Polishing my knob?

[Thumper68]

Over the last few weeks I have been working on the hammers in the shop.

I picked up a nice heavy brass hammer and a copper hammer at an estate sale last summer, both were very mushroomed and really not usable in the condition they were in.

They both needed new handles as well.

Here is a short video on how I brought them back from the dead.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q2sxE88G9yw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[CNGsaves]

Excellent work Thumper68 !!

Those brass and copper hammers are the cat's meow !1

 

[Thumper68]

Thanks CNG, They were in really bad shape and I was impressed how well they turned (pun intended) out.
I used the brass one today for a project.

 

[HanShotFirst]

Nice job sir!!!

I always try to buy hammers used, the older the better because generally the quality is higher, and you end up getting world class quality for pennies on the dollar; especially if you're not afraid to put a little elbow grease into them.

Recently found my great grandfathers 4oz ball peen just when I decided it was time to replace my China POS 4oz. Thoroughly rusted, it spent some time in electrolysis, then a wire wheel, followed by some fine polishing with 400gr sandpaper. Finally I applied gun blue to protect from rust. The finished product looks like a brand new hammer, yet I know it's of the absolute highest quality, and since a 4oz ball pein is what I used 90% of the time (I'm a gunsmith), I have the joy of working with my great grandfather's hammer...He was a blacksmith (when he wasn't running moonshine), so 99% chance he made that hammer in the first place.

Very well done sir, you have two VERY nice tools now, not to mention the pride you put into them.

 

[SuperCat]

Great video, I really enjoyed seeing how a professional gets the job done right. I haven't seen a copper hammer before, that hammer rocks.
Do you coat your hammers and/or handles after restoration work with anything to preserve them and keep them looking new?

 

[HanShotFirst]

And honestly you don't have to go to THAT level to return a hammer to near new condition. The lathe work is nice, and lathes are just incredibly handy machines to have in your shop. But patience and elbow grease with a file can get the job done very well also. So if a guy doesn't have a lathe, he can still get a old brass or copper hammer in tip-top condition.

But Thumper really did a first rate job!!

 

[Thumper68]

Great video, I really enjoyed seeing how a professional gets the job done right. I haven't seen a copper hammer before, that hammer rocks.
Do you coat your hammers and/or handles after restoration work with anything to preserve them and keep them looking new?

Thanks

far from professional just a lover of old hammers.

I do not coat them at all but I have a heated shop and rust is not an issue for me and most of my tools see a bit of oil or grease from using them.

The handles will pick up a patina over a few years that makes them comfortable in the hand.

Outdoor tools such as axes, picks, and carpenters hammers get a coating of boiled linseed oil for protection.

The brass hammer from this video I just used today (yesterday) and as I was putting it away I noticed grime marks from my hand so the patina is starting.

 

[Thumper68]

And honestly you don't have to go to THAT level to return a hammer to near new condition. The lathe work is nice, and lathes are just incredibly handy machines to have in your shop. But patience and elbow grease with a file can get the job done very well also. So if a guy doesn't have a lathe, he can still get a old brass or copper hammer in tip-top condition.

But Thumper really did a first rate job!!

You noticed that I started the video with a flap disk and was planning on just using that until I remembered that I bought a lathe.

 

[FlushingDIYer]

Wow... gonna keep an eye out for old hammers from now on.

One question, are all those shavings recycled somehow?

 

[Thumper68]

Nice job sir!!!

I always try to buy hammers used, the older the better because generally the quality is higher, and you end up getting world class quality for pennies on the dollar; especially if you're not afraid to put a little elbow grease into them.

Recently found my great grandfathers 4oz ball peen just when I decided it was time to replace my China POS 4oz. Thoroughly rusted, it spent some time in electrolysis, then a wire wheel, followed by some fine polishing with 400gr sandpaper. Finally I applied gun blue to protect from rust. The finished product looks like a brand new hammer, yet I know it's of the absolute highest quality, and since a 4oz ball pein is what I used 90% of the time (I'm a gunsmith), I have the joy of working with my great grandfather's hammer...He was a blacksmith (when he wasn't running moonshine), so 99% chance he made that hammer in the first place.

Very well done sir, you have two VERY nice tools now, not to mention the pride you put into them.

That is very cool, my grandfather was a master carpenter and I have a couple of his hammers still in use. My other grand father was a jeweler and my uncle has all his tools, I'm guessing they are all gone now since my uncle passed away and his kids are useless.

 

[Thumper68]

Wow... gonna keep an eye out for old hammers from now on.

One question, are all those shavings recycled somehow?

Yes I keep a shop vac just for copper and brass, when full I transfer to 5 gal buckets to take to the scrap yard.

More on refurbing old hammers in these 2 videos

 

[PCustoms]

Thumper, how did you verify that those weren't Beryllium Copper before you went at them with the flap wheel?

 

[SantaAna12]

You noticed that I started the video with a flap disk and was planning on just using that until I remembered that I bought a lathe.

 

[Thumper68]

Thumper, how did you verify that those weren't Beryllium Copper before you went at them with the flap wheel?

Really not to concerned about it to tell you the truth.

The color is not the same as any beryllium copper tool I have ever seen.

The copper hammer is not, and while the brass hammer could be the color was just not right.

 

[Bronson]

Cool vid, Thumper, thanks for posting it.
I inherited all of my grandpaws tools, and he was a master mechanic.
I have several of his ball pein that I cherish and use almost daily.
I don't have a single brass hammer, though, keeping my eye out.

 

[fordgasm]

Came in here expecting a different kind of video. Was disappointed.

 

[raiderhillbilly]

Great!

 

[Thumper68]

Cool vid, Thumper, thanks for posting it.
I inherited all of my grandpaws tools, and he was a master mechanic.
I have several of his ball pein that I cherish and use almost daily.
I don't have a single brass hammer, though, keeping my eye out.

That is very cool, gotta love tools that came from family.

Came in here expecting a different kind of video. Was disappointed.

Thats kinda scary.

Great!

Thanks.

 

[thejunkmanadv]

Excellent, this is how to do a video and a thread well for max exposure. The hammers turned out great as well.

 

[Rick B.]

Very nice job on the hammers.

 

[413dan]

that's badass. great work thumper, should get years of great use outta those!

 

[Thumper68]

Excellent, this is how to do a video and a thread well for max exposure. The hammers turned out great as well.

Thanks I take that as a true compliment from a video pro.

Very nice job on the hammers.

Thanks

that's badass. great work thumper, should get years of great use outta those!

Thanks, I'm sure I will, got to use the brass one on a project over the weekend and it preformed as expected. The project I used it on will be in a video coming out in a few weeks.