Best BFH for the Weak

[cptzippy]

I'm looking at getting my BFH for working on my cars but I have some chronic health issues (back and fibromyaligia). What weight would give me the best compromise between enough 'umph' to get the joe done and still be able to wield it without getting fatigued? I'm thinking 2 lbs.

Bonus question: what's the best face material for general mech work?

 

[rmsg0040]

2lbs or 3lbs, I would look at wilton bash hammers, lifetime backed by $1000 guarantee

http://www.wiltonbash.com/products/

 

[Outlawmws]

It sort of depends on what weight you can handle, and what you are doing, and for how long. In general (leaving detailed work out of it) the heavier the head the easier the hammer will do its job. You let the mass of the hammer head the job instead of your arm.

Last weekend my son had a long handled hatchet out for root cutting and I about exhausted myself trying to get the job done with that. I went and got one of my biggest single edge axes and it was actually easier to manage as the weight of the ax was doing a lot of the work instead of me trying to force the smaller head to do the work.

The job and swing angle will have a lot to do with it also. An overhead swing is a lot less fatiguing than a side swing, for most people. So depending on what you are doing, you may need a lighter head just to manage the swing.

I think you are looking at having a couple of hammers, and use the one right for the job situation. Of course you must be able to swing the thing, which is primarily getting it lifted over your head. Go to a store and try seeing what weights you can manage for the lifting part, and go from there.

My basic recommendations on a WAG would be for you to have maybe a 3 lb engineers hammer (mini sledge head) a 24 oz ball peen and a 16 oz ball peen, assuming you can manage the lift for the bigger ones.

This is assuming you need something heavy for basic bashing, and little finesse, and the PBs for lighter bashing and getting into more detailed work where a simple flat face may not be appropriate.

 

[anodyne33]

My BFH is only 3lbs. I've had some people ridicule me for it, but it's gotten the job done. Remember, you can also in a lot of situations use leverage to your advantage as well.

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

You can do a lot with 2 or 3. A couple of pounds more and any control requires serious strength, and beyond that heavy sledges are good only for semi-wild swings at things you intensely dislike.
Serious bashing beyond 2-3 pounds is generally inappropriate on cars anyway, as parts will be destroyed rather than moved. Violent tools like pickle forks move just fine at 2 or 3 pounds. Heavy violence is best performed slowly with pullers and presses.

 

[bobcatdan]

I go to hammer is a 3 lbs estwing hand drilling hammer, lot of force out a little package. Otherwise my bfh is a 8 lbs wilton sledge with a short handle, overkill for what you want.

 

[cgv69]

I'll go against the grain and say you would be better of with a 40oz dead blow hammer. Weight wise that's between a 2lb and 3lb drilling hammer but you will not need to swing as hard with a dead blow type hammer to apply the same amount of force as you would a standard hammer that tends to "bounce" off the object you are trying to hit. The force that is driving the hammer back is lost force that should have been applied to the item you're hitting. Dead blow hammers help counteract that and direct all your force at the point of impact.

 

[jtfc]

I'll go against the grain and say you would be better of with a 40oz dead blow hammer. Weight wise that's between a 2lb and 3lb drilling hammer but you will not need to swing as hard with a dead blow type hammer to apply the same amount of force as you would a standard hammer that tends to "bounce" off the object you are trying to hit. The force that is driving the hammer back is lost force that should have been applied to the item you're hitting. Dead blow hammers help counteract that and direct all your force at the point of impact.

+1 I've never actually weighed my hammer but my 40oz. Dead blow ball peen hammer just feels light but at the same time it has enough heft to shatter dreams.

 

[cptzippy]

So does deadblow end up being easier on the arm?

 

[jtfc]

So does deadblow end up being easier on the arm?

Not backed by science but I don't feel as much vibration back into my hand mac sells some hammers that are marketed as anti vibe I don't know much about them besides a coworker has a few and he likes them.

 

[crewchief888]

my main go to hammer is (probably) a 3 or 4 pounder.

heavy enough to do damage, light enough for extended use.

if something dont move with it after a few blows, i grab a short handled 8lb sledge.

guys always asked me, "why do you have a 16lb sledge?"

i cant control a 20lb'r after just a few heavy swings.

 

[Murphy4570]

I use a 32oz Snappy dead blow as my BFH. It works very well. I am most unmerciful when I have to grab that thing.


It is also sometimes better to substitute a good quality air hammer, depending on the work you are doing. I wouldn't use a regular hammer for balljoint pickle forks, for example.

 

[amolaver]

just remember good old albert - e=mc2. the length of the handle makes a big difference in how fast the head is moving. the faster the head swings, the more energy you're delivering. yes, i know that sounds dirty - move along.

deadblows are generally more comfortable (coming from someone with carpal tunnel issues), but the faces do deform some on impact, absorbing some of the energy. a 2lb drilling type hammer with a slightly longer handle, a deadblow, and a smaller ball pein would probably outfit you for most tasks i'd think.

ahm

 

[Outlawmws]

So does deadblow end up being easier on the arm?

As far as kickback through the handle, probably yes. particularly since you get more bang for the swing, vs a particular weight.

For handles/hafts, and equivalent wood handle is generally next, and steel shank hammers rank last for kick back. Eastwing and others try to make grips that cushion the kickback to the user's arm, but cant change the fact the the haft does not flex; I'm not convinced how effective it is.

I think Fiberglass is near to steel shank, as it is very stiff, or seems so to me. Not sure where the composites land.

If someone makes a wood handled dead blow, in your particular case I'd go for that and play the weight game as I discussed above.

 

[Outlawmws]

Hmmm ,found one wood handled dead blow maker; Lixie:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=lixie+hammer&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=6740196981&hvpos=1s2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1240674249293952107&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_4haf55irk0_b

 

[lilredex]

My No. 1 choice, 48oz. Blue Point and its companion....

Gets the job done....period.

 

[bad_idea]

I work in ship repair. Lots of big, heavy, stubborn objects that need persuasion. I carry a 2 lb ball peen in my tool bag and haven't run into much it doesn't handle. At home I use a 3 lb steel dead blow, it is also great.