A chat with my neighbor made me question the 'always start with mild steel' rule

My neighbor, who is a retired machinist, saw me working on a simple hook and asked why I always use mild steel for practice. He said, 'You're building muscle memory for a material that feels like butter. Try some 1045 for a week, even if you mess it up. It'll teach you to listen to the steel.' That hit different because I'd always been told to master the easy stuff first. I tried it, and my first two pieces were junk, but the third one taught me more about heat control than the last twenty mild steel projects. Has anyone else had a similar switch-up that actually helped them improve faster?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_dixon674d ago

Hard agree, gotta feel the resistance.

taylor_flores4d ago

Honestly @evan_dixon67, what kind of resistance feels best to you? Tbh some setups feel stiff while others just feel solid. Ngl finding that sweet spot is the whole game.