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Went to a reenactment village and watched a guy try to forge a knife from a railroad spike
Honestly, it was painful to watch. He spent 20 minutes hammering the thing cold before someone told him to actually heat it up. Has anyone else seen this kind of thing at those living history places?
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sethr1115d ago
Did the guy at least wear safety glasses? I saw a blacksmithing demo once where the dude was using a railroad spike and his hammer head flew off halfway through, nearly hit a kid in the front row. Nobody checked the handle wedge before he started swinging.
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jamiew8315d ago
Oh man, @sethr11 that's terrifying. I've had a similar scare at a demo where the smith's hammer head came loose on the third swing - went flying past a guy's ear. What worked for me was just getting into the habit of checking the wedge before every session, even if it feels like overkill. I tap the handle on the anvil and listen for a solid thud, and if it sounds hollow or feels loose, I soak the wedge in water to swell it up tight. Saves a lot of near misses and keeps the crowd from ducking for cover.
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