Blacksmith Hardy Tools
List of available Hardy tools for Blacksmiths and their uses.
(pictures at the bottom of the page)
Cold Chisel - When working with a chisel do not cut all the way through. Make your cut and finish it by breaking it in two with pliers. Cutting all the way through is a safety concern. Hot metal will likely fly off as you cut all the way through. A cold chisel has a blunter edge than a cutting Hardy. Chisels have only a 30 degree angle. The point may be centered in the chisel or offset to one side. When the point is offset the metal is pushed one way only leaving the other side with a squarer, better finish.
Cutting Hardy - When working with a cutting Hardy do not cut all the way through. Make your cut and finish it by breaking it in two with pliers. Cutting all the way through is a safety concern. Hot metal will likely fly off as you cut all the way through. A cutting Hardy has a sharper edge than a cutting Hardy. Cutting Hardys generally have 60 degree angles. When the point is offset the metal is pushed one way only leaving the other side with a squarer, better finish.
Mushroom Hardy - Used for planishing. Planishing is a technique used by blacksmiths for smoothing out small irregularities. Smoothing bowl shaped pieces of metal while resting the inside of the bowl on a curved surface. In this case a mushroom Hardy. Useful for bowls, spoons, ladles and any bowl shaped metal working.
Rivet Bucking Hardy - This is a nothing more than a block with various sized concave divots in it, used to form a piece of metal with a rivet head looks that are perfectly convex and smooth.
Swan Neck Scroll Starter - A Tool for starting a scroll, for very fine scroll work.
Top and Bottom Fullers - Fullers is basically a chisel with a very much rounded edge instead of a cutting edge that is driven into the hot metal. Fullers spread the metal in two directions instead of in all directions like you would when striking metal with the face of a hammer.
Bending Forks - This is a hardy tool that usually has two metal prongs that stick up from the Hardy Hole. It is used so that you can easily bend metal. The bend can be made either by hammering the metal or pulling one end with pliers. Where the metal is heated has a large effect on where the metal will bend.
Bottom Round Swages - Bottom round swages are for making a round area truer.
Various Stakes (V Swage, Crown, Bowl, Multi-Radius, Large Radius Stake) - These are all Hardy tools that come in a multitude of shapes. They are used to easily give a piece of metal a perfect shape (of your choosing) and can be repeated with great consistency.
Cone (Mandril) Hardy - Cone Hardys are for hammering bar stock into perfect conical rings. It sits in the anvils' hardy hole and the cone points upward. A ring or chain link etc. can be dropped over the cone and be hammered lightly into a perfect round.
Dog Bone Swage - This swage is used by Blacksmiths to form rose petals, ladle ends, candle cups, and to make leaves and other decorative marks.
(pictures at the bottom of the page)
Cold Chisel - When working with a chisel do not cut all the way through. Make your cut and finish it by breaking it in two with pliers. Cutting all the way through is a safety concern. Hot metal will likely fly off as you cut all the way through. A cold chisel has a blunter edge than a cutting Hardy. Chisels have only a 30 degree angle. The point may be centered in the chisel or offset to one side. When the point is offset the metal is pushed one way only leaving the other side with a squarer, better finish.
Cutting Hardy - When working with a cutting Hardy do not cut all the way through. Make your cut and finish it by breaking it in two with pliers. Cutting all the way through is a safety concern. Hot metal will likely fly off as you cut all the way through. A cutting Hardy has a sharper edge than a cutting Hardy. Cutting Hardys generally have 60 degree angles. When the point is offset the metal is pushed one way only leaving the other side with a squarer, better finish.
Mushroom Hardy - Used for planishing. Planishing is a technique used by blacksmiths for smoothing out small irregularities. Smoothing bowl shaped pieces of metal while resting the inside of the bowl on a curved surface. In this case a mushroom Hardy. Useful for bowls, spoons, ladles and any bowl shaped metal working.
Rivet Bucking Hardy - This is a nothing more than a block with various sized concave divots in it, used to form a piece of metal with a rivet head looks that are perfectly convex and smooth.
Swan Neck Scroll Starter - A Tool for starting a scroll, for very fine scroll work.
Top and Bottom Fullers - Fullers is basically a chisel with a very much rounded edge instead of a cutting edge that is driven into the hot metal. Fullers spread the metal in two directions instead of in all directions like you would when striking metal with the face of a hammer.
Bending Forks - This is a hardy tool that usually has two metal prongs that stick up from the Hardy Hole. It is used so that you can easily bend metal. The bend can be made either by hammering the metal or pulling one end with pliers. Where the metal is heated has a large effect on where the metal will bend.
Bottom Round Swages - Bottom round swages are for making a round area truer.
Various Stakes (V Swage, Crown, Bowl, Multi-Radius, Large Radius Stake) - These are all Hardy tools that come in a multitude of shapes. They are used to easily give a piece of metal a perfect shape (of your choosing) and can be repeated with great consistency.
Cone (Mandril) Hardy - Cone Hardys are for hammering bar stock into perfect conical rings. It sits in the anvils' hardy hole and the cone points upward. A ring or chain link etc. can be dropped over the cone and be hammered lightly into a perfect round.
Dog Bone Swage - This swage is used by Blacksmiths to form rose petals, ladle ends, candle cups, and to make leaves and other decorative marks.
