ironrosefarms Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I'm having some pain after hammering and wondering if anyone has had similar issues and can give some suggestions on ways to reduce he discomfort. After hammering for some time my hand on the palm side just below the middle finger and ring finger (mostly below the middle) will tend to feel almost bruised. It is also not uncommon for those two fingers and occasionally the index finger as well to feel stiff after hammering or a few other activities. Since I am still working myself back from being away for 2 years following a motorcycle wreck and dealing with hand and other issues, I have thought maybe I am simply holding the hammer to tight? I've tried to loosen my grip intentionally but I don't really know that it helps and there is something uncomfortable about it as well plus it did not seem to make it better. I don't typically wear gloves at the forge but have thought about trying some what I've seen called mechanics gloves that have some padding in that and other parts of the hand. Anyone else with similar issues? If you click on the picture it has a red circle of the area of discomfort... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer3j Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Take a look at Hofi's tutorial/blueprint on grip. And, the gel in some motorcycle gloves would likely help. I have to watch my hands-they have been banged up pretty badly in a couple of racing crashes and before I sold off my last bike I wore them.mike t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 Thanks Racer3j, I've read the Hofi tutorial but maybe I need to go back and read again??? Had not thought about the gel bike gloves either, I might have a pair around, I think I got a pair for Christmas several years back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDJ Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 No Idea if it will help or not but I find I have to use a thinner handle on most of my hammers. The ones that come with them are usually too fat for my hand and will cause discomfort especially around the base of my thumb and index finger and across the lower portion of my hand. Try using a much smaller (tac) hammer for a little bit and see if the handle feels better, if so try trimming an old hammer/handle down to fit your hand better and see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 modify you handles so there is a positive stop at the pack end of the handle so you don't have to hold your hammer in a death grip. As my family runs to arthritis and I'm in my 50's I'm training myself to use a much lighter grip and sometimes will even have the handle sliding through my hand to reposition it on an upstroke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctraugh2005 Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I got a pair of impact gloves from work. They have a jell palm to them which reduses the impact to your hand. This works well when I am using my Impact wrenches. It should work well for your situation also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptree Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I suffer some hand and wrist and elbow issues. I thin my handles, sand them smooth and ensure no bumps, left over labels etc. I also rub bee's wax on the handles. When your warm hand warms the bee's wax it gets a little sticky and improves the grip without requiring one to increase muscle grip. Since I am mostly holding the hammer with my little and ring finger due to the other two fingers not working right I need the help with grip. I also swing high. That is I lift the hammer head high, up near the ear, and mostly control the drop. This saves the elbows and wrists as well as the hand. I am still able to hit nice and hard, and it no longer hurts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 That sure is bad to have sore hands. I try not to have death grip but not so loose that it flies off some where. My sore point is my thumb, second joint up from the nail. I fell and landed on a rock ten years ago and it still bothers me. I have not had problems with my wrist and elbow like some because I give my blow power from the shoulder not the flipping of my wrist. That jell padded glove sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-hr Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 A couple pulls of single-malt scotch at the end of the day makes all those little stingers seem secondary. It's a good honest worthy pain, embrace it and congradulate yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 I learned the hard way that standing too far from the anvil forces you elbow to hyper-extend. This leads to tennis elbow (or blacksmiths elbow). It took a year for mine to heal. Stand close, keep your elbows close to your ribcage, drive the hammer down, don't hold the hammer too tight. Use painkillers in moderation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted October 13, 2008 Author Share Posted October 13, 2008 I appreciate the input, I just got my Hofi 2.75 pound hammer and the handle is a bit more boxy than my others, but I notice it causes me to hold it a bit different. I can't find my biker gel gloves that I think I have around. I'll probably go and pick up a pair of mechanics gloves this week, but will still try the Hofi handle without gloves too to see how the shape of it compared to what I am using now. I tend to gravitate toward my lighter hammers but one thing I had to do is replace the handle on my favorite little cross pein, I didn't throw away the old handle yet so I may compare it to the new one and see if it is drastically different. Might have to take it to the grinder? I like the bees wax idea as well, I usually lightly sand the shellac off when I use a store bought handle as I don't like the feel of it. Lots of good ideas and I'll post in as I try them out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegnome Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 I use a product called flexall it is pain relieving gel with menthol. I get this at the local drug store and it costs about 5 dollars for a bottle. It smell like bengay but rubs in quicker and has menthol in it so watch the cuts and nick. I do not get a chance to forge often and when I do a local fair for a week straight I hurt from my elbows down. This helps. I also found that I use medical tape on the handles for added grip and I do not hold them as tight. Firegnome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted October 17, 2008 Author Share Posted October 17, 2008 Firegnome, oooh I'm afraid this ones not for me. I tried a similar product with menthal and it set me on fire or so it felt. My wife kept saying it's supposed to feel that way, so I tried to cope for about 10 minutes then I couldn't get it washed off fast enough and it wasn't easy to get off. Everyplace it was placed was a bright cherry red for nearly a week after that. Don't know why it effected me that way, my wife uses it and flexall with no problems, but not me... Recently my wife had used some flexall after mowing and without thinking she put her hand on my bare shoulder and it started to burn, washed immediately and you could see the pink hand print of where her hand had touched me for a couple days... James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDJ Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Sounds like you are allergic or have a high sensitivity to it, I would just tell everyone she slapped me! