Old timer told me to hit the steel before it looks ready

Back in 2018 I was working a small demo at a county fair in Vermont, and this retiree came up to watch. He didn't say much for ten minutes, just watched me heat a bar and fiddle with it too long. Then he said, 'You're waiting for it to glow pretty, but the steel tells you when it's done, not your eyes.' I was 24 and thought I knew better, but he was right. I started trusting the feel of the hammer bounce and the color at the edges, not the full orange blaze. That one line changed how I work to this day. Have any of you had a stranger's comment that stuck with you longer than any class?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessacarter6h ago

Yeah, still waiting for that Yoda with a cane to show up at my garage and save me from myself.

richard13719h ago

Three guys at a gun show told me my reloads were gonna blow up my rifle. They were wrong, but I still double check every powder charge ten years later. Old dudes love dropping cryptic wisdom and then walking off like Yoda with a cane.