Hammer Control Tips

S

SpydercoLover

Joined
Feb 14, 2011
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Hello everyone, im new to the art of blacksmithing and am looking for some suggestions on how to improve my hammer control. So far i have made a decent knife blade and a ring. The b;ade is made out of some mild steel and the ring is made from a piece of damascus that my friend had been making but had messed up on and gave to me. The ring looks awesome in my opinion. Im new to this art and am really enjoying it. I've made knife blades before using a bench grinder but this is all new to me. My hope is to make a damascus billet that i will be able to make a beautiful blade out if but till then i need to work on my hammer control. So, if any blacksmiths have some good tips I'd be extremely appreciative, Eric.
 
Controlled Hand Forging Lessons by ABANA - 26 lessons in pdf format can be downloaded via: http://www.abana.org/resources/education/chf.shtml

The lessons are geared toward the blacksmithing community. However, some of the lessons are pertinent to bladesmithing also.

Edited to add: update your profile to include your location, either specific or general. You never know who lives close to you. An hour or half a day with someone who knows how to forge will increase your knowledge base exponentially. Within an hour drive of my location, there are probably 24 knifemakers.. some even forge occassionally.

Further edited to add: Also consider joining a local blacksmithing guild. Check to see if they hold classes for newb's. Some do and some don't. Newbs need classes on hammer control, fire control, etc..
 
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Cool link jorasco!!

I have a library of forging videos that include Tai Goo, Wally Hayes, Hofi, Bruce Evans...etc. Hofi's hammer video has really changed the way I forge from an ergonomic standpoint. Tai's stuff is really cool.(I still have a review to finalize and post on his last two dvds) I urge you to consider ergonomics and hammer efficiency FIRST.... then move to steel manipulation once you are able to forge without hurting yourself. Hofi's dvd is excellent for that.

Another cool way to understand forging is to buy a chunk of modeling clay and use a wooden mallet to smack it around. It really gives you a good idea how the steel moves under the hammer..... no fooling

Rick
 
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Rick Marchand said:
Unless you are hunched over and stressing your joints all to hell. Learn proper ergos. It makes a HUGE difference.
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Granted I've forged only 3 blades. But, the first one was in my garage on my 119# Kohlswa and it was Wayyyyyy too low. The next two were forged under the guidance of Chuck Richards and each one improved over the other. He helped me learn to hammer with my shoulder instead of my elbow. Stuff I'd have never learned on my own.
I second watching videos. I LOVE Hofi's videos. Very helpful. I'm building an anvil stand for my 300# Fisher with 1" plates under it so I can adjust the height until I have it where I want it.
I'd also add hammer selection to helping with control. I have two of Caffrey's angle piens and love them in my limited use.
 
I'm not disagreeing with you guys, but I stand behind the practice of practicing, that means doing it. Surely you guys aren't saying not to try hammering some steel to learn how to hammer some steel?
 
Learn how to use a hammer without hurting yourself for one and the other is practice, practice and more practice....Just no substitute for it..If your looking at doing a lot of Blacksmithing then learn how to use your anvil too..Its a lot more than just a lump of steel..Different parts of it are for different things ;)
 
jorasco312 said:
Controlled Hand Forging Lessons by ABANA - 26 lessons in pdf format can be downloaded via: http://www.abana.org/resources/education/chf.shtml

The lessons are geared toward the blacksmithing community. However, some of the lessons are pertinent to bladesmithing also.

Edited to add: update your profile to include your location, either specific or general. You never know who lives close to you. An hour or half a day with someone who knows how to forge will increase your knowledge base exponentially. Within an hour drive of my location, there are probably 24 knifemakers.. some even forge occassionally.

Further edited to add: Also consider joining a local blacksmithing guild. Check to see if they hold classes for newb's. Some do and some don't. Newbs need classes on hammer control, fire control, etc..
Click to expand...

I bow to the greatness of that link:triumphant:

Rick Marchand said:
Cool link jorasco!!

I have a library of forging videos that include Tai Goo, Wally Hayes, Hofi, Bruce Evans...etc. Hofi's hammer video has really changed the way I forge from an ergonomic standpoint. Tai's stuff is really cool.(I still have a review to finalize and post on his last two dvds) I urge you to consider ergonomics and hammer efficiency FIRST.... then move to steel manipulation once you are able to forge without hurting yourself. Hofi's dvd is excellent for that.

Another cool way to understand forging is to buy a chunk of modeling clay and use a wooden mallet to smack it around. It really gives you a good idea how the steel moves under the hammer..... no fooling

Rick
Click to expand...

