Oh I see where you are going wrong, and good news is that you need to switch to the cheaper alternative Corrupt 1. This gives 400 boon points and with 200% effectiveness this becomes 800 points. You are currently filling a bar with 2000 boon points when there is only room for 1000.
Then take defect Reversal Catalyst and when the defect bar is getting too high for comfort, use that.
Take Protection Paste 2 and Fate paste 2. Protection makes your stability last longer and Vigor Catalyst is already prolonging your Vigor.
Basic steps… set the boons as you are already doing.
Then repeat the next cycle until the forge is complete.
Gum x1 (or x2) for the boon you want to level up.
Protection paste x1
Fate Paste x1
Corrupting boon x3
Vigor Catalyst 2
Repeat using the gum of choice
After 2 cycles of this Defect Reversal, or thereabouts. Always Defect Reversal after you have cleared with the Vigor Catalyst not before.
Set and walk away for 1 hour and then enjoy breaking rocks!!
Sometimes you can change the above sequence to Protect x2 and Fate x1 then Corrupting boon x5. This is slightly more efficient as long as you have enough vigor and stability to do this sequence. But sticking to the above method will basically guarantee your 3x3 T6 hammer.
If you want to play with quirks switch out for draining boon compound 1 and quirk transmute solvent. It’s slightly more complicated but allows the possibility of even more epicness if you get lucky (like my latest quirky freak… an Amethyst Hammer that 1 shots T7 at 107 action speed!!!)
Oh and edit: Bravo on you for simply experimenting and actually getting results. Not many people are prepared to give it a go and just try things. This is how I’ve managed to find alternative methods for forging harder things such as totems but I had the luxury of money to spare on ingredients that you don’t.