17
Old timer told me my hammer faces were too convex
Back when I started 12 years ago a retired smith watched me work at a demo in Nashville. He said my hammer faces had more curve than a country road and I was leaving crescent dents in everything. I was stubborn at first but finally flattened them down to about a 4 inch radius. Took me a month to adjust but my surface work got way cleaner. Anybody else get a basic tool tip that took forever to actually sink in?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
noraj7928d ago
Does a 4 inch radius really give you that much cleaner work though? I've kept my hammer faces a bit rounder on purpose because I find it helps me move metal faster without chasing flat spots. My hammer control got way better when I learned to work with the curve instead of fighting it.
2
paigewood28d ago
...and that's exactly why I've got a drawer full of hammers with different faces, cause I can't commit to just one. @noraj79 I think you're onto something with the rounder faces, I swapped to a tighter radius for a while and ended up leaving crescent moon dents all over a piece I was real proud of. Had to grind it all down and start fresh, which taught me that my clumsy ass needs all the forgiveness I can get out of a hammer face. The 4 inch radius feels like it bullies the metal a little less and lets me get away with being sloppy, which honestly is my whole vibe.
8