[TheForge] blacksmith question holding hammers

Fri Jul 18 15:38:00 2003

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of A. Vida
Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 2:21 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TheForge] blacksmith question holding hammers

Grover Richardson wrote:
> 
> I have found that unless I hold the hammer extremely hard, it tends to
slip out of my hands while hammering.

	Either you're doing something wrong, the helve is too slippery,
or like me, you're Mr. Wimpy Smith.

Wimpy Smith<G>.  I don't hammer but about 3 times a month on the same
weekend, so it's seriously off and on hammering.  And I swing the hammer
sort of hard, or so it seems.  It's not slippery, except from sweat.
Someone said a while back to put wax on the handle (don't remember who
or where) and I tried it a while.  Wound up making blisters where the
meat of the hand stuck to the handle and the rest of the hand moved
around<G>.  Removed it rather quickly.

> Even then, I have to keep moving my hand up the shaft.  I could take a
grinder to the handle and make a 
> knob on the end of it, but this seemed a bit radical, particularly if
I do it wrong.

	Checker the helve.  Get a checkering tool from a gunsmith supply
and go to it.  If after that you're still slipping, you probably
	need to find something else to do. :) :) :)

I worry about making the handle rough and making blisters.  Especially
since I don't hammer every day to build up a calous (spelling).