mark49•15d ago

Always thought strikers were just a crutch, but I was wrong

For the past year I was dead set on never using a striker for drawing out points. Figured if I couldn't do it with just hammer and anvil, I was cheating myself. Last month I spent three days trying to forge a 10-inch socket chisel and kept ending up with twisted shoulders. My buddy brought over his striker and had me hold while he hit. That chisel came out straight in about 15 minutes of work. Now I see it's not about being lazy, it's about working smarter when the steel is over an inch thick. Has anyone else here had a similar change of heart about using a helper or a tool they used to avoid?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_rivera5715d ago

Man, I gotta ask - did your buddy charge you in beer for that help or did you get off easy? I swore off strikers for years too, told myself I was some kind of purist blacksmith. Then I tried to draw out a railroad spike into a knife blank by myself and ended up with a twist that looked like a corkscrew. My arm was sore for a week. Now I keep a striker around for anything bigger than my thumb, and I feel dumb for being stubborn so long. It's like refusing to use a wrench because you're a "real man" who only uses pliers.

gray_smith6715d ago

@noah_rivera57 I bought him a six-pack of PBR and he called me a lightweight, so I figure we're even.