Bronze Hammers

[jsackin]

Has anyone ever needed a bronze hammer as opposed to brass?
Supposedly the bronze is softer so it doesn't mar the surface as much.

Jori Sackin
Harry J. Epstein Co.

 

[osborn.ozzy]

Always used a lead hammer if I needed something THAT soft.

 

[north]

Edit: Nevermind. I had a brainfart.

 

[Outlawmws]

Has anyone ever needed a bronze hammer as opposed to brass?
Supposedly the bronze is softer so it doesn't mar the surface as much.

Jori Sackin
Harry J. Epstein Co.

Bronze is supposed to be harder/tougher than brass and there are different grades of brass as well.

Wiki is somewhat in conflict on the proportions but its a muddy area metallurgy anyway...

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle,

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.[1]

In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin.[2] Bronze does not necessarily contain tin, and a variety of alloys of copper, including alloys with arsenic, phosphorus, aluminium, manganese, and silicon, are commonly termed "bronze". The term is applied to a variety of brasses and the distinction is largely historical.[

 

[rlitman]

Bronze is supposed to be harder/tougher than brass and there are different grades of brass as well.

Wiki is somewhat in conflict on the proportions but its a muddy area metallurgy anyway...

I'd agree that it is a muddy area.
I do have a copper hammer, for when brass is too hard, but no bronze hammers.
Also a couple aluminum ones, and a few lead hammers.

 

[bobcatdan]

I have a couple bronze hammers and I use them a lot to the point some other mechanics have made fun of me. I have never found where bronze nicked something I didn't think it would. If I want something softer, I grab a dead blow. I would think this is completly what a person would perfer.

 

[WWIIjeep]

I've got a couple of Beryllium copper hammers for non-sparking applications. A lot of people confuse those with bronze. Also pure copper hammers (generally softer than brass). For softer-yet, there's rawhide inserts for weighted mallets, and a whole range of soft and hard plastic inserts for mallets.

You can buy lead hammers, and you can still buy molds to cast your own lead hammers. They can be made either soft or relatively hard. Melt down old fishing weights to cast a soft lead hammer; melt down old wheel balancing weights to cast a relatively hard lead hammer.

 

[5lima30]

Bronze and brass hammers are frequently used in gunsmithing. Brownells is a good source for these tools.

 

[jvitez]

Besides gunsmithing, what else would someone need a bronze, brass, or lead hammer for?

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

now , I want one

 

[WWIIjeep]

Besides gunsmithing, what else would someone need a bronze, brass, or lead hammer for?

Assembling machined parts that need a little coaxing to fit together.

Or disassembling things that need a little coaxing to come apart.

Or any place where you want to hit something and not leave a big dent or divot in it.

With the right kind of hammer, you can even hit chromed or painted parts without damaging them.

 

[banditbigdog]

Previous employment required using brass, bronze, or copper only.
No steel hammers allowed as we maintained molding machines and the company
was leary of using steel close to the molds themselves.

To include no steel pins / wedges allowed in alloy hammers to attach / secure the hammer head either.

One benifit of no steel hammers is its harder to damage the ends of a shaft when trying to coax a shaft out of a machine or bearing.
Not saying it can't be done, it just takes more effort to damage a shaft with a soft hammer.

As far as types, I've used copper brass and bronze, can't say their is a whole lot of noticeable difference between the three other than copper will mushroom quicker / easier.
Never used a lead hammer at work.

Of all the alloy hammers I've used Lixie makes some of the best and that's what I purchase for my technicians.

I get them from Travers Tool

Lixie website
http://www.lixiehammers.com/