David Einhorn Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 I have had hand and shoulder surgery, so I very much love my Hofi hammers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug C Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Each time I take a class I realize how little I know but I also realize that I have a lot to learn which means more time doing something I love. I learn much from the instructor but also learn from my fellow students. I have come to appreciate that everyone looks at the same problem or result differently and everyone has something to say that may help me. I think the other important thing to do is when asked your thoughts or opinions give an honest answer. The best that can happen is you may have given someone perspective they did not have the worst, you may learn a lot my the responses you get. The short point is everyone has something to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironrosefarms Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 This is a good thread, including the discussion on the hammers. For myself I make it a point to look at the gallery here on IFI and it is a quick reminder nearly every day of how little I know or have tried. Brings to mind a quote my great grandmother used to say when I was little... "At what point I stop learning, I suppose you can close the lid, for obviously I must be dead." James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mesquiteforge Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Hell-Advice is why I am here....I consider myself to be a sponge-floating around where ever I can and soaking up as much knowledge as possible. You never, ever, stop learning. In this craft-you can glean ideas from the most unlikely places. I am relatively young-a lot of people my age talk too much and do not realize what great amounts of knowledge surround them. Welcome any advice-regardless of how it comes to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dief Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Anyday (which should be everyday) you learn something is a great day! I usually learn a good deal more from my "failures" than my successes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgemaster Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 When I was a 16 year old 1st year apprentice an old smith told me, "Son, the only time that you stop learning is when you're dead". I can normally learn something from every smith that I visit, even if its only "thats a bad way to do that", at least now I know that my way is better. On hammers I watched a drawn out contest a couple of years ago. The rules are still the same, use a hammer that you can control, and is comfortable for you to use, keep the steel hot, only work on the bit that you can finish in that heat, work the metal, don't just bludgeon it to death, make the hammer an extension of your arm. I saw blokes using a 7lb hammer to try to draw out 1/2 round, they lasted about 2 minutes before they cramped up, I saw others that just bashed their piece of steel anywhere, they achieved not much, I saw some that used a tack hammer and tried to go as fast as a sewing machine, they cramped up too, others whaled into their steel till it was as cold as charity. You can normally hear a good smith working before you see him. Steady rythmn, make every blow count, don't drop the hammer below the face of the anvil, (you just have to lift it up again). Rabbled on enough now. Cheers Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwin Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Blacksmithing is about graceful movement (of both the smith and the steel) and that comes from using technique that is sustainable in effort and affective in moving steel. It is not about "my hammer is bigger than yours". It is about producing a product efficiently and repetitively, and one key to doing that is finding a hammer of the best size and configuration for you. There is a point at which a small hammer requires more effort for less effect, and it seems like that point tends to occur when you start getting below two pounds. There are many factors that influence one's hammer size and I am not telling anyone what they need to do. I recommend studying technique, and figuring out what works well and why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I highly recommend watching a tape of a presentation by Hofi on how he uses his hammers. If I remember correctly he posted an explanation somewhere on this forum. I was privileged to attend a presentation he gave locally on his hammer technique. If I remember correctly he tapered a large steel bar, at least one inch square, to a point... in one heat! He made a lot of converts that day. He got an incredible amount of work done in one heat with a hammer that was not very large. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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