Poll, Do you tap your anvil?

[ThomasPowers]

Emmert Studebaker when he was in his 90's taught me how to tap "Shave and a Haircut, 2 bits" on the anvil with a fairly light ballpein and an anvil with good rebound to get a fast stutter for the first part and tap the horn for the last 2 beats.

I sometimes do that at demo's to amuse the crowd or bring folks near---I use a loud ringing anvil for demos as advertisement.

It also reminds me of Emmert, a true gentleman and smith! If he sets the bar for getting into heaven, I'd better do all my smithing with coal to get used to a high sulfur environment!

[geofthesmith]

i tap 3 times when i start working and after i clean up, im a man of tradition

[ironrosefarms]

Originally Posted by jayco

Once in a while, I swing and MISS! But that doesn't count.
...

The funny thing is,if I'm nailing a sheet of plywood or wood flooring of something, I DO tap between nails......and keep rythm.

I tend to tap only when turning work, not something I do conciously though...

Jayco, your statement about missing brought to mind working last time I was working I missed the hot work striking the anvil full swing while using a 2 lb cross pein. I forgot how much rebound a hammer can have and almost caught it in my forehead!

A couple years ago I was helping a master carpenter in building some office space in our church... He really got irritated as between nails I occasionally double tapped the OSB we was laying... He really didn't care where the habit came from, just that it was incredibly annoying to him...

[unkle spike]

I never conciously tap the anvil, an occasional mis-swing, but nothing on purpose.
Demo's, some limited tapping, too much is annoying to me, so I can imagine the crowd wouldn't like it either.

[jayco]

IronRoseFarms.........yeah I do miss once in a while.
I usually don't miss a piece of 1 in. flat stock with a 2 lb. hammer or anything like that,
but if I'm drawing out a little tab on something and using only the edge of the hammer face or only half the pein on a cross pein, i can make a 'clean miss' !

Also, I could use more practice time!

James

[keeplokd]

I was told by my FIRST teacher to never strike the anvil face with the hammer, although I saw him plenty of times get in a "rest stroke" on his own anvil. I think the idea was he didn't want a bunch of punk kids beating the xxxx out of the schools anvils.

I've SINCE been taught that a "rest stroke" gives you a pause to think or figure where you need to hit or turn or whatever while maintaining your rhythm and giving your arm a brief rest.

I don't see anything wrong with a "double tap" off the work once in a while.

And I've been around many smiths for many years... this is the first time I've heard about the "superstitions" surrounding the shop. Hofi states he kisses his hammer, then walks around his anvil, then repeats 7 times. Someone here stated they kiss their hammer too. Now the 3 taps in the morning and 3 more when you're done.

Anyone care to start a new thread just about the blacksmith-related superstitions? I'm -afraid- to start any new traditions/superstitions in my shop... I don't think my OCD can take any more "patterns".

Bill

[Doug C]

I don't intentionally tap the anvil though I have caught myself doing it if I am hammering rhythmically. One smith I worked with gave me the dickens for rhythmic hammering. Said that it caused you to hammer more than you needed or not where needed because you naturally want to keep the rhythm instead of turning the piece.

[ornametalsmith]

I'm also a "tapper". it's a rhythm... momentum thing for me. Never have done the superstitious tappin.

[nthe10ring]

I usually tap the anvil when im turning the work. I dont really think about it but notice that I do, guess its a rythum thing.

Jerry