Patrickm82
Well-known member
That is my plan, old belts. I figure I walk by hundreds of them at yard and estate sales. I may try a piece of brass for the cap. I have scrap pieces kicking around. Might look nice ?
Hammer time!
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Beerhippie
Well-known member
Or make some nice hardwood flakes and a brass (or metal of choice) buttplate for it and go all-out custom.Yup, fun. Get any scrap of metal for the **** cap, personalize it to you. Heavy gauge leather is not hard to find. Old belts from the thrift store can donate many, couple of belts gives you variations in the pattern.
I have a claw short the end plate, will be watching your lead. No pressure.
Patrickm82
Well-known member
Here is what I’m thinking so far. The belts are slightly different in color so I can have a little contrast. Im going to go with a piece of 1/4 “ copper as the cap. I’m going to mill a little pocket for a nice fit. And now on to punching the centers out.Yup, fun. Get any scrap of metal for the **** cap, personalize it to you. Heavy gauge leather is not hard to find. Old belts from the thrift store can donate many, couple of belts gives you variations in the pattern.
I have a claw short the end plate, will be watching your lead. No pressure.
.
dutchgray
Well-known member
Talking of Estwing's I just bought this one in almost NOS condition (former owners name and postcode engraved on it), but it's never hit a nail.
Even in England the English pattern is not all that common, don't know when the stopped stamping the head with the safety notice but I know when I bought my first Estwing ~2007 that they weren't stamped then.
They still make these, in leather and blue plastic handles.
Even in England the English pattern is not all that common, don't know when the stopped stamping the head with the safety notice but I know when I bought my first Estwing ~2007 that they weren't stamped then.
They still make these, in leather and blue plastic handles.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Tynee
Well-known member
Seems like a really long handle for such a tiny head.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Beerhippie
Well-known member
I picked up this little E3-12C Estwing finish hammer at a yard sale yesterday:
I really do need a little finish hammer for the brewery/pub shop, as they're always using a framer or ball peen for some little finish nail.
But I won't abide a filthy tool in the shop, so some brewery detergent and a maroon Scotchbrite pad (7447) to give it a good scrubbing, followed by thinned BLO on the metal and some mineral oil on the nylon handle:
Still some rust, but I'll just call it patina and be done with it.
I really do need a little finish hammer for the brewery/pub shop, as they're always using a framer or ball peen for some little finish nail.
But I won't abide a filthy tool in the shop, so some brewery detergent and a maroon Scotchbrite pad (7447) to give it a good scrubbing, followed by thinned BLO on the metal and some mineral oil on the nylon handle:
Still some rust, but I'll just call it patina and be done with it.
I got bitten by a dogshead hammer (see post 1623 above) so now I have the bug.
I salvaged this 4"x1 1/4" chunk of steel by cutting the tongue off an old receiver hitch. The hole is where the retainer pin would insert. After looking at it I could see it clear as a bell. A dogs head hammer! Japanese style though because they're smaller and often not octagonal in shape (easy peasy).
.
The problem is the hole is badly off center and that much is nearly impossible to fix by forging so I drilled it with a large end mill in my mill drill. I then cooked it at 1500 for 15 minutes and reduced the tail end to 1" leaving the 1 1/4" front.
I beveled the edges a bit and then sanded the front surface down to 600 emery cloth and called it good enough. I also carved up a piece of yew for a handle.
A lot of people put a rake angle on the hammer eye enough so the end of the handle touches the table if you lay the face flat on the surface also. I didn't spend enough time figuring that out so my rake is a lot less but I shaped the handle to hang down also. A lot of these dogs head hammers are similar to this so this is fairly average.
This head weighs 1 3/4 LB. and is a typical Japanese dogs head hammer. They are popular in Japan where a lot of folks claim they are easier to aim with all the weight forward of the handle eye like this but I haven't used these enough to have an opinion on that.
I salvaged this 4"x1 1/4" chunk of steel by cutting the tongue off an old receiver hitch. The hole is where the retainer pin would insert. After looking at it I could see it clear as a bell. A dogs head hammer! Japanese style though because they're smaller and often not octagonal in shape (easy peasy).
.The problem is the hole is badly off center and that much is nearly impossible to fix by forging so I drilled it with a large end mill in my mill drill. I then cooked it at 1500 for 15 minutes and reduced the tail end to 1" leaving the 1 1/4" front.
I beveled the edges a bit and then sanded the front surface down to 600 emery cloth and called it good enough. I also carved up a piece of yew for a handle.
