A method of laser shock peening a hard metallic article by firing a laser beam on different points of a laser shock peened surface of at least a portion of the article using a laser beam with sufficient power to vaporize material on the surface around laser beam spots formed by the laser beam at the points on the surface, flowing a curtain of water over the surface upon which the laser beam is firing, and firing the laser beam so as to form a plurality of volumetrically spaced apart laser shock peened protrusions extending into the article from the spots such that the protrusions have deep compressive residual stresses imparted by laser the laser beam. The surface may first be coated with an ablative material which the laser beam vaporizes and the method may be an on the fly method of laser shock peening which further includes continuously moving the article while continuously firing a stationary laser beam which repeatably pulses between relatively constant periods.