Simple hardy tool

[jayco]

Here's a hardy tool idea I've used from time to time to improvise tools I didn't have.
It starts with the idea that a piece of 1/2 in. round stock........doubled back on itself fits diagonally in a 1 in. square hardy hole pretty easily.......and it is unnecessary to weld it.

The first pic is one of my fullers and a little bending fork.

Following that idea, I decided to try making a bottom tool with the same kind of post.

I took a piece of 1/2 in. round about 16 in. long and heated about half of one end. I doubled back 2 or 3 in. to make the post........drove it in the hardy hole hot, and bent the rest of the rod down to the face of the anvil with a hammer while it was still quite hot. I made sure it laid right down the center of the face so it would rest solidly.

I wanted to try some different swage/fuller shapes on this thing.
From left to right;

A 3/8 in. half round swage

A hot cut

A 3/8 in. half round fuller

A fuller in a 1 in. arc

The first three tools work o k........but I made the fuller on the end useless.
It hangs over the step of the anvil......got excited.........forgot to measure!

I hot-swaged the first one, and shaped the rest with the bench grinder.

The last pic shows the tools in better detail........had to take it outside to get a good picture!

Yeah, I know,........TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS!

James

[Finnr]

Slick James! That anvil looks like a twin to mine. Edge damage inexactly the same place! Someday I'll get around to fixin' that!
Finnr

[jayco]

Thanks, Finnr

As to anvils, mine was old and well-worn when I got it. There's not a square edge on the face anywhere. I have a couple of 'blocks of iron' with sharp corners to use for sharp edges on forgings.

I can arc weld a little, and I've thought about attempting a repair on mine.......
but the rounded edges and missing chip don't really affect my forging, so I just use it 'as is'.
And, if I don't do the repair correctly..........I might make it WORSE!
So, I'm just gonna leave it alone.....and use it.