Appreciation post: the old guy who showed me how to hold a hammer properly

I was at a swap meet in Denton a few months back, just looking at old tools. This retiree, maybe 70 years old, saw me gripping a ball pein like I was choking it. He walked over and said, 'you're fighting the tool, son, not using it.' He showed me this trick where you choke up near the head for light taps and slide back for heavy swings. I thought I knew how to hold a hammer after 5 years of smithing, but I was wrong. That one 2-minute chat fixed my aim and saved my elbow from aching after long sessions. Has anyone else had a random stranger at a show or shop change their whole technique?

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1 Comment

paul_mason121mo ago

This old timer at a flea market in Ohio did the same thing for me with a file. I spent years pushing files with my shoulders locked up like I was trying to bench press a barbell. He just walks up, grabs my wrist, and angles my elbow so the file does the work. Felt like a complete idiot when I tried it and realized I'd been fighting a four-dollar tool for a decade. My forearms stopped cramping up after that one little change.