Hey Pitchy

[FrankG]

Thats a right nice looking 'Swede' 

[Thumper]

FrankG, I don't get the "Swede" thing, please enlighten me. As for what all the JYH saves me the most of , I think the answer is sweat. I doesn't hit as hard as a man with a 4lb hammer, but the quick repetition of blows makes up for the lack of power. I use it mostly on big things like hawks, and necking down the diameter of the shaft on a fire poker when I'm reducing from 5/8ths to 1/2 etc. Most everything else I like to do by hand cause I like the traditional process. If I was doing smithing to create  serious income, I'd tune it up some (there are formulas to improve efficiency of stroke to mass etc.), and use it more often for sure.

[FrankG]

Thumper , the Swede thing is just a left over from stories my Dad told me of when he mined . The Swede was the one wielding the hammer for the driller when using a star drill drilling rock for setting charges .