My hammer angle was off by 15 degrees for 3 years

Tbh I always set my hammer head square to the handle, figured that was the standard. Then last month I watched a guy work at a demo in Columbus and his hammer landed way flatter with less effort. Turns out I should have been angling the head forward slightly, about 10 to 15 degrees, for better striking control. The tip off was how many times I had to re-hit the same spot to move metal. Now I grind my own heads with that tilt built in and it cuts my forging time by a third. Has anyone else messed around with handle offsets or am I late to this party?

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1 Comment

hugobarnes1mo ago

My 3 year old hammer has zero tilt and works fine for me.