My cousin watched me forge a knife and said it looked like I was 'angry at the steel'.

I realized I was hammering way too hard, so I switched to lighter, faster strikes. Anyone else get feedback that totally changed their hammer technique?

3 comments

3 Comments

morganj812mo ago

My old shop teacher called that "letting the hammer do the work." He said if you're swinging full force, you're just fighting the rebound. I started aiming for a rhythm where the hammer almost bounces back into the next strike.

lily_gibson202mo ago

Wait, isn't that more about a dead blow hammer? Honestly, with a regular claw hammer, you still need to drive the nail. Tbh, the bounce helps your swing but you can't just rely on it.

hall.charles1mo ago

@lily_gibson20 that's a good point about claw hammers vs dead blows. Forging is a whole different animal though. What changed my technique was realizing I was trying to punish the steel when I needed to invite it to move. Lighter taps let the metal flow instead of fighting back.