A lot of people put a rake angle on the hammer eye enough so the end of the handle touches the table if you lay the face flat on the surface also. I didn't spend enough time figuring that out so my rake is a lot less but I shaped the handle to hang down also. A lot of these dogs head hammers are similar to this so this is fairly average.
This head weighs 1 3/4 LB. and is a typical Japanese dogs head hammer. They are popular in Japan where a lot of folks claim they are easier to aim with all the weight forward of the handle eye like this but I haven't used these enough to have an opinion on that.
The Japanese use them more like a body work hammer for shaping sheet metal into teapots etc. I've been seeing them a lot on youtube. I think the channel is business insider (not sure if the 1st word is right) but the channel shows various handcrafts being made around the world. Each show is over an hour and about 15 minutes is spent on each craft that's covered in the show. I'll try to confirm the name of the channel. It's one of those things you click on when surfing but don't pay attention to the name of the channel. Of coarse youtube has me pegged by now so they feed me the channel occasionally.
neophyte
Well-known member
Martin still makes this design as part of their autobody line of hammers.
Since Martin inherited the Fairmount tool designs it makes sense.
No clue what the hammer is specifically used for.
I keep considering buying one though.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Yeah, that's what @NYBODYMAN said on the Fairmount thread where I originally posted it. He said he had one. I asked him to post a photo or two for comparison purposes and he did. Link here.
If you follow the link I provided in my original post to the Fairmount thread posting, I included a catalog excerpt, which stated, "Will ding out small dents in high fins. No need to remove panels." I am sure guys have found other similar uses through the years, especially because it's still being made and most cars no longer have fins!neophyte said:
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Ok so it is Business Insider but when you go to their channel there are a number of sub channels. The ones I've been watching are Business Insider - So Expensive and Business Insider - Still Standing. There may even be other sub categories but the key thing is not necessarily watching the title theme so much as observing the craftsman at work and seeing the tools they use. The old Japanese craftsman often work sitting cross legged on the floor using a stump as a work surface with viking style small anvils to work from. On their walls are huge numbers of support tools suchas dolly type tools etc. etc.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
I found this in a toolbox buy yesterday:
6 oz. I'll clean it up and rehaft it, either buy a handle or make one.
6 oz. I'll clean it up and rehaft it, either buy a handle or make one.
Nice little 6oz there. I like those little ones. They're real handy around lathes, mills, surface plates etc when you just want to move something a hair.
I've had a tiny machinist's type head sitting on my bench for too long along with 3 other heads I knew I'd halfta rehaft eventually. I started with the tiny machinist's hammer which is about 3"L x 3/8"W and 3/8"H. The eye was perfectly round but with a hell of a taper top to bottom and 2 tiny little **** sticking out from each side to prevent the head from turning on the handle.
This shot is after the drama happened, I went to clamp it in the vise to wire brush all the gunk off it and it snapped in half right through the eye. Turned out it was cast steel. Already kind of liking it I decided to weld it. Days later when I ground my welds flat I discovered that due to my craftsmanship as a welder (and fledgling eye sight with poor lighting) I'd welded along side the crack on one side. Another delay for such a trivial project. I didn't know if I could handle it but I rewelded it, ground it flat and took a carbide bit to the tapered round eye grinding off the 2 little **** that fix the handle in position. I just files 2 V grooves in the front/back positions. I didn't spend any extra time polishing it either, just flattened most of the weld off. A scrap of oak salvaged from the solid oak shelves I'd scored at the swap meet served as the new handle.
Next up is another cross peen about 4 1/2" L x 3/4" H x 3/4" W. This one had a worn down corner on the face and the rear face was getting saddle shaped. This shot shows the handle in progress. I like to draw a line along the grain and center off that. I find I rarely break hammer handles so I don't get too crazy when selecting material for the handles. This is a piece of yew which isn't as strong as ash, hickory or oak but it has more flexibility and does the job.
I ground about 1/8" off the face to true it square again and ground the cross peen end to remove the saddle shape. Since I'm learning blacksmithing I'm in the habit of rounding off all surface edges so as not to leave any hard lines on the work I'm hammering on.
The cross peen end looks extra long in the above photo due to the shadow cast by the light. It's not. I'm liking the handle style you see with the dogs head hammers and jeweler's chasing hammers where the bottom of the handle is forward a bit and sometimes a bit bulbous.
The 3rd rehaft is this cheap no name body hammer (I just can't throw a tool out). This thing had big thick casting lines all over so I ground the heck out of it and smoothed it all off. I stopped polishing at 600 emery but that's something I can do anytime if I think I need to. This handle has a big knot at the bottom end but I'll likely buck it off just leaving the knot at the very bottom as the handle is quite long as it is.
