I finally stopped trying to hammer red hot steel like it was cold and saved my shoulders

For like 5 years I was gripping my hammer way too tight on every swing, thinking I needed all this force to move the metal. Last week at a workshop in Portland, a guy watched me for 2 minutes and said 'dude, let the heat do the work, your hammer is just guiding it.' I loosened up my grip and cut my swing count on a 3/8ths square bar from like 50 to 15 hits. Total game changer for my elbow and my anvil. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized you were just overpowering everything?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarahsullivan2d ago

Jumped into blacksmithing a few years back and wrecked my shoulder trying to muscle every piece of steel into submission. My mentor finally grabbed my wrist mid swing and said "stop fighting it, you're not a sledgehammer." I realized I was gripping so tight my knuckles were white after every session. Started focusing on timing and letting the metal's own heat do the pushing, same as you. Now I can work a whole day without ice on my elbow, and my anvil actually has a nice ring instead of a dull thud.

jamesmason2d agoOG Member

Hey @sarahsullivan, did you ever try switching to a lighter hammer? I had a similar shoulder issue and dropping down to a 2 pounder let me focus on speed and heat management instead of just brute force.