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TIL my grandfather's old hammer technique was smarter than my new one
Was talking to a retired blacksmith named Frank at the flea market in Springfield last Saturday. He told me I was choking up too high on the handle for heavy striking, said I should grip lower and let the hammer do the work. I tried it on a 1-inch bar of 1095 and suddenly my hits were way more consistent. Has anyone else had an old timer completely flip your method upside down like that?
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ivan8733mo ago
That thing about letting the hammer do the work is the real deal. I used to grip way too high on my cross peen and would get tired after a couple hours of forging. An old timer I knew in Texas showed me the same thing, told me I was fighting the tool instead of working with it. Once I slid my hand down closer to the base of the handle, my strikes landed harder with half the effort. It feels weird at first but after a weekend of practicing on some scrap you'll never go back.
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brian3033mo ago
About how far down the handle were you gripping exactly? I'm on the last inch or so on my rounding hammer but wondering if that's still too high.
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