Hardy tools, also known as anvil tools or bottom tools, are metalworking tools used in anvils, fitted with a square shank that stops the tool from rotating once it is placed in the anvil's own hardy hole; used alone, the word hardy refers specifically to a cutting chisel used in that hole, while other bottom tools are named for their function and typically used together with a matching top tool struck from above. The swage is a hardy tool used to give metal a specific cross-section, usually round, for finishing into nails, bolts, rods or rivets; the fuller is used to stretch or help bend metal and to make dents and shoulders; many hardy shapes have a corresponding top tool of matching profile, such as a V-shaped swage paired with an inverted-V top tool to form iron into an angle shape.
Facts
OriginThe hardy tool's square shank keeps it from turning once seated in the anvil's own hardy hole; used alone, the word hardy names specifically the cutting chisel that sits there, while other bottom tools such as bending drifts are named for their function and are generally worked together with a matching top tool. 1 Open Questions
Introduced When (Circa)Not established by the sources consulted
Hardy tools are documented by function at the anvil's own hardy hole, but no source consulted fixes a first-use date for the tool. Connections
Used In
Hardy Tool is used in Blacksmithing.
Sources
1. Hardy Tool (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDescription section, opening paragraphQuote, Description section, opening paragraph
A hardy has a square shank, which prevents it from rotating when placed in the anvil's hardy hole. The term "hardy", used alone, refers to a cutting chisel used in the square hole of the anvil. Other bottom tools are identified by function. Typical hardy tools include chisels and bending drifts. They are generally used with a matching top tool.
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