Moving Steel

"The heat" is the time you have once you pull your piece from the forge.
Every blacksmith has a notion of how far they want to advance the work during that heat. Each hammer strike must be deliberate — even full-body, over-the-head blows on big steel. The final contact between hammer, steel, and anvil must be intentional and controlled. Over time, this becomes second nature as you push hot steel toward its final form. Mistakes mean rework. They mean more heats. In the end, watching the steel yield to your will is what drives us to continually refine our craft.