Talking to an old farrier in Kentucky changed my anvil placement

Last weekend I was at a small hammer-in near Lexington and this farrier, must be in his 70s, watched me work for a bit. He said your anvil is too close to the forge, you're cooling the steel before you even start shaping. I moved it back about 3 feet and suddenly my hits felt cleaner, less fighting the metal. Has anyone else messed with anvil distance and noticed a real difference in control?

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derek_ramirez4d ago

My anvil placement is so bad that I basically use it as a fancy table for holding my coffee while I stare at the forge. Moving it back a few feet actually makes sense though, because those extra seconds between fire and hammer give you time to line up your hit instead of rushing. Gonna go measure my setup right now and see if I've been sabotaging myself this whole time.

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