A retired farrier in Montana made me rethink my hammer swing

I was at a swap meet outside Bozeman last month and this old guy, probably 70, watched me demo a few strikes on a piece of 1 inch round bar. He said, 'You're fighting the steel, not dancing with it.' That stuck with me. I've been at this for 8 years and never thought about how much tension I carry in my shoulders and grip. He showed me his own swing, loose wrist, letting the hammer head do the work, and it looked effortless. I tried his method on a set of bottle openers this week and cut my forging time by almost a third. Anyone else had a stranger's tip that rewired how they work at the anvil?

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rowan7253d agoMost Upvoted

Found my grandpa's old hammer in a barn sale. Been forging with it ever since, weird how tools pick you.