This is a good question, it could be a few things… I try to focus on 90 degree turns on two sides, I don’t rotate the bar around, just pick two sides. Some of it is hammer control and discipline, so keep at it and take your time. Instead of making nails or a whole project like a hook, you can develop a lot of skill by just practicing the technique, isolating the aspect you want to get better at and just practicing that, it doesn’t have to “be” anything at the end. Just forging exercises can really help move things along. I hope that helps and keep at it!

As an apprentice farrier and blacksmith, it's great to hear that you're practicing and honing your skills. Efficiently rotating and adjusting the rod while keeping the flat side down and maintaining squareness can indeed be challenging, but with time and practice, you'll definitely improve. Here are a few tips that might help you: 1. Proper tong grip: Ensure that you have a firm grip on the rod with your tongs. The tongs should be positioned closer to the end you're holding, leaving enough space on the other end for rotation. 2. Balanced stance: Stand in a balanced position with your feet shoulder-width apart. This will give you stability and control while manipulating the rod. 3. Wrist movement: Instead of relying solely on your arm movement, try to utilize your wrist to rotate the tongs. This allows for quicker and more precise adjustments. Practicing wrist movements will help you develop better control. 4. Smooth transitions: Focus on making smooth and continuous motions while rotating the rod. Avoid sudden jerks or abrupt movements, as they can disrupt the alignment and balance of the rod. 5. Practice with different tools: While regular tongs are commonly used, you might consider exploring specialized tools designed for specific tasks. For example, scrolling tongs or wolf jaw tongs are designed to provide better grip and control during rotation. Experimenting with different tools can help you find the ones that suit your techniques and make the process easier. 6. Patience and practice: As with any skill, practice is key. It takes time and patience to develop the muscle memory and coordination necessary for efficient and precise rotations. Keep practicing regularly, and you'll notice improvement over time. Additionally, observing experienced blacksmiths or farriers in action can provide valuable insights into their techniques. Don't hesitate to reach out to more experienced professionals for guidance and advice as well. Remember, becoming proficient in any craft takes time and dedication. Keep practicing, stay focused, and enjoy the journey of improving your skills as a blacksmith and farrier.

​@@nate_weiss_similar thing with drawing, just practicing circles and shading is really important to hone those skills

A great exercise is to turn round stock into square stock. Getting your edges straight and even, and the angles at 90 degrees as well as you can. You'll be surprised how good you can get at it. Also great for "feeling" the angle that your hammer head will land at while you are swinging.

Bro wrote a whole Essay

King of the brittle. He cold forges everything. He needs to get it hotter and work it in the fire more. If it's glowing red or not even then it's not ok to hit it with the hammer. Bright fucking orange to yellow almost white. Strike.

I usually make them if I need one. They don’t have to be out of high carbon steel, mild is just fine

@@nate_weiss_ alright thanks.

You can get a good starter hammer ( small hand sledge) at Home Depot. Also, there used to be a company called Centaur Forge that carries blacksmith/ farrier tools. P.S. are you thinking of the hardy hole?

The iron coming off for either for extending it or its damaged

Its forge scale

No idea, but I can give you my speculation as an engineering student. I'd imagine the hardest part would be making a wire of the proper material that's thin enough. In an industrial setting, you could probably use hydrostatic extrusion. Idk how the hell you'd do it by hand though. Either way, once you had it as a thin wire, you could anneal it to prep it to be cold worked and then shape it into the desired shape. Then you could harden it so it holds up and then sharpen. I haven't taken any of my courses on manufacturing and know next to nothing about metalworking though so take it with a pinch of salt

Full length vids in the works!

This is for hanging on the wall

Less than 10 minutes of work

Крючок, вроде. Одежду или полотенце на кухне вешать. В сплющенном пятаке отверстие под саморез ещё придётся просверлить