The last one is a Brades brick hammer which got a short oak handle. The head is in great condition.
I've had a tiny machinist's type head sitting on my bench for too long along with 3 other heads I knew I'd halfta rehaft eventually. I started with the tiny machinist's hammer which is about 3"L x 3/8"W and 3/8"H. The eye was perfectly round but with a hell of a taper top to bottom and 2 tiny little **** sticking out from each side to prevent the head from turning on the handle.
This shot is after the drama happened, I went to clamp it in the vise to wire brush all the gunk off it and it snapped in half right through the eye. Turned out it was cast steel. Already kind of liking it I decided to weld it. Days later when I ground my welds flat I discovered that due to my craftsmanship as a welder (and fledgling eye sight with poor lighting) I'd welded along side the crack on one side. Another delay for such a trivial project. I didn't know if I could handle it but I rewelded it, ground it flat and took a carbide bit to the tapered round eye grinding off the 2 little **** that fix the handle in position. I just files 2 V grooves in the front/back positions. I didn't spend any extra time polishing it either, just flattened most of the weld off. A scrap of oak salvaged from the solid oak shelves I'd scored at the swap meet served as the new handle.
Next up is another cross peen about 4 1/2" L x 3/4" H x 3/4" W. This one had a worn down corner on the face and the rear face was getting saddle shaped. This shot shows the handle in progress. I like to draw a line along the grain and center off that. I find I rarely break hammer handles so I don't get too crazy when selecting material for the handles. This is a piece of yew which isn't as strong as ash, hickory or oak but it has more flexibility and does the job.
I ground about 1/8" off the face to true it square again and ground the cross peen end to remove the saddle shape. Since I'm learning blacksmithing I'm in the habit of rounding off all surface edges so as not to leave any hard lines on the work I'm hammering on.
The cross peen end looks extra long in the above photo due to the shadow cast by the light. It's not. I'm liking the handle style you see with the dogs head hammers and jeweler's chasing hammers where the bottom of the handle is forward a bit and sometimes a bit bulbous.
The 3rd rehaft is this cheap no name body hammer (I just can't throw a tool out). This thing had big thick casting lines all over so I ground the heck out of it and smoothed it all off. I stopped polishing at 600 emery but that's something I can do anytime if I think I need to. This handle has a big knot at the bottom end but I'll likely buck it off just leaving the knot at the very bottom as the handle is quite long as it is.
The last one is a Brades brick hammer which got a short oak handle. The head is in great condition.
Here is the 4 shot of the above hammers.
Here is a Craftsman rock hammer I've had for a while but I don't think I've ever posted it.
....................................................................................................................................
Here is a Craftsman rock hammer I've had for a while but I don't think I've ever posted it.
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Bryan Burns
Well-known member
Recently, I Had this in my hand at the flea market inspecting it and it appeared to have a A with a horse stamped on it and I was thinking it could be an Atha. Out of nowhere a lady said $1. Brought it home and cleaned it up. Atha for sure.
I quoted post 1505 pg 38 because I think I may have found an answer on this hammers use (although it's a shot in the dark).That's a nice find, What a smooth hour glass figure!
This hammer was $2 at the swap meet but I made the mistake of picking it up ....then I couldn’t put it back down so it came home. I didn’t weigh it but it’s about 48 oz. I’ve never seen one like it. Does anyone know what it was designed for?
I can’t say for sure but in some light it looks as though it hay have about 1/4” of harder steel on each face. That would explain the chipping that's happened to both faces.
I was browsing the Ken Hawley tool collection at the Sheffield museum's site and came across this hammer he said is used for detecting cracked or faulty wheels on train coaches. The operator strikes the wheel and if it doesn't ring it's faulty and the car is taken out of service. His hammer is square or octoganal whereas mine is round but this is the closest explanation I've found so far.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
I carried a pair of Hart carpenter's hammers fro about half of every year for two decades. They've been mostly sitting in my Bucket Boss since then, maybe getting used four or five times a year, and had gotten pretty rusty. I was using the big stand-up framer today and decided that I just couldn't let that stand.
So they got a good buffing, a light coat of thinned BLO heads and handles and:
The big one is a 25 oz, 18" axe-handle California Stand-up Framer. The little 16 oz declares framer (you'd be laughed off the jobsite if you used it for that), but for me it was my finish hammer.
Handles are original.
We still used hammers almost exclusively back then ('90s-'20s). Air guns were huge, bulky, heavy, required awkward hoses--and you still had to carry a hammer as every fourth or so nail had to be finished by hand. We used trim nailers a lot more, hence the finish hammer still has the cartouche on the handle.
