Hammer time!

[Outlawmws]

3bay, that is an upholstery hammer I'm 99.9% sure..

Once face should be magnetized for placing an upholstery tack and starting it...

 

[3baygarage]

3bay, that is an upholstery hammer I'm 99.9% sure..

Once face should be magnetized for placing an upholstery tack and starting it...

Well I'll be darned, you're right. The smaller end is magnetized. After a closer look, both tips look like they may be steel. Now I may not be able to use this as a brass hammer after all.

 

[Outlawmws]

Yep, the brass is there for the mass without getting too big if it were just steel, the steel faces to the face doesn't peen over into a mushroom.

 

[zkling]

Macadam hamer.

Used to break rocks for road building.

They used to give them to prisoners on the chain gang.

They coated the crushed rock with tar becoming Tar macadam which is where the term Tarmac comes from.

RivennHewn, THANK YOU, no seriously thank you. I could never figure out exactly what that was. Do you recognize the markings on the top? It is safe to say it is pretty old? I stretched a thick rubber band around it and has proven itself pretty handy.

Thanks to the proper name I found this fun little site, a hammer quiz

http://hammers101.blogspot.com/

Have a merry Christmas All! Try not to get Hammered!

I'd be more worried about getting pounded.

 

[drivesitfar]

found a few hammers today. I have a little work to do to them, but I did get a good selection of sizes and all at one stop.

 

[HTGTS350]

Some of my regularly used ones.

 

[zkling]

found a few hammers today. I have a little work to do to them, but I did get a good selection of sizes and all at one stop.

Was a shop closing or something? Looks like a pretty complete assortment for different tasks.

Some of my regularly used ones.

What is the brand on the red ball peins on the far right?

 

[WallynSC]

found a few hammers today. I have a little work to do to them, but I did get a good selection of sizes and all at one stop.

Very good score, especially for a one stop and go.

 

[drivesitfar]

sorry for the delay in responding. I was going to post a 35 pound sledge hammer I need a handle for and a tiny little brass hammer that might weight half a pound and will do so on another post.

yes I stopped at a Craigslist deal to buy a vise and this really nice 70 year old guy was selling off all his late Dad's tools that just passed away and his mom is in hospice. they need to sell the property to pay medical bills so I bought as much as I thought I could use or maybe use some day. including tool box full of drill bits, metal cabinets full of nuts and bolts, etc....

Dad was 95 when he passed last year and the Mom is about 90 and not doing well. all the stuff is about gone now and was surprised to see all the hammers.

now i'm going to need some lessons on spiffing up these handles or maybe replacing a few now that I have almost every size. anybody have tips for shining up hold handles or a good place to buy some replacements so I don't have to read this long thread to see if it's been said before?

thanks

 

[Blöckw@rt]

 

[jjjrmx5]

Imma gonna bump this back up because, well....I've got a hammer question.
Or canundrum.

Picked up what looks like a 24oz or 32 oz ball peen over the fall at the flea mkt.
Handle was beyond salavageable so did the handle-ectomy and vinegar bath on the head , cleaned it up and tossed in the "to do" dwr.

Head appears to be stamped Fairmount as in Fairmount hammers out of Cleveland, OH, but the stamp is partially gone.

Other side only stamped "SS", which I assume is owners marks.

I know Fairmount made body hammers, but I find little info on anything else.

Anyone care to guess mfgr if my eyes deceive me or anyone have any insight.
(New handle goes on next week.)

TIA

jjjrmx5

Pics attached.

 

[Outlawmws]

A Fairmount ball peen for sure. I would agree that the "SS" is an owner's mark.

Get a handle on that puppy and get it out of retirement!

 

[d.mcfarland]

The Fairmount hammers are amazing! I have an old one, it's maybe 8oz and it's dang near perfect after much much much use and abuse by young kids and adults!!

I would gladly buy more if I could find them!

 

[jeffmoss26]

I have a couple Fairmount ballpeen hammers myself.

 

[DenisG]

Those of you who live near or visit Los Angeles will be sorely disappointed at the Hammer Museum. There's not a hammer on display in the entire place. Turns out it holds a buncha art from a former oil tycoon named Armand Hammer. With the inauguration of this thread, Outlaw and Catsteve have "virtually" done what that billionaire could not. I'll ad my pix when I can figure out how to post 'em.

I know that I'm responding to an old post, but there is a small museum in Alaska dedicated just to hammers: http://www.hammermuseum.org/videos

 

[Deskmechanic]

Had the camera in the garage yesterday. Here's my main hammer drawer.

From left to right:
4lb lead mallet
2lb lead mallet
2lb brass mallet
4lb brass mallet
large soft rubber mallet
750gr Beta fiberglass-handle cross pein (usually mounted on the bench)
4lb drilling hammer
2lb drilling hammer
20oz unknown ball pein
small soft rubber mallet
Craftsman 8 oz with rubber/plastic faces
4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24 oz ball pein, mostly craftsman
Plomb lead with plastic faces
Craftsman 12 oz with rubber/plastic faces
Proto piston deadblow

Crossways:
1.5lb Craftsman cross pein
16-oz Craftsman ball pein with oddly small handle diameter
long tinsmiths hammer

Hidden:
Crating hammer (square metal hammer with metal puller handle)
small machinists ball pein
short tinsmiths hammer

Not shown:
Big deadblow
body hammers
various ball-peins in portable boxes.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Picked up a AMERICAN 2lb brass hammer. Has Hickory handle and a black sandpaper type finish on the grip. Got it for $43 on eBay. Highly recommend!

