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Talked to an old timer at a hammer-in last weekend and he totally changed my mind about power hammers
I was at the Southern Ohio hammer-in and this guy named Bob, been forging for like 50 years, saw me struggling with a damascus billet. He said screw the fancy press I was saving up for and offered me his old 25 lb Little Giant for $400. He said it's all about learning the rhythm of the hammer, not buying your way out of bad technique. It hit different because I've spent almost $3k on grinders and tongs thinking gear was the shortcut. Now I'm picking up his Little Giant next Saturday and I'm honestly nervous. Anyone else start on a little beater hammer and feel like it made them a better smith?
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elliotm703d ago
A buddy of mine from the local guild bought a brand new 50 lb press a few years back, top of the line everything. He thought it would make him a production machine overnight. After six months he could barely forge a decent leaf without it looking like a dog's breakfast. Sold it at a loss and picked up a worn out 25 lb tire hammer from a guy retiring. Took him about a year to really get the hang of it but now his work is night and day better. He told me that little hammer taught him more about heat control and hammer placement than any class or book ever did. Sometimes you got to go backwards to move forwards with this craft.
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stellaa693d ago
Got that Little Giant home and honestly the first week was humbling. I mean, I’d spent all this time on grinders and belts and my welds were alright, but getting the hammer to move the steel right was a whole different thing. Bob told me to just sit and watch the head move for like 20 minutes before I even fired it up, and he was right about the rhythm part. You gotta feel the rebound and the hits instead of just trying to mash stuff flat.
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