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A. G. Maisey · 28th February 2012, 07:33 AM

Richard, I recognise you as an experienced smith, however, I have indented red hot, not orange, iron with the tip of my middle finger.

The material was paper thin, which is the thickness of a sombro blade, paper thin, not one sixteenth, nor anything like it.

I had a tray of sand on the anvil, I kept my right hand in water until the iron was directly over the sand and as close as it could be without touching, then I punched my finger tip into the hot iron as fast as I could. I tried this a few times, and I burnt myself once, the burn was not severe, but that was the last time I tried it.

What I've described can be done, but you need to move very fast.

I understand exactly what you are saying, and I was not forming metal, the metal I hit with my finger tip was paper thin.

As to forming metal with bare hands, my feeling is the same as yours, but I've seen some very strange and totally inexplicable things in Jawa and Bali. Maybe it is a possibility, but not for me, and not for you.

28th February 2012, 07:33 AM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,705	Richard, I recognise you as an experienced smith, however, I have indented red hot, not orange, iron with the tip of my middle finger. The material was paper thin, which is the thickness of a sombro blade, paper thin, not one sixteenth, nor anything like it. I had a tray of sand on the anvil, I kept my right hand in water until the iron was directly over the sand and as close as it could be without touching, then I punched my finger tip into the hot iron as fast as I could. I tried this a few times, and I burnt myself once, the burn was not severe, but that was the last time I tried it. What I've described can be done, but you need to move very fast. I understand exactly what you are saying, and I was not forming metal, the metal I hit with my finger tip was paper thin. As to forming metal with bare hands, my feeling is the same as yours, but I've seen some very strange and totally inexplicable things in Jawa and Bali. Maybe it is a possibility, but not for me, and not for you.