what makes a Hofi Hammer so great

[thingmaker3]

duh! Just had me a revalation.

It's much less to do with how fast the hammer descends & a whole lot to do with how fast the hammer gets slowed down by the hot steel!!

Probably was obvios to most of you.

[Ian]

It took me a fair while to read through this thread but I'm glad I did because there's a couple of things I can add. Whether or not they're of value will be debated I'm sure.
Regarding the dumbel comments, or adding weight to the back of a hammer. It's been done already. Glenn Moon (MOONY) told me that in his days as an apprentice he saw some of the older Smiths at his company (BHP Australia) using long handled hammers that had holes bored into the shafts at the base, these were filled with lead rods that were beaten in so they didn't come out. They were mainly used as planishing hammers I believe, held mainly with the thumb and forefinger about halfway up the shaft and 'rocked' up and down to strike. No twirling batons, these were used over a full 8 hour day with a lot less fatigue placed on the smiths forearms and wrists. You can ask him to explain in more detail.

I use a similar grip for my own swing, the fingers I use to hold my hammer are my index finger and my thumb, in a sort of divers 'ok' gesture. I allow the weight of the hammer head to tip the remaininder of the shaft back into the three 'open' fingers of my hand. When I lift the hammer to it's heighest point the butt of the hammer is almost vertical, my down swing comes from my toes. There's a slight twist of my torso (as when you throw a good punch)then my shoulder rotates then my elbow and at the last second I close my hand and flex my wrist so the hammer head whips through. At point of impact my grip loosens back to the divers ok, with my other fingers 'just' holding the hammer to control it so I get the rebound. That final whip does add a fair amount of additional force.
I developed that swing from watching a LOT of smiths and seeing what seemed to work and what didn't. I don't lay claim to have discovered the 'best' swing as some do, just a swing that works when it comes to hitting hard without working hard.
I show students my swing by using a piece of thick plywood and a ball pein. how deep the mark is with just using the wrist, just the elbow, just the shoulder, then elbow and wrist, then shoulder, elbow and wrist and then finally my way. All the swings at as close to the same speed as I can. I show them the dents in the wood. My way is the deepest dent. After that I try to guide them but finally I'll let them find their own swing as long as it's not going to blow them out

[firebug]

Ian,
It is that final whip or pivot of the hammer between the thumb and first two fingers just before it strikes the steel that allows the head to speed up faster than it would if you had a firm grip around the handle and relied just on wrist action alone to increase velocity. I believe that science backs up the statement that the higher the velocity of the hammer head the more work you can do. When I said that you can do more work with a lighter hammer being swung at a higher velocity than a heavier hammer I meant that, but within certain perimeters. In no way do I believe that you will do more work with a 3 pound hammer as compared to a 5 pound hammer as long as the velocity between them are at least close. What I meant was, the same person could pick up a 2.7 pound hammer and swing it at a faster rate than a 3 pound hammer and be able to do more work. I am only talking about a small overall difference in weight mainly to demonstrate that the velocity does figure into the amount of work that gets done. It's not just about weight. Now there may be a bigger difference in this when we are speaking of two different people swinging the same type of hammer. One could forge with a 3 pound hammer and do more work than a person swinging a 4 pound hammer simply because the second individual my have a much slower swing than the first.

We should try and work throughout the day as smartly as we can so that at the end of the day we are not wore out any more than need be. I believe that the hammer and your swing are two of the most important things you use and do. Therefore it would be wise for all of us to scrutinize each and do our best to improve them if possible.

I believe your swing is like mine which I believe is one of the best ways to swing a hammer. I am not here to point a finger at anyone that does not believe like me. I just want to explain in detail the way I swing which is the way that I was taught by Hofi. I like your demonstration with the ball peen and plywood too. I may have to give it a try.

[dbrandow]

I believe that science backs up the statement that the higher the velocity of the hammer head the more work you can do.

For the record, mass increases linearly, so doubling the mass doubles the force, whereas doubling the velocity increases the amount of force by a factor of four, not two. That being said, it may still be easier to quadruple the weight of the hammer and maintain velocity than it is to double the velocity.

[thingmaker3]

Of curiosity, does anybody know how much an average smith's arm weighs?