I used to think a heavy hammer was always better for moving metal

For years I swung a 4 pound cross peen on everything, thinking more mass meant more control. Then I watched a guy at the Salt Lake City hammer-in forge a perfect leaf with a 2.5 pound rounding hammer, using way less effort. I tried it myself on a simple scroll and the difference in precision was immediate. I was just muscling metal around before, not actually directing it. Now I keep three different weights by my anvil. Has anyone else had to unlearn a basic tool habit like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo_adams22d ago

Ever think your arm was just a dumb piston attached to a bigger dumb weight? I spent a whole summer trying to draw out a knife blade with a sledgehammer head duct-taped to a handle. My shoulder still clicks when it rains. Turns out a lighter hammer doesn't mean you're weak, it means you're not an idiot.

henryc6422d agoMost Upvoted

Muscling metal around" is exactly why my first tongs looked like modern art.