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Shoutout to the welder who told me my hammer faces were too smooth.
I spent years grinding my hammer faces to a mirror finish because I thought it looked clean and professional. Then I brought a few hammers to a local weld shop for some repair work, and the old timer there asked if I was making jewelry or blacksmithing. He said a slick face on a hammer just slides off the metal, it doesn't grab and move it like you want. I thought he was being too rough, but I tried his tip. I left a slight crosshatch texture, maybe 60 grit, on the face of my rounding hammer. Next time I was drawing out a piece of mild steel on the anvil, the hammer bit into the metal way better, no slipping. It felt like I had more control with each hit. Has anyone else gotten pushback on a shop tip that ended up being right?
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aaron7088d ago
Mirror finish sounds nice but that old timer knew his stuff. The texture gives way more bite and control on every swing. Ever try a slightly rougher grit like 40 for heavy drawing?
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