Wide as the shank.  But three times longer. Not taller.....longer.

I dont have my bottom fuller to take a pic of. 

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I'm confused, are you going for a block hardy tool or a fuller? first pic looks like you have a bottom fuller of sorts but second pic is a hardy block/"swage", call it what you will but it looks like a hardy block as I know it. Hmmm... this may be where that terminology thing comes in. Help!

 

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The block hardie is reference only

 That is what the work piece looks like when i finished the hardie shank process. Then I hold the work by way of the shank and forge the top into a bottom fuller. 

I need to try a different method when forging. That of laying it on the side and forging out the sides.

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"It works but looks like a rounded cut-off hardie and bottom fullers don't look like that"

You seem to believe that bottom fullers have a single configuration and not the hundreds of different ones I have seen.  A smith can make their tools to suit their work and methods and not to match someone else's.  As to getting it wide: start with a thicker piece and fuller it sideways before forging the taper and round off.  Also how good are you at forging blunt tapers rather than long and skinny ones?  I have people practice putting a point on 1/2" sq stock with the point being about 1/2" to 3/4" long (good for tent stakes where you don't want a long taper as that tends to dig into obstructions rather than "bounce off" them) Forging such points at the edge of the anvil with half the hammer face off and the piece being held at the correct angle above the anvil helps.

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well I think your "commonly seen" differs from my commonly seen as I see various ones made for various tasks some tall, some short, some wide, some thin.  I have adapted hot cuts into fullers when I needed a special one; I've also adapted air chisels into fullers as needed.  For my big anvils I take old top tooling and forge the eyes down to fit the 1.5" hardy holes.  My most used fuller is the horn of my 515# Fisher that does a lovely job as a very broad radius fuller

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I'm not clear on what you mean by "Commonly seen" fullers. I've picked up a number and can probably put my hands on 10 or so. The ones that don't fit my hardy hole are out of sight. Anyway they're all a similar height but the skirt, the part that sits on the anvil face ranges from rectangular to square depending on the radius of the fuller. I don't have any tall ones and they don't vary much in height at all. I always assumed it was factory standardization or perhaps it was a good height for strikers.

Home made fullers tend to be whatever the smith needed at the time and I've seen some real doozies. I have one with a little curved bic like thing sticking up off one end I've never figured a use for but otherwise it's pretty much like all the others.

I've made a few fullers in a pinch but usually just welded a piece of rd. stock to a shank and called it good enough.

I've been following this thread and don't know what you're looking for. Can you make some sketches please?

Frosty The Lucky.

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That is what I do. Weld round stock to a hardie shank!! Love it !!!! Happy I'm  not the only one who tackles  tasks the easy way ! Need reins for my tongs; weld on round stock!! Gotta love it.

And yes, the bottom fullers i have purchased or are in the tool collection  at the national historical  site are relatively  short and yes, rectangular skirt ; The portion that rests atop the anvil face. That was the phrase  I'm  looking for!  

I will try another day to forge one with the "RECTANGULAR SKIRT" but need a horizontal bickern now.....

I simply wanted to forge some hardie tooling as opposed to fabricate from torch/welder etc. It takes time to figure out all the steps employed in forging  hardie tools.

Thanks !

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