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Just realized how much my hammer technique changed in 3 months

I started making bottle openers back in January and my first 20 had these ugly divots all over. Yesterday I finished one with maybe 2 strikes hitting wrong which is wild for me. The big change was when I slowed down and actually watched my hammer face land flat instead of just swinging hard. Anyone else notice their hits get cleaner after they stop trying to rush?

2 comments

2 Comments

brian_coleman14d ago

I used to think it was all about just swinging harder and faster. But after reading this it clicked for me. I had the exact same problem with my first batch of hooks, all these crooked hammer marks from trying to finish them too quick. Slowing down is the real secret. I spent a whole session just tapping the hammer gently to watch how it landed and that changed everything. Now I only swing hard when the steel is hot enough to take it.

jamie_clark14d ago

My anvil has a tiny dent right where I always missed the sweet spot with my hammer. For me the fix was switching to a lighter hammer and keeping my elbow tucked in. @brian_coleman nailed it about watching the face land flat. I spent a whole afternoon just tapping cold steel to rebuild my muscle memory. Now I barely miss unless I'm trying to move metal fast and forget the basics.