Guy at the hammer-in told me my forge welding was 'too pretty'

I was at the New England Blacksmiths gathering last spring, working on a billet for a chef knife. Some older guy walks up, looks at my weld, and says 'that's too pretty, you ain't burning it hot enough to actually stick.' He was right, the thing delaminated on the first quench. Anyone else run into people who critique your technique in the middle of a demo?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_nelson2mo ago

...wait, he called it out while you were still working on it? That takes some guts, I gotta say. I've had guys whisper stuff behind my back at hammer-ins but never had someone just walk up and say it straight to my face like that. It stings in the moment, but honestly, that kind of blunt feedback is worth its weight in gold if you can swallow your pride and listen. Most people will just smile and nod while you're making a mistake, and you don't learn squat from that.

emeryfox1mo ago

Ryan, I used to think the polite thing was to keep quiet unless someone asked for help, but I've come around on that. Watching someone like @harperwright give straight feedback in the middle of a project changed my mind. I remember a guy at a guild meeting was about to burn through his tang on a forge weld, and I almost said nothing. But I spoke up, and he was actually grateful afterwards. It's awkward in the moment, but a silent nod while someone ruins their work is worse than a few seconds of discomfort.

harperwright2mo ago

Yeah, that takes a weird kind of courage, but you're right, you actually learn something from the guy who tells you straight up.