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Ball peen question

jessesandy

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Apr 8, 2016
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Upper California
Using the round end of the ball peen hammer to strike a chisel is an advanced training technique.
Like playing ping-pong with a wooden spoon. :beer:

007BOF_Maggie_Q_025.jpg
 
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lowpro64

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Aug 8, 2008
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You guys are brutal!

Obviously you wouldn't want to use the rounded end to hit a chisel. But, I've always been told that claw hammers always have a slight crown to the face, which aids in driving nails (their intended purpose). Where as the flat face on a ball peen hammer is truly flat.

I've also heard that they heat treat the heads differently between ball peen and claw hammers. Ball peen hammers tend to be a little softer and less brittle. This makes them more suited for shaping metals, which is their intended purpose. Does anybody know for sure?

Lmao, dude there are guys on these sites that will drive to your house and shoot you in the face for tool abuse..I like these places but damn, ask a question and get your *** handed to ya. I feel for ya man.
Zim
 

jeejay

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Jun 20, 2016
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465
You dredged up a 7 year old thread for this?

Wait, what about "The VISES of Garage Journal"... why not go respond 50 thousand times that it's an older topic than this one? Just saying.
 

kythri

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Lebanon, OR
Wait, what about "The VISES of Garage Journal"... why not go respond 50 thousand times that it's an older topic than this one? Just saying.

That thread doesn't have seven year gaps in it. It's had pretty consistent traffic since it's inception - it's a conversation that's never ended.

Just saying.
 

jeejay

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Jun 20, 2016
Messages
465
It's an imaginary gap though, which has nothing to do with the subject matter (relative to a much older tool to begin with, like the topic on vises). Get out a tape measure and check the screen. There was a more tangible gap in listing uses for the hammer head, so why start a "new" topic just to add a tool tip? Search engines don't care about imaginary gaps either (and I still don't check the date myself, there's no point, it isn't a box of crackers). It seems the only reason to bring up the date is to heckle someone, because you can find an excuse to. Nobody's giving me a good reason otherwise (maybe it's taking away from newer spam posts of yours, I wouldn't know, because I don't keep a list of what everyone else said to use against them, like some people apparently, just a wild guess).

Same goes for books, new editions add information to the subject matter, like adding a comment to a forum topic would, besides doing so for the sake of argument. I'm not saying it's a ground breaking new idea, and shouldn't have to preface the simple comment by mentioning that I also have a stick up my back end about when it was left out (because I don't).
 
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jeejay

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Jun 20, 2016
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Same here, especially juxtaposing the sig: "The Internet, where A-holes with similar cynical views can find each other." There's actually several topics pondering the mysteries of ball peens, and of course now more comments by those coming out of the woodwork to bash on this one. Figures, but I find it no less useful for breaking the ice. I might as well think someone was jealous that they didn't have a cold one at the time. :beer:
 
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Miss the Pontiacs

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Nov 7, 2016
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Saskatchewan Canada
I don't know about you guys, but I'm good with dredging up any old topic. I have at least 6 or more ball peens. But generally not as handy as my framing hammer so guess what I used? Forgot about cutting out gaskets. But can't wait to turn out a piece of wood and maybe fashion an old style oil rigger helmet.
 

jeejay

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Jun 20, 2016
Messages
465
I just fixed a couple with loose wooden handles too. Turned them upside down over an open vise and tapped them with a hand sledge. Put some wood glue in the gaps afterward. I like the metal handled ones for that matter, but the heads are not as well finished on those, since they're one piece. I've never seen a handmade blacksmith type with a metal handle, still the polished ones can be pricey (may be wall art, but I keep mine in odd places where not much else could be stored, like beside a freezer).
 
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Rarified27

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Jan 22, 2010
Messages
763
Location
Between PA and NJ
I'm a fan of ball peens and old threads.

Here's a potential new one- I'm a music teacher and ball peens work wonders when a student approaches me with a story about how they were a bonehead and put a dent in their horn bell. With some homemade wood shaping blocks and a ball peen hammer, I have them back to playing in a few minutes.

Adding to an existing thread keeps all the info in one place. When I first joined this site, I spent hours going through old threads, scrolling forever, finding tricks and knowledge which would have been way more scattered if the mods didn't essentially beg us to search before starting a new thread.

Good deal on a 7yo back-from-the-dead post!
 

jeejay

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Jun 20, 2016
Messages
465
One thing about sizes with all metal types is that they can be much heavier than the stated weight (in ounces, or much more ounceful if not truly heavy). I didn't weigh those in particular (but my 16 oz is only 4 oz lighter than the 24 oz, which is more like 40 oz, due to variations in handle thickness), and I saw that they make them out of aluminium also (perhaps those are less ounceiful).
 
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