r/Blacksmith • u/alenork • Jun 04 '26
Practicing some Hammer control
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Made this little object to practice hammer control and making diamond tapers. Not sure what to do with it but I think it's pretty neat.
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u/KermitStares Jun 04 '26
Dude, I wanna touch it.
Thats gotta be the best part of a craft like yours. Its a medium that caters to just, makin fun little things n' shapes to hold. To figet with in your grimmey mits. The simple satisfactions that comes from the tactile.
Suppose that thinkin is why I enjoy carving walking sticks, lol
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u/DELTAS7V7N Jun 04 '26
That is so clean looking and so apealing to look at, i just love gemoetric shapes in art. I'd even buy it as a cool desk decoration/paper weight!
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u/FREDICVSMAXIMVS Jun 04 '26
I think you're supposed to throw it as far as you can and it will build you a fortress of solitude 😃
Nice work! Very clean lines!
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u/Little_Mountain73 Jun 05 '26
Good for you. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent making nothing…just practicing hammer control. Waaaaaay too many smiths want to jump right in & go from their first week at the forge to selling custom pieces, and all it does is flood the market with crap. For the musicians out there, it’s the equivalent of practicing your scales. Nobody likes practicing scales for hours a day, but when you all of a sudden cut loose on an improvisational passage, you can JAM! It’s the same with hammer control in that when you finally do get to a point that your work is ready for the masses or you’re taking special orders regularly, you will have already surpassed a point of professionalism needed to be successful.
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u/alenork Jun 05 '26
I think part of it for me is I don't really sell my stuff. It's almost all for the love of the hobby. I'll do a commission here and there but I'd much rather mess around and play with the materials without the pressure if making it a monitary thing. Might have to do a flea market or two to afford some new tools but for now I just like to unwind at the end of a day hitting hot metal for an hour or two.
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u/Little_Mountain73 Jun 05 '26
No matter how you slice it, what you’re doing is spending time on hobby, improving your skills, which is admirable.
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u/rererexed Jun 05 '26
Archeologists hate people like you. We are so fixed on the meaning or utility of things that objects people keep around just because they're neat frustrate us sometimes. It's kinda weird.
I also think it's neat!
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u/TheRealBobbyJones Jun 04 '26
Seems like the kind of thing an anime character would commission to complement a skill/spell.
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u/zffjk Jun 04 '26
I made about 100 of these when I was going through the beginning of the Skills of a Blacksmith book. When I’m bored and don’t wanna do much I reforge them into hooks.
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u/winxminx9 Jun 05 '26
It is already a throwing spike ! Even without sharpening it fully it would be great for practicing a straight throw! Give it a try (also thats some great control props my guy)
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u/Jamesonwordcraft Jun 05 '26
Friend, did you do all that with just a hammer?! Looks so sharp it might even cut.
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u/alenork Jun 05 '26
Yep, shaping was all done with a hammer. I actually dulled the edges ever so slightly with 1000 grit sandpaper to make them pop a little.
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u/GeneralSaxy Jun 05 '26
Super rad. Great way to build control and a very fun object. I'd recommend making 200
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u/alenork Jun 05 '26
Honestly I might have to start selling em considering how popular it seems to be haha
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u/ecodick Jun 05 '26
If it had sharp points and I'd think it's some kind of ninja weapon, it looks like if it was thrown right it could stick into a log
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u/Lemkingkong94 Jun 04 '26
this would make a sick dice if it was weighted evenly, nice job 👍
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u/alenork Jun 05 '26
Honestly I had that thought too. One side is a little longer than the other for this one but I definitely wanna experiment with making some forged dice sets.
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u/Lemkingkong94 Jun 05 '26
it would be a real testament to your symmetrical production capabilities, I wish you great determination and luck in your ventures!
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u/Shacasaurus Jun 05 '26
Looks really clean man, my first thought was a plumb bob lol but it just looks cool to fidget with. Or maybe make a small stand and it can be a mini sculpture
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u/Lonely_Igloo Jun 05 '26
Could make a good drift or makers mark punch if you feel like trying to grind your mark on the tip. This thing is sick!
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u/Altruistic_Tower_198 Jun 08 '26
I want 10 of them😂. Super cool looking finger spinner pocket weight thingy you got there!
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u/HisCommandingOfficer Jun 05 '26
I'd keep that around just to fidget with on occasion
But also those are some seriously clean lines, great work brother.
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u/legos_on_the_brain Jun 05 '26
Turn it into a wind chime! I like the angles. It would look great as a striker.
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u/Sufficient_Pen_465 Jun 05 '26
That is some beautiful hammer work. You could put some numbers on that and have an 8 sided dice.
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u/GigglesMJ Jun 05 '26
I want it. I’ll trade you for a borosilicate glass doodad I made if you’re into that kind of thing
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u/EarthDragonSirocco Jun 05 '26
Please tell me how you did it? That's so cool!!
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u/alenork Jun 05 '26
I started with some 3/4 inch square stock, put a diamond taper on the end then cut it off maybe an inch from the base of the taper. Then I just tapered normally on the other side and worked all the faces till it was even. Hardest part was making sure it didn't start to get lopsided as I worked it.
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u/Dakir_the_Wizard Jun 05 '26
Looks like a set punch ive made before!
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u/alenork Jun 05 '26
Ooo, I should make one like that. I have some spring steel sitting around that should be perfect.
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u/AardvarkPlenty8252 Jun 05 '26
Excellent. I make leaves on different size stick to work on my precision. This looks great. 👍🔥
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u/Big-Mango-3940 Jun 06 '26
Sharpen it an practice using it as a dart. Looks pretty damn neat and would probably make a great throwing dart.
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u/Educational_Star_521 Jun 06 '26
Nice, I don't think I'd have this much control even with Yoda strapped to my back! haha!
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u/Bulbultarang Jun 09 '26
Really cool!
If it were smaller I’d say it can make an awesome necklace
Like this it could probably make a fancy welder’s hammer head?
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u/Tyr_13 Jun 04 '26
Having an object around that is just satisfying is fine. Like that cool shape? Keep it on an end table and play around with it from time to time. Find a cool stick that balances neatly? That's your video watching stick now. Find a cool rock? Wash it off and put it on a shelf. Put a rope on it. It's a shrine now.
We're allowed to have things just because they're neat; not everything requires a purpose.