CaribouForge Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Long time listener, first time caller. After having just taken my fiist baby steps on my blacksmithing journey I figured it was high time I made an account here. I look forward to learning from everyone here along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Welcome! Is there anything in particular that you're looking for information about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Welcome aboard from 7500 feet above sea level in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you along for the trip. The craft can be a life long journey. I've been on the trip for 43 years and it has been a good one. Travel at your own pace and don't outrun yourself. The key is to develop your own skills and style. Tools only help in the process. They are not an end all in themselves. You can become a very good smith with very basic tools. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Howdy from eastern Oklahoma! Welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaribouForge Posted December 27, 2021 Author Share Posted December 27, 2021 39 minutes ago, JHCC said: Welcome! Is there anything in particular that you're looking for information about? Thank you! Right now my biggest question is on getting the right anvil height. I have read differing "Rules of Thumb" on the matter. What is the best way of determining the right height for me? Any advice on developing a good posture and hammer swing would be much appreciated as well. 48 minutes ago, George N. M. said: Welcome aboard from 7500 feet above sea level in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you along for the trip. The craft can be a life long journey. I've been on the trip for 43 years and it has been a good one. Travel at your own pace and don't outrun yourself. The key is to develop your own skills and style. Tools only help in the process. They are not an end all in themselves. You can become a very good smith with very basic tools. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Thank you for the welcome! I figured I'd just let things develop as they may and see where things take me, more fun that way. I do have some tooling but as of now only my anvil and forge are usable, more than enough to start playing with hot metal though. PS, what is the difference between a Nordic style and a German style hammer? 30 minutes ago, TWISTEDWILLOW said: Howdy from eastern Oklahoma! Welcome to the forum! Thank you for the Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Lots of good texts on anvil height and good hammer technique. Take a look in the relevant sections of the forum -- see the table of contents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 As you probably know, anvil height is usually said to be at knuckle height when standing. This may vary depending on your stance and whether you are tapping or taking a full, manly swing. One way to tell is to put a piece of wood on your anvil and hit it with your hammer as if it were a piece of hot iron. If you get a C shaped mark with the points toward you the anvil is a bit too low. If you get a C shape with the points away from you it is a bit too high. If you get a nice circular mark you are about right on. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaribouForge Posted December 27, 2021 Author Share Posted December 27, 2021 (edited) I'll have to give that a try. Thanks Edited December 28, 2021 by Mod30 Remove excessive quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Knuckle height was the old standard back in the day of strikers, heavy hammers, top tooling, etc. For small precision forging like blades. I prefer wrist high. In reality there is no "one height"; it's much like there is no one speed to drive a car. It varies due to circumstances! I'm lucky enough to have several anvils set at differing heights and will sometimes switch anvils in the middle of a project to get a different height for a different process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 Good Morning, Welcome. The answer to your Anvil Height question, is the $64,000.00 dollar question. It Depends!! Sometimes you are working on a small thing and you would like it higher. Sometimes you are working on a large thing and you wished your Anvil was lower. You can get the best of both worlds if you mount your Anvil on a piece of plywood, that sits snugly in a container of sand. You add sand, your Anvil is higher. You take sand out, your Anvil is lower. Only 'you' can determine a comfortable height. The side benefit of sitting on sand, your Anvil won't be as noisy (ringing). Enjoy the Journey. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 Or you can put a pallet by the anvil with a piece of plywood on it to get you higher---till you forget and fall off it hurrying to the forge. (One of my large postvises has a pad of 4x4" scraps by it to get a bit of height for heavy hammering on it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaribouForge Posted December 28, 2021 Author Share Posted December 28, 2021 That sounds like a good use for that half pallet I got laying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. I there a name we may use to address you? Your login is kind of cumbersome. When I first saw your login I got a little excited caribou is sooooo Alaskan. <sigh> If you ever get the chance to visit a zoo with caribou that allows you in the pen with them GO! They're amazingly gentle and very friendly, even without the pelletized treats. There are two very close to me we recommend to visitors. Anvil height is a very subjective thing, like setting the car seat. With experience you can compensate for quite a range, mine are between wrist and knuckle height and I have a length of 4" x 12" close by I can stand on when hitting top tools HARD. My #1 piece of advice is, Don't rush? The only thing being in a hurry ensures is making mistakes permanent more quickly. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaribouForge Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Caribou will do. I've always been drawn to the northern biomes but life hasn't yet afforded me the pleasure of going. I'll get there someday though. I might just have to find a zoo with caribou in my area because that sounds amazing honestly. I might even get lucky with one of the petting zoos in my area, I know at least one of them has a surprisingly diverse cast of characters. My anvil is at wrist height currently but I do have a half pallet that will be liberated from duty once I get my shear put back together and in place that I can use as step up. My shop has a dirt floor as as well so I can sink the anvil stand a bit if I want. On 12/29/2021 at 1:41 AM, Frosty said: My #1 piece of advice is, Don't rush? The only thing being in a hurry ensures is making mistakes permanent more quickly. Honestly I don't really feel the need to rush with it, which is odd considering its not how I often approach things. But I don't have a specific goal for it other than simply being involved with the craft so maybe that's why I'm content to let it grow as it may. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.