Got shown up by a 70 year old farrier at a hammer-in last month

I was at this hammer-in near Boise, Idaho, feeling pretty good about my bottle opener blanks. Then this old farrier named Bill walks over, picks up my work, and just says "your shoulders are too tight." He showed me how he lets the hammer do 90% of the work by relaxing his grip and using his whole body instead of just his arm. I tried his method on a piece of 1/2 inch round stock and I got a clean taper in like 4 heats instead of my usual 8. He also told me to quit using shop towels for flattening and just use a scrap piece of leather instead. Anyone else have a random old timer change the way you swing a hammer?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee62718d ago

Man, that Bill sounds like a real gem. I had a similar thing happen with an old carpenter at a flea market. He watched me struggling to drive a nail straight and just handed me his hammer. Thing was way lighter than mine but he made it look effortless. Said I was gripping too hard and using my whole arm instead of just snapping my wrist. Changed my whole day. Those little tricks from guys who've been doing it 50 years are pure gold.

dylanh9717d ago

That old timer Bill sounds like he knows his stuff! I had a similar wake up call from a retired machinist at a scrap yard of all places. I was grinding down a chisel with way too much pressure and killing the edge fast. He walked over and just said "let the wheel eat, don't feed it." Told me to take lighter passes and use a steady back and forth motion instead of pushing hard against the wheel. Once I switched it up my grinds got way cleaner and I stopped burning the steel. It's wild how one little tip from a guy who has done it forever can save you years of bad habits.