Old timer showed me his hammer collection last spring

I was at a hammer-in up near Lancaster, Pennsylvania back in April and this guy named Vern pulled me aside to show me a 150 year old rounding hammer his granddad used. He tapped it on the anvil and said 'listen to that ring, that's a real tool' and I swear I got chills from the sound. Anyone else have a moment like that with an old smith that just sticks with you?

3 comments

3 Comments

amyh213d ago

Wait, he actually hit a 150 year old hammer on an anvil just to show you the sound? That's insane. I mean I get it, the ring tells you everything about the steel and the heat treat, but my heart would have been in my throat watching him tap an antique like that. My granddad had a similar old rounding hammer and he would have skinned me alive if I even looked at it wrong, let alone struck it against anything. Vern must have trusted you a whole lot to do that, or maybe he just knew the hammer was built tougher than we give it credit for. That kind of confidence in old tools, it's something you just don't see with the new production stuff these guys carry around.

the_blair18h ago

Stood there myself once watching a guy test a vintage drill press with a railroad spike, scared the hell out of me but it rang like a bell too. @keith264 asked the right question though, I still wonder what Vern would have said if that head did crack, probably just shrugged and grabbed another one from the pile.

keith2642d ago

You ever ask him what he'd do if the head cracked?