My hammer arm was always sore until I watched a farrier at the state fair

I was working on a set of fireplace tools last month, and my shoulder felt wrecked after just an hour. I figured it was normal. Then I saw a farrier at the state fair doing a demo, and his swing looked totally different. He wasn't using his arm much at all, it was all in the wrist and a snap from the elbow. I tried it on a piece of 1/2 inch square stock, and it was like night and day. The metal moved easier and my arm didn't ache. How many of you had to unlearn a bad hammer swing?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wesley6d ago

Disagree completely, sometimes you just need a stronger arm. I spent years swinging a sledge for demo work and my power always came from a full shoulder commitment, not a little wrist flick. That farrier is working on a small, precise anvil, not driving a spike or moving real mass. For heavy strikes on big stock, that elbow-snap technique @stellawood mentioned would just bounce off. You can't forge a large drift or set a hardy tool with just your wrist. Different jobs need different swings.

stellawood6d ago

Right? I had the same moment watching an old blacksmith, my whole technique was just arm-flailing.