Loading…
3
Why does nobody talk about the old guy who showed me how to read a hammer's bounce at a demo in Tulsa?
I was at a small demo in Tulsa about a year ago and this older smith named Walt watched me pounding away on a piece of 1/2 inch round stock. He didn't say anything about my hammer or my anvil, he just told me to close my eyes and listen to the rebound off the steel. He said the bounce tells you if the metal is moving or if you're just beating on it, and I honestly blew him off at the time. About 3 weeks later I was working on a set of tongs and the strike felt dead, and I remembered what he said, so I eased up and the steel started moving again. It was a tiny thing, maybe 10 seconds of advice, but it saved me from wrecking that piece. Walt passed away in January and I never got to tell him it clicked. Does anyone else have a moment like that from a demo or a chance meeting?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
patricia_bennett2617d ago
Man, this hit me. I had a similar thing at a hammer-in down in Arkansas maybe six years back. An old timer grabbed my wrist mid swing and just said "let the hammer do the work, your arm is lying to you." I was so annoyed at the time, felt like he was calling me weak. Fast forward a couple months and I'm drawing out a bottle opener, arms burning, and his words popped in my head. Loosened my grip and let the head fall and the steel moved like butter. Never saw the guy again, don't even know his name. It's wild how the smallest thing from a stranger sticks with you way longer than any class you pay for. Sorry about Walt. Sounds like he knew exactly what he was doing.
3