Broke my last hardy tool mid-project, had to improvise fast

I was out in my garage shop Tuesday night finishing a leaf shape for a gate commission when my top tool snapped. The piece was already cherry red and I had zero backups, so I grabbed a spare coil spring and forged a quick replacement in about 20 minutes. It wasn't pretty but it did the job, and honestly the rush made me pay more attention to my hammer angles. Anyone else ever salvage a job with a cobbled-together tool?

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1 Comment

smith.jordan10d ago

Man, that's the blacksmith version of MacGyver-ing a muffler with a soup can. Props for actually getting it done in 20 minutes though, most of us would've just stared at the glowing metal and questioned our life choices. The improvised spring trick is a classic, but I gotta ask, did it hold up for the whole leaf or did you have to baby it through the last few hits? Sounds like a solid excuse to grab a six-pack and blame the tool for any wonky curves.