Dustin4d ago

i went to an architectural salvage/reuse place over the weekend. there were a bunch of tools including a few of what appear to be blacksmith made punches and chisels.

i picked up two reasonably priced ball pein hammers. the larger is in ok condition, but the smaller one's ball pein needs to be dressed- it's pretty marred up, but not so much that it's not easily repairable with a file or grinder.

you can see on the larger one that its handle has been hit a few times. i'll probably order a new handle and use this one until it breaks or i get tired of the varnished handle. the smaller one probably needs a new handle too, but i'm not sure which handle to get for it. i'll have to do some digging to find a suitable handle.

#blacksmithing #blacksmith #hammer

Show threadDustin4d ago

i ended up ordering two different sized handles that both might fit the smaller hammer. i can use the other one for either another small-to-medium sized straight pein hammer, some other top tool like a slitting chisel or flatter, or something fun like an experimental cooper's driver.

#blacksmithing #blacksmith

Show threadDustin4d ago
fun fact, a "flatter" is something you use to flatten things.
Show threadDavid Croyle

@dustin FWIW, my usual source for handles and related materials (like wedges) is https://www.househandle.com.

Photo of my Flatter attached for tax.

Apr 1 at 8:35pmWeb
Show threadDustin4d ago

@croyle i ordered the three handles from them!

fire hardened handles look super cool, and i was thinking about doing that for my hammers to make them more obviously different than those at the shared space i work in.

Show threadDustin4d ago
@croyle did you make that flatter? i'd like to acquire one at some point- either make or buy. i don't have access to a power hammer, so i'll have to really think about how i'd do it at the anvil.
Show threadDavid Croyle4d ago
@dustin I bought that one new from another 'smith. I still haven't ever made my own hammer.
Show threadDavid Croyle4d ago

@dustin Sounds like a good idea. You might want to otherwise label/mark them too.

I have a bunch of hammers so they have a wide mix of woods, styles, colors, finishes, etc. If they come coated/varnished I'll usually strip that stuff off.

I've found that my handle preferences have evolved over time. My go-to 'smithing hammer has a much thinner handle than I ever thought I would like, but it was a key part in my very painful tennis elbow go away, so now I'm sold on it.

Show threadDustin4d ago
@croyle i've stamped the hammer and other tools i've made so that they're easily identifiable as mine, but the hammers i've acquired (bought or been given) obviously don't have that. i should probably devise a way to label them that won't rub/wear off after a couple hours of use.
Show threadDavid Croyle4d ago
@dustin If I were in a shared space, I'd probably do something quick and simple like dunking the end of the handle into bright yellow paint or something... But that's not especially creative. :)
Show threadDustin4d ago
@croyle the hammer i made is somewhat atypical, so it's very obvious it isn't a shared hammer. the others might find themselves mixed in with the shop tools. honestly, dipping the ends of handles in paint isn't a bad idea.
Show threadWill4d ago

@croyle
What a great website! Thanks for posting this!

@dustin