I spent two years hammering my bevels at a 45-degree angle before a demo changed my mind

I was at a demo in St. Louis last fall and the smith was forging a chef's knife. He kept his hammer blows much lower, maybe at a 20-degree angle off the anvil face. I tried it the next day and my bevels came out twice as clean with half the grinding. It made me realize I'd been fighting my own technique. Now I'm torn between sticking with the new method or going back to what's muscle memory. Has anyone else had a basic forging angle tip that flipped their work around?

2 comments

2 Comments

seth_martinez2120d ago

That "fighting my own technique" part really hits home. Sometimes the old muscle memory is just working against what the tool wants to do naturally. You might find the new angle sticks for good once you stop overthinking it.

laura_mitchell6020d ago

My buddy switched to a new controller layout and kept losing matches for a week. He was so mad, blaming the game. Then he just gave up trying to force his old moves and let his hands relax. Suddenly his combos were cleaner than ever. It was like his brain needed to unclench before the new way could click.