I have seen a couple of youtube things from Hofi, and need to really look into it more closely. With my elbow troubles I will need all the help I can get to keep from doing more damage to myself:(
 
Agreed that there is no replacement for practice. But only proper practice makes perfect. 100 hours of properly executed practice can move a person ahead considerably in a new craft. 100 hours of doing things improperly can be at best a reduced learning opportunity, and at worst a permanently disabling exercise.
 
Phil Dwyer said:
I'm not disagreeing with you guys, but I stand behind the practice of practicing, that means doing it. Surely you guys aren't saying not to try hammering some steel to learn how to hammer some steel?
Click to expand...

Kind of... I believe that there's no replacement for doing something... But, doing it wrong can teach you bad muscle memory that takes even longer to unlearn than to initially learn.
I'm sure there are more qualified Smiths to speak to this. I'm sure there are plenty of people who are naturals, I myself find that I tend to use my elbows to lift the hammer vs more of using my shoulder, and I wouldn't have known the difference if Chuck hadn't corrected my technique.

Even if someone wants to be self taught I'd simply suggest the above link(awesome BTW) and watching some Hofi videos etc.
 
Practice is very important but like Brian said, learning it the right way first is easier than unlearning bad habits. Watching videos is a great idea. But learning those little things like letting the hammer rebound and not trying to drive it through the anvil cannot be seen unless pointed out. An accomplished smith works so fast it makes the process look effortless.

One blacksmith friend of mine told me to buy 10 lbs of 6 penny nails. Drive them into a 4x4 then pull them out and straighten them. Also when I started my mentor handed me a piece of 1/4 x 1 x 12" cold rolled. I had to make it square, then make it round then make it square again. That teaches so much about heat control, how the steel moves and really shows you how the hammer need to be used. Spending a day with a smith can cut a bunch of self taught time off the learning curve.
 
The same thing goes with Welding..I was told when I first learned to weld that I needed to weld everytime I had a fire in the pot, and I did...Every day somthing got welded..Chain, basket grips, something..Now welding is second nature..Now I can humbly say I dont even have trouble with "drop-the-tong" welds because of practice...
Learn it right the first time, then practice,practice and keep practicing..BUT if you dont learn it right, you'll just be practicing the wrong way..
 
Lots of good info here for you, I will mention that if you fill in your location info someone may invite you into there shop and give you some one on one tips.

Chuck and Kentucky also have great advise. I get many guys wanting me to teach them whether to be a Farrier which is my day job or bladesmithing which is what I do when not shoeing horses. To teach the new farriers hammer control I have them take old shoes and forge them into bars then make front patterns then back to bars then to hind patterns and they do this when ever the have any free time. One thing to always keep on your mind is where are your elbows, they should always be tucked into your sides.

So get with someone learn right and get to forging.
 
Mike Turner said:
One thing to always keep on your mind is where are your elbows, they should always be tucked into your sides.
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Yes, x 10..Your elbows are the heart of your arm..It should only serve as a pivot, it shouldent be doing any work..I see people forging all the time that make MY arms hurt just watching..Flailing about, trying to destroy the work piece with every hit..You'd think they were kill'n a hog, not moving metal..
Another is having a death grip on the hammer. Thats foolish, it stiffins your arm and wears out your hand. Not to mention what it does to your wrist..Your thumb and the first two fingers should be more than enought to carry 90% of the hammer weight..The other two just kinda guide it along..
One more thing if you swing a hammer and your whole upper body is moving like your bobbing for apples then your wasting huge ammounts of energy..Your body should be relatively still while your forging..What I mean by that is not bouncing around and bobbing your head like a goose..
 
A few techniques that significantly impact(pun intended) my forging....

1. Hold the hammer closer to the head in a relaxed grip with the palm facing down.
2. Keep the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hammer inline
3. Stand straight and UNSTICK the elbow from your side. Most don't understand "elbow at your side" and often "lock" it in, removing the shoulder from the equation. This places all the work/stress on the elbow, while significantly reducing travel and velocity.
4. The hammer head should be traveling in a straight line, controlling power with velocity and travel rather than force applied with the arm.
5. The motion is kind of like throwing a baseball crossed with slapping a tabletop... lol.... try to figure that one out.
6. I almost let go of the hammer at the point for impact.... allowing the rebound to start the upstroke

Oddly enough, it holds the same principles I was taught as a drummer. The techniques carried over well, for me.
 
learn the basics ... how to point barstock,round, flat... how to fuller,draw, upset etc
make several pairs of tongs, s hooks, nails, hinges etc

by then, you should have a good idea if your control is improving

Greg

ps... it takes a little time, but don't worry..... if other people can do it, so can you !!!

take care
 
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