Old blacksmith told me to stop using my cross peen for set downs

I was at a hammer-in near Portland last summer and this guy with 40 years experience watched me struggle with a drift. He said "you're making extra work for yourself" and showed me how to use a rounding hammer instead. Anyone else get called out for using the wrong hammer for a job?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_clark11d ago

...so did he actually say why the cross peen was giving you trouble, or did he just show you the rounding hammer and leave it at that?

hill.troy11d ago

Could be the cross peen geometry is just wrong for how he grips his hammer. Some folks choke way up on the handle for fine work and the angle of the peen hits different than if you hold it lower. That rounding hammer might have a better balance point for his particular swing arc. Also hardly anyone talks about how the weight distribution along the head itself affects the peen's striking angle. the cross peen might be top heavy in a way that makes it harder to hit that exact spot without bouncing.