You have taken on a mammoth task with those tillies .
Yes hammering . I have heard about it . Apparently its best to warm up the cold leaves by leaving them in the sun . There is a risk of a leaf cracking if theya re cold, like in the Winter .
I think they used to use a anvil , the horn on the end for the spring hammering ?
Can you post a pic of your bit of steel you use ?
Looks like you have a Hercus 260 lathe ..very nice
http://www.lathes.co.uk/hercus/index.html