A demo at the state fair made me switch to a different hammer weight

I was watching a guy from a shop in Boise work on a gate hinge at the fair last month. He was using a 2.5 pound cross peen for the whole job, drawing out the metal way faster than I ever could. I always used a 3 pound hammer for that kind of work, thinking heavier was better. After seeing his control and speed, I tried his method on a simple leaf project at home. It took half the time and my arm didn't feel like it was going to fall off. Has anyone else found a lighter hammer works better for certain forging steps?

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wren8062h ago

Yeah, the "control and speed" part really hits home. I was the same way, always grabbing the heaviest hammer I could swing for everything. Thought it was about brute force. Watching a skilled smith work changed that completely. Now I keep a lighter cross peen on the rack for drawing out, and my work is cleaner with way less fatigue.