Now to find a blank spot on the wall and display them. They've earned it.
So they got a good buffing, a light coat of thinned BLO heads and handles and:
The big one is a 25 oz, 18" axe-handle California Stand-up Framer. The little 16 oz declares framer (you'd be laughed off the jobsite if you used it for that), but for me it was my finish hammer.
Handles are original.
We still used hammers almost exclusively back then ('90s-'20s). Air guns were huge, bulky, heavy, required awkward hoses--and you still had to carry a hammer as every fourth or so nail had to be finished by hand. We used trim nailers a lot more, hence the finish hammer still has the cartouche on the handle.
Now to find a blank spot on the wall and display them. They've earned it.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
Happily retired:
They're even safety-wired at the heads just in case.
They're even safety-wired at the heads just in case.
Those hammers came out looking great. Just shows ...they've got a lot of hart left in em
Here's a sweet sledge hammer I fell in love with at 1st sight at the swap meet. This hammer is possibly close to 100 years old. Some research and info from the seller says BC Marine was known as South Marine prior (light stamping on the head also) and then BC Marine before eventually becoming Yarrow Ship Yards and finally Victoria Shipyards. South Marine was a shipyard in Esquimalt BC on Vancouver Island in the early 1900's up until wartime. It was such a busy shipyard that it built a small local railway servicing itself and other shipyards and industries in the region. This 9lb sledge would have been likely made for use on the railway. S Marine changed hands after the war and the rail operation ceased around that time.
The handle is not original.
On the subject of sledge hammers, I scored a nice 16 LBer last weekend. It's my biggest sledge.
Here's a sweet sledge hammer I fell in love with at 1st sight at the swap meet. This hammer is possibly close to 100 years old. Some research and info from the seller says BC Marine was known as South Marine prior (light stamping on the head also) and then BC Marine before eventually becoming Yarrow Ship Yards and finally Victoria Shipyards. South Marine was a shipyard in Esquimalt BC on Vancouver Island in the early 1900's up until wartime. It was such a busy shipyard that it built a small local railway servicing itself and other shipyards and industries in the region. This 9lb sledge would have been likely made for use on the railway. S Marine changed hands after the war and the rail operation ceased around that time.
The handle is not original.
On the subject of sledge hammers, I scored a nice 16 LBer last weekend. It's my biggest sledge.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
If I ever feel the need to break out my old tool harness, bags and hammers to make a living again, I'll just go straight to a life of crime.Until the next time!
Funny, but the older I get, the less "life in prison" sounds like a deterrent.
Besides, for the occasional time I need a carpenter's hammer, I have my Estwings. Miserable to use all day, but unbreakable. I'm tired of telling co-workers "Not the wood handle hammers!"
dutchgray
Well-known member
Nice work on those.I carried a pair of Hart carpenter's hammers fro about half of every year for two decades. They've been mostly sitting in my Bucket Boss since then, maybe getting used four or five times a year, and had gotten pretty rusty. I was using the big stand-up framer today and decided that I just couldn't let that stand.
So they got a good buffing, a light coat of thinned BLO heads and handles and:
The big one is a 25 oz, 18" axe-handle California Stand-up Framer. The little 16 oz declares framer (you'd be laughed off the jobsite if you used it for that), but for me it was my finish hammer.
Handles are original.
We still used hammers almost exclusively back then ('90s-'20s). Air guns were huge, bulky, heavy, required awkward hoses--and you still had to carry a hammer as every fourth or so nail had to be finished by hand. We used trim nailers a lot more, hence the finish hammer still has the cartouche on the handle.
Now to find a blank spot on the wall and display them. They've earned it.
They have gotten quite hard to find now in good condition, as sold prices on ebay will show. NOS examples are silly expensive.
I guess there must be a good few carpenters out there that like those hammers.
Beerhippie
Well-known member
Wow! I had no idea that folks collect old Hart hammers. Too bad I don't have a NOS Forged Titanium one!
I see Hart still makes hammers, but not the highly-polished heads like mine. I purchased those new back in the early '90s. I worked in the woods spring-fall, then swung hammers and cut sticks during winter in those days. Nothing like framing a house out in NE Oregon winter weather! We'd work in a blizzard and well below zero. Always had a nice scrap fire going for those times when you realize you can't feel your hands. Strangely--coming from Western Oregon--we wouldn't work in the rain.
I just refurbed and rehandled this Italian No. 65950 Globemaster hammer head. Someone left it out on the curb for free.
As found:
As refurbed:
Rehandled:
And on the hammer rack, left. The yellow and blue hammers were also on the curb as well; nothing but a little rust, otherwise, perfectly usable.
