Rant: I was dead set against using a power hammer until I saw one in action last month

I always figured hand forging was the only real way to learn the trade, but a guy at a shop in Pittsburgh let me watch him run a 25-pound Little Giant for an hour. The way he controlled the metal with that thing, getting consistent tapers in half the time, made me rethink my whole stubborn attitude. Has anyone else here switched from hand to power and felt like they wasted years fighting the steel?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.reese2mo ago

Honestly same here man. I was convinced hand hammers were the only way to build good muscle memory and feel for the steel. Watched a buddy at a local shop run a 30lb LG on a leaf spring project and he was done before I'd even have my first heat set up proper. Made me feel pretty dumb for being so stubborn about it for like 5 years.

mason.paige2mo ago

The LG makes you realize how much time you waste babying the steel (plus your arm is way less tired at the end of the day). It's almost embarrassing how fast you can shape a leaf spring once you let the hammer do the heavy lifting.

dylan_patel1d ago

How is letting a machine do half the work gonna teach you what you're actually doing to the steel? You can watch a power hammer all day but your hands won't know the difference between a good hit and a bad one unless you've swung ten thousand hammers yourself. The guys who skip hand forging never learn how to feel the metal go dead or when it's about to crack from a cold blow. Power hammers just cover up bad technique with speed, and then you wonder why your welds look like garbage or your twists snap off. I've seen too many guys jump on a LG and think they're hot stuff til they have to fix a mistake with a hand hammer and can't even set a straight centerline. If you can't make a clean leaf spring taper with a 2 pound hammer and some patience, you don't deserve the shortcut.