Forgot I was supposed to normalize my hammer before forging...

Been making knives for about 2 years now and I always wondered why my tangs kept cracking. Last week I was at a guild meetup in Portland and this old timer watched me hammer out a blade. He asked why I was hitting cold steel with a mushroomed face. Realized I'd been using the same hammer face for months without dressing it. Anyone else ever miss the obvious stuff like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlesanderson1mo ago

Funny how we overlook the basics even when we know better

casey_lane731mo ago

and yeah that hits home, i was just thinking about how i caught myself skipping stretching before a run last week even though i know i always regret it later. i mean it's like we convince ourselves the shortcut won't matter this one time, but it always does somehow. maybe it's just me but i feel like the more you know the easier it is to talk yourself out of doing the simple thing.