Thanks for looking!
As found:
As refurbed:
Rehandled:
And on the hammer rack, left. The yellow and blue hammers were also on the curb as well; nothing but a little rust, otherwise, perfectly usable.
Thanks for looking!
dutchgray
Well-known member
The current Hart has nothing to do with the old Hart bar the name, it's a cheap brand owned by TTI, aka the same co that owns Miluwaukee.
I do own a NOS condition forged titanium Hart hammer, a pretty rare thing.
I was chatting with my parents about the FSP Pliers Homecoming (yesterday), and particularly a mobile display trailer, which prompted them to share a link to an article from 2009 about the man who installed their replacement windows years ago. He collected hammers.
The site was rather overrun with popups, so I’m sharing a link that will print the article. I just tap “cancel” and can read it unmolested. Sorry if that doesn’t work for others.
The site was rather overrun with popups, so I’m sharing a link that will print the article. I just tap “cancel” and can read it unmolested. Sorry if that doesn’t work for others.
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Bryan Burns
Well-known member
4 ounce Champion DeArment ball pein. Name stamp upside down from the factory. I had another Champion DeArment hammer with the name stamp upside and sold it, which I now greatly regret. I believe it was another ball pein, but it wasn't a 4 oz.
PBCampbell
Well-known member
I concur with what outlaw says. There are a lot of hammers as well as hatchets and axes that can be rehandled upside down with regards to the stamping.
Bryan Burns
Well-known member
Sure, I've seen many hammers like that but on this hammer the eye in the hammer is tapered ever so slightly such that the handle can go on only one way. I measured it with calipers to make sure because I tried to put the head in right side up. and the handle wouldn't fit. (When I bought the hammer, it was as is and without a wedge, so I popped the head right off.)
Thought I'd add some context to hammer eyes.
Most tools requiring wooden handles had the eyes punched in by early blacksmiths. 1st a blunt chisel was punched from both sides until a "biscuit" would drop out leaving the hole. Then a tapered punch would be pounded through the hammer "blank" or lump of steel until the desired sized hole had been punched.
Hammer Eye Punches
Since the hammer eye punches were forged by the blacksmith ( pounded out of square or round bar into the tapered punch) the blacksmith new they were not perfectly concentric so he would continually remove the punch, turn it 180' and pound it in again. Then he would reheat the blank, dip the punch in water to cool it and pound it through from the other side and remove, turn it 180' and pound some more. Because of this procedure many eyes are actually hour glass shaped and are tapered from both ends. Enter assembly line type production with power hammers using precision eye punches held in precise alignment or cast steel tools formed in molds and you will find tapers going only one way (no hour glass shape). The small opening on the bottom and the bigger opening on top so a wedge will fan out the handle wedging the head tightly on the handle.
I encounter both types often but tend to make hour glass shaped eyes because one punch can be used for many sizes of eyes and it's easier to have the eye accurately aligned perfectly straight to the front or correct for sideway tilt etc.
Most tools requiring wooden handles had the eyes punched in by early blacksmiths. 1st a blunt chisel was punched from both sides until a "biscuit" would drop out leaving the hole. Then a tapered punch would be pounded through the hammer "blank" or lump of steel until the desired sized hole had been punched.
Hammer Eye Punches
Since the hammer eye punches were forged by the blacksmith ( pounded out of square or round bar into the tapered punch) the blacksmith new they were not perfectly concentric so he would continually remove the punch, turn it 180' and pound it in again. Then he would reheat the blank, dip the punch in water to cool it and pound it through from the other side and remove, turn it 180' and pound some more. Because of this procedure many eyes are actually hour glass shaped and are tapered from both ends. Enter assembly line type production with power hammers using precision eye punches held in precise alignment or cast steel tools formed in molds and you will find tapers going only one way (no hour glass shape). The small opening on the bottom and the bigger opening on top so a wedge will fan out the handle wedging the head tightly on the handle.
I encounter both types often but tend to make hour glass shaped eyes because one punch can be used for many sizes of eyes and it's easier to have the eye accurately aligned perfectly straight to the front or correct for sideway tilt etc.
Here are some quick photos of the hammer pages of a 1952 Stanly tool guide:
I've tried to rotate the images using the rotate and edit features here but they don't seem to take. The thumbnails I see at the bottom are rotated however so maybe it just takes time.
I've tried to rotate the images using the rotate and edit features here but they don't seem to take. The thumbnails I see at the bottom are rotated however so maybe it just takes time.
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PBCampbell
Well-known member
The pictures look fine for me.
Yes, they are right way now. I guess it just needed time.