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 To me it looks like some sort of rash or maybe microscopic chip of material. I have had quite a few in my hands over them years,some dissolved,some not. When inserted in skin some hurt like hell for some time and others weirdly enough no. Some acupuncturic crossings?Dunno...did anyone suggest aloe vera? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted October 17, 2008 Author Share Posted October 17, 2008 Jan the picture I used isn't my hand, just a model to put a circle on to show where the pain runs. It feels like it is bruised when it acts up. Life has taken over for the moment and I haven't had a chance to get out to the forge so as soon as I do I'll report back on use of the Hofi hammer, and any other things I do... James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Stegmeier Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Lots of material for comment on here;-) and lots of experience in this area. What has worked for me is deliberate attention to my technique, and maintaining a relaxed grip... Even when I am swinging the hammer with a particular "set" ie faceting , or beveling blows, or pulling side clips. As far as changes to your equipment: Gloves can add to your problem, so be very careful with them. There is a reason why most smiths sport a "michael jacksonesque" look with a glove on their off hand. It help protect the hand from the heat and scale burns, and doesn't interfer with the grip on the hammer. Ptree will remember the exact % but as I remember you have to grip 60% harder to feel like you have the same amount of control when wearing a glove... If you do try a gel glove you will likely need to thin your hammer hafts more to achieve the right thickness for your ideal grip "diameter." As for hammer hafts I like flat sides on the haft, so I ca easily index where the head is. I use both a long fairly thin octagonal facted haft with a cross section like a slightly flattened oval, and the flat short hofi style handle. Too fat a handle and my hand will give trouble for weeks or more, with a very similiar pain to what you have described but I had numbness going back into the wrist as well. Too thin a handle and the pain tended to be in the center of the palm, also less than ideal. If this is a new problem that seemed to show after re-handling your favorite hammer, I would suspect that justed did dress the handle before you mounted it, and it is just too fat. The other susgestions might help also, but be careful about the gloves like I said. I always have trouble when I try to swing a hammer with gloves on... Ergonomics and anvil position are important and can be a significant source of issues. Many people if not most people set their anvils too high, and have to compensate some way to land a flat blow. Most people don't trust their eyes and want to get closer to their work it inspect the results of their blows as they are forging, so they either raise their anvil too high, and/or hunch or "mantel" over their anvil. As mentioned above there is the issue of standing too far away from the anvil, often combined with "chicken flaping". Good form generally has you standing up straight fairly close to the anvil with your elbow fairly close to your body with the hammer going up and down. (And for those who have seen me demonstrate, this is another case of do as I say not as I do;-) I manage to start forging with good form, but as the process takes over I just force my body into whatever position it takes to get the job done... The perils of learning to forge without a strong tradition, or a good teacher to point out the pitfalls... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mesquiteforge Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 I do not know all of the science behind how they work, but I wear one of these ace wraps on my hammer arm (fore arm). My interpretation of how it works is that it keeps the blood in your arm from moving back and forth as you swing your arm. If you keep good blood flow in your arm and prevent a lot of the blood from escaping into your upper arm then you can end the day with minimal pain. The pic of the wrap is the one I use. The other pic is one in use by the man that told me about them-Dave Koenig of the Houston Area Blacksmith Association. A combination of all of the above techniques, ergonomics, and equipment should give you some relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 A lot of you guys are talking about using Flexall ant other analgesic balm type stuff most of which stays of the surface of your skin ...I tried Blue Emu; it penetrates your skin gets down to where the pain is...I find for me it works quite well. It cost a bit more, and there are several type out there ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 Fionnbharr, great post... I've always hated wearing gloves and honestly though I have gone to buy a pair of mechanics gloves twice I have yet to purchase a pair... I keep thinking I'm going to get some forge time in but it just hasn't been possible. Your post brought up an idea about form and I'm going to start a new thread to get some ideas on it. As for the hofi style handle, it seems bazaar to most but I have been playing with that hammer a lot... I keep telling my self that it's because it's new, because of the cost, because, because, because... but I really am drawn to the feel of that handle and the weight distribution. If I don't get to lay it into some hot iron soon, I may go nutz... alright I am already nutz but it's a good kind of nutz! James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug C Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 James, I spent about 5 hours with my new Hofi Hammer on Sunday. I really liked the feel of the handle, especially when I maintained a loose grip. It was pretty uncomfortable when I used the Grip-O-Death. Also found that by using the looser grip I was moving metal much faster. I also found that the balance of the hammer made it easier to control. I know that everyone has their favorite style of hammer but I would imagine that a well balanced one, regardless of style, with a handle that is comfortable for the user and used with good form will help prevent or reduce hand pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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