Forging a Hot Cut Hardy | Tutorials | Forum

Take it easy Brian, you feeling ok today? It’s true, you’ll get little response from your posts from the many experienced smiths here, they nod silently with their approval. It is strange that most of the members never post on any forum, including this one. You appear not to understand how highly you are thought of as a Blacksmith, and should not feel unhappy about the lack of response, it is not a lack of appreciation, I think it’s more of a lack of knowing what to say.

New members are the life of most forums they bring new ideas and questions and the all important response. New blacksmiths and members are needed and should post, people like Brian are trying to help you but don’t know if they are wasting their time and effort. It may be you have covered the subject so well that all that is left to say is “well done”. Brian, I often feel my comments are unwanted simply by a lack of response, so I understand where you are coming from, however anyone with any interest in hand blacksmithing, and knows who you are is greatly interested in whatever you offer, this includes me. I’d like to steal Lyle though (does he eat much?).

lot it seems, the use of those emo-thingys helps and I’m guilty of their underuse. If I were you I’d edit in the proper ones in your post so your intent is easier to see. Then whoever reads the post will wonder what my problem is!

I wish they had one of those smiley guys holding a half empty bottle of pinot noir so folks could see why I sometimes get cyber chatty

I use a hot cut a lot like that that came in a lot of ol blacksmith tools I bought when I first started out. I had several people tell me its "not what I should use" but it seemed to work for me.. Its actually a big larger but almost an identical shape... What I really like is your flatter... beautiful tool..... And yes... thats what strikes me most about your posts and demos... The efficiency of hand forging when done correctly is pretty amazing... its really great to see someone who knows half a dozen blows in advance exactly what is unfolding on the anvil.... My hand skills are improving but I dont know that even with 20 years practice I will be capable of that sort of efficiency... The way I work is one blow at a time... I hit, hit, correct, think about why i needed to correct... hit.... ugg.. back in the fire...

I can tell you though teaching the hands on class a few weekends ago at our conference showed me how far my hand skills have come in the last 5 years... I was surprised that I could walk up to a station and know exactly what the student had done right or wrong by the look of there project...

I can see splitting an anvil if you just wailed and wailed on a true "wedge" in the hardy hole but I just cant see putting enough strain on the tool to really do much of anything if you have a hot slug of metal absorbing the brunt of the blow... even a small anvil

The only hardy I have made looks like this, it has a big seat. A tapered shank on a hardy should be ok it should never get hit hard enough to split an anvil in my opinion, unless the anvil was cracked to start with. As for curved, I have the opinion it cuts quicker and easier. I’ve been sliding off the curve my whole life, you think a flat hardy would fix that:)?

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Brian don’t you make a ‘traveling hardy’ from a flat bar? Seems like I’ve seen that somewhere, please post some pictures of it if you’ve got any, and is it your design or an old one?

1 1/2" coil spring? where do you find 1 1/2" coil spring?