Old timer in Ohio showed me how to read hammer scale patterns

I was working a demo at a fair outside Columbus last summer and this retired blacksmith walked up. He pointed at the ground and said "you're striking from your shoulder too much, watch the scale pattern." Sure enough, the flakes were all landing in a tight cluster instead of spreading. That one tip saved me from buying a new anvil stand because I was about to blame the setup.

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly.robin20d ago

That thing about the scale pattern landing in a tight cluster is GOLD. I've been forging for about 8 years now and I never even THOUGHT to look at where the scale goes. It's like reading tea leaves but for your hammer technique. You can actually tell if you're chasing the work instead of letting the hammer do the work by how far the scale spreads. If it's all piling up right where you're hitting, you're holding tension in your arm and not following through. That old timer probably saved you from a lot of wasted elbow grease. I'm gonna start watching my scale pattern today.

william40720d ago

Whoa wait, hold on. You're saying you've been forging for 8 years and never checked your scale? That kinda blows my mind, not gonna lie. I've only been at this for about 3 years and an old timer showed me that trick on my second month. It really does change everything once you see where it's landing. Have you noticed a big difference already in how your arm feels after a session since you started watching it?