[TheForge] Rebound and Work

[Saint Phlip]

Steve Smith wrote:
> Well, we're confused here. I started out thinking (and still think) 
> that if the hammer rebounds, you've applied more force to the work 
> than if the hammer stops dead. My wife and I discussed this for awhile 
> and came to the conclusion that our heads hurt.
>
> Steve
>
> Jonathan Nedbor wrote:
>> Mike,
>> I remember seeing some old advertising for some brand of cast anvil 
>> that addressed the rebound issue. Their copy stressed that the cast 
>> anvil with minimum rebound allowed for more of the force from the 
>> hammer blow to penetrate the metal being worked on, thusly producing 
>> more "work". They contrasted this with a forged anvil with good 
>> rebound and claimed their cast anvil, for this reason was far superior.
>>
>> Food for thought or just plain old advertising sleight of hand? If 
>> you can convince 'em, confuse 'em.
>>
>> Jonathan

Well, the way I look at it, if you're etting repound, the anvil is 
slapping the piece in thew ass. If you aren't getting rebound, then the 
force you're using is dissapating in various directions, as if you had a 
pillow under the piece. Would you rather forge against a solid piece of 
steel, or a pillow? Pillow is the same thing as an anvil with no 
rebound- it's just a matter of degree. With the cast iron, reboundless 
anvil, you can see the effect of the force dissipation in the dents that 
inevitably appear on the face of the anvil, just as you would in the 
face of a pillow. You get dents in the face of a properly hardened 
anvil, too, but much smaller, and they require a great deal more force.

Saint Phlip