Russian blacksmith tecnique

[rashid11]

one of very common ones is where an older master bladesmith
operates the tongs and a smallish hammer. Right next to him is
a young muscular buck (apprentice) that swings the big hammer,
holding it with both hands.

So the master would turn the piece to his liking and indicate,
with a slight tap, where he want the blow to go and that's where
the apprentice would then hit with his hammer.

Sometimes the two would establish quite a rythm going with
master doing double taps in a Ding -Ding- BANG pattern


Anything similar in Western blacksmithing ?

 

[Don Hanson III]

Most bladesmiths over here work alone but I've been around a number of blacksmiths that use this same technique.

I use a power hammer

 

[fitzo]

The apprentice is called a "striker" and is common in a number of traditions, including Western/Euro and Japanese. Sometimes there are two strikers and things get downright syncopated.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I had the privilege of being Dr.Jim Batson's striker at the Moran Hammer-in last fall.I wielded a 10 pound maul behind his 3# hammer.You can really work out a billet fast that way.It takes a little bit of practice and a lot of trust in the striker.
I have used this method to get an observer to participate in a forging demo.I give them a 3# hammer and have them follow my blows.Start off slow and rhythmical.As the speed builds up it gets fun.It is the most impressive on a sword blade.My 4# hammer does most of the work,and erases the strike marks of the lighter hammer.I use a waltz beat,1-2-3,1-2-3, with my hammer on one,the striker on two and no hit on three (lets the striker raise his hammer) ding,BANG,...,ding,BANG,... On the tenth blow by the striker we stop.That is about all the strikes you can get in on one heat.

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

I have a buddy who is a ferrier and 1/2 of a team that competes forging draft horse shoes for timed competition.
Really fun to watch!

 

[kricket]

Last year, at Larry Harley's hammer-in, they had a mastersmith with 3 strikers. It was like music when they got a rythm going. A lot of steel can be moved in a short amount of time using this tecnique.

 

[deker]

This was very common in western smithing (especially before the industrial era). Somewhere online the national archives has posted movies of large forge welding being done by teams of 12-15 strikers working in a circle. I wish I could find the link. 15 guys swinging 15lb. hammers in rapid sucession and managing not to kill each other sure is something to see...

-d