That old timer at the guild meeting told me my hammer strikes were way too heavy

He said I was fighting the metal instead of guiding it. I was hitting like I was trying to drive a railroad spike into concrete. After watching me for maybe 5 minutes, he just said 'you're gonna burn out your elbow before you're 40, son.' So I backed off the force and focused on letting the hammer do the work. Now I use maybe 60% of the power I used to and get cleaner results. Anyone else get told they were overdoing it on the anvil?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jennifer17d ago

I mean "burn out your elbow before you're 40" sounds kinda dramatic man, my grandpa smithed for 50 years and he still swings heavy.

harperg7617d ago

Wait, did your grandpa use a power hammer or was he swinging a sledge by hand? Because my uncle Larry tried to prove blacksmiths were tougher than mechanics and ended up with his thumb swollen like a grapefruit for three weeks. He had this old anvil he found at a flea market and decided to make a "rustic bottle opener" for Christmas presents. The man could barely grip a coffee mug for a month after that, and he was only doing it as a HOBBY.