Watched a guy at a hammer-in in Ohio fix a warped blade with nothing but a stump and a cross pein

He just worked the high spots cold over about 45 minutes and it came out dead straight. Has anyone else ditched the anvil for stuff like this or am I overthinking it?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlieh745d ago

People get way too hung up on having the perfect setup. I've done the same thing more than once with old farrier tools and a railroad tie sunk halfway into the ground. That stump method works because there's no rebound fighting you, the wood soaks up all the shock so you can really feel what the steel is doing. Cross pein is the right choice too, lets you focus the force exactly where you need it without spreading it out like a flat face would. Every time I see someone drop hundreds on a specialized straightening anvil I just shake my head.

milalewis5d ago

Stopped me dead in my tracks when I read that part about cold working on a stump. That takes some serious nerve and skill to pull off without heat treating or annealing first. Most of us would have taken the easy route and tossed it in the forge. I've done some light straightening on a stump with a wooden mallet for knives before, but never anything that demanding with a cross pein. Can't believe he got it dead straight without any major warping or cracking. Kind of makes me wonder if we overcomplicate things with all our fancy equipment when the old timers just used whatever was around.

park.aaron5d ago

Bro, you think that's wild? I tried cold straightening a leaf spring once on a stump without a forge and ended up with a piece that looked more like a pretzel than a hammer. Way to go me, right? The old timers probably laughed at their own fails too, but at least they knew when to quit. I seriously wonder if half the fancy tools we buy are just crutches for our lack of patience. Maybe we’re all just overthinking it and a good stump and a bigger hammer is all anyone ever really needed.