Subject: Re: tendonitis

From: "daryl (d.a.) bender" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 09:53:00 -0400 [/PRMD=BNR/ADMD=TELECOM.CANADA/C=CA/;bcars520.b.568:11.05.96.13.53.11]

In message " tendonitis", [email-masked] writes:

...snip
>1. Raise your anvil. The top should be at wrist level. This reduces the 
>tendency to hyper-extend the elbow (or lean over the anvil which hurts 
>your back).
>
>2. Pay attention to how you grip your hammer and how you swing it. Your 
>grip needs only to be tight enough to guide the hammer and prevent it 
>from flying out of your hand. The force of the hammer should come from 
>raising the hammer high and accelerating its fall. When the hammer hits 
>the metal you should be done with the accelerating mode and only in the 
>guiding mode. In other words, follow-thru is not desirable when forging 
>because the shock of the impact is transmitted to the elbow.
>-- 
>Dan Nibbelink
>RedHawk Forge
>Berthoud, Colorado
>[email-masked]
>http://www.csn.net/~dannibb

This is just about verbatum of what my blacksmith instructor said. He 
also said to swing only with shoulder and elbow, arm somewhat relaxed. 
He said wrists "were used for other things" 8^)

Cheers
Daryl