Uri Hofi began his journey as a blacksmith at the age of 53 after working in agriculture and farming. With the establishment of the industry in Ein Shemer, he worked and managed the rubber plastic + magnets industry in Israel and Africa for 17 years.

After establishing a craft school in South Africa and meeting Freddy Haberman at the ABANA conference in 1984, Khofi decided to engage in artistic blacksmithing as a profession and founded the blacksmith shop in 1987. The blacksmith shop deals with 4 main subjects: general artistic blacksmithing, tool making, teaching and sculpture.
In 1992 Hufi opened a blacksmith school in the kibbutz, where thousands of students have studied since then. He also taught in the USA, Japan and Germany. Many blacksmiths in Israel and the world work according to his teachings. In Israel he is considered the father of modern Israeli blacksmithing.

Hofi developed a very agronomic (body-friendly) work method that saves energy and creates energy that allows forging a shape (from) quickly and easily without harming the body both by manual work and with an air hammer and a hydraulic press.

 

Hofi's hammer

Hofi did not consider himself an artist, but a master blacksmith. His publication in the world came due to the innovative work methods he developed, and special work tools he created for the blacksmiths, in order to maintain their health and make their work easier. The most famous of them is a hammer named after him "coastal hammer" - an ergonomic hammer that provides a healthy response to tens of thousands of hammer swings that a blacksmith performs per day. The hammer was sold around the world and many made replicas of it.

Hofi has also developed special anvils for air hammers, which enable the artistic forging in the right easy and fast way so that theory and reality (theory + practice) work together.

In his last years, Hofi continued to teach the profession, developing tools for work in iron forging, wood and stone as well as design and sculpture. His works are sold all over the world and are known for their unique beautiful design. In his gallery in the blacksmith's shop in Ein Shemer, his works are displayed, including furniture, sculptures, tools and more.

Uri Hofi passed away in March 2023. May his memory be blessed.