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Serious question, after seeing a guy in Boise forge a perfect scroll with just a ball-peen hammer and a stump.
What's the most basic tool you've seen someone use to pull off a complex shape that made you rethink your whole setup?
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nina_ramirez4mo ago
Watched a guy forge a leaf with just a rock.
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abbyl492mo ago
Old Bob down at the flea market, I swear he could fix anything with just a pair of vise grips and a propane torch. I watched him take a rusted-out horseshoe and turn it into a perfect little bottle opener in like 15 minutes, no hammer, no anvil, nothing fancy. It made me feel real dumb because I have a whole bench full of stuff I barely know how to use properly (you know, typical beginner gear). It really is just about knowing how the metal moves, not how many tools you can fit in your shop.
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patricia_chen674mo ago
Good grief, a ball-peen hammer? That's just a rounding hammer without the flat face. The control you'd need for a perfect scroll with just that is mind boggling. I watched a guy straighten a serious bend in a heavy bar using only a sledgehammer and two concrete blocks on the ground. He used the blocks as a makeshift anvil and just worked it. Made my whole rack of dedicated bending jigs feel a little silly. It really showed me that sometimes the skill is in the hands, not the toolbox.
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