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An old smith in Bethlehem PA showed me how to read the fire without looking at it
I was at a hammer-in near Bethlehem PA about 8 months ago and this guy named Walt kept telling me to shut my eyes at the forge. I thought he was messing with me until he had me hold my hand near the fire and feel where the heat rolled and where the cold spots sat, then told me the steel tells you the same thing through the tongs. Does anyone else here work mostly by feel, or am I the only one who's started trusting my hands more than my eyes?
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matthew37118h ago
My buddy Dave took a class up in Vermont last spring and the guy made him forge a whole hook with a blindfold on. Said he learned more in those 20 minutes than the year before watching the color. Its real, the tongs hum different when the steel is ready.
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