Link to American. http://www.americanhammer.com/products_wood.html

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Hey Deskmechanic,

I see your piston deadblow. I don't build engines, so I do not need one for that. But have you found times when it's a perfect tool for other jobs? I want to pick one up if so...b/c hell, we are GJ after all.

 

[Canadian Charlie]

Nice hammers guys

 

[Deskmechanic]

Hey Deskmechanic,

I see your piston deadblow. I don't build engines, so I do not need one for that. But have you found times when it's a perfect tool for other jobs? I want to pick one up if so...b/c hell, we are GJ after all.

I've only used it for pistons. Though my son loves to bang on things in the garage with it, so I guess that's a good use.

The interesting part is the extension is all urethane. So if I just wanted a regular deadblow a sharp knife would set me right up.

 

[hardydson]

Wife was giving me Heck about spending almost an hour looking and reading about Hammers...Only come back i could think of was better than Facebook....Zing!!!

 

[zkling]

Can we play hammer brand Wheel of Fortune again? What I can make out on the head says.

TRGMARK the K may be a Y. It's pretty smashed on the sides.
51166
16oz

I've tried piecing together a maker from those letters, nothing. Tried searching via the number 51166, nothing. It has some weird detentes on the bottom side, see 3rd pic. Any ideas?

 

[Outlawmws]

Sorry ZK, nothing here, with a bit different spacing it could be "trademark" if anyone ever used that as a brand.

Most BP's fall into one of two design schools, probably dependent on the forging methods.

Below is a pic of two examples, yours leans to the right hand one, with the hex transition to the ball, and the side not being the distinct round boss of the left one. You can also see the forging marks on the left one on the sides.

However that transition over to the face end on your is less distinct; almost blends into the rest of the transition.

I did look through the BP's I have of the right hand variety, but none have those indents yours have underneath.

 

[zkling]

Thanks Outlaw. I had a chance to clean it up. I think it reads now. Promark
_511X6 Where X may be a 6,8. Ever heard of a Promark brand? I can't turn anything up on google. Unfortunately I don't see a USA stamp.

After some digging the only thing I can come up with is Promark was a walmart house brand.

 

[Outlawmws]

Heck most hammers, particularly BP's, rarely get a makers mark stamped into the head. I think a lot of them took the easy way out and stamped or printed on the handles.

And nope, can't recall a Promark brand, but at least the letters make sense.

 

[zkling]

This one is real strenuous to use.

 

[Outlawmws]

A dunno ZK, looks a bit dangerous. Better send it to me for proper disposal...

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Check this out. Just bought the 40oz SO from eBay (* a used one) and got this...

I messaged the seller to resolve it. I'm not mad, I'm not even upset. The seller isn't a "tool" person and the broken head was stuffed in there, so they probably didn't realize/know what they were looking at. Hey...at least it's not from Camarotoolman...hahaha

 

[Unmarked Bill]

I am a little embarrassed to ask, but is brass the proper hammer for use with number/letter stamps? I don't mind mashing a chisel but for some reason it seems wrong to mushroom a stamp.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I am a little embarrassed to ask, but is brass the proper hammer for use with number/letter stamps? I don't mind mashing a chisel but for some reason it seems wrong to mushroom a stamp.

not really. Brass should be used with brass punches or on material that is delicate. Bronze is even softer.

Taper the ends of your stamps and continue to use with a drilling hammer, or appropriate size ball peen will be fine.

The stamps will destroy brass/bronze etc. and you won't get the needed impact.

 

[Unmarked Bill]

Thanks, I've always used a little sledge but I started wondering if I was blowing it maybe.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

just curious, what size stamps are you using? And what brand/price point?

 

[Unmarked Bill]

No idea who made them but I have a really pretty set of 1/2" number stamps and I got a set of Young Bros 1/8" stamps today.

I don't mean a big sledge I meant a little one like this:
<a href="http://s19.photobucket.com/user/picturedlife/media/20140223_191513_zps30b465cf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b168/picturedlife/th_20140223_191513_zps30b465cf.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20140223_191513_zps30b465cf.jpg" style=""></a>

I only use it because my big BPH has a wobble I haven't gotten around to and I don't want to take a big clumsy swing at a little stamp.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Nice. If you stamp a lot, I highly recommend trying out a Snap On or Trusty Cook dead blow dual diameter or even ball peen. It took me a while to believe in a 100 dollar hammer, and now I'm the preacher.

 

[Unmarked Bill]

I actually got a 16oz SnapOn dead blow BPH earlier today, was thinking it'd be good for the smaller stamps.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I actually got a 16oz SnapOn dead blow BPH earlier today, was thinking it'd be good for the smaller stamps.

definitely. that's why I buy these hammers now. Control. Say goodbye to bounce.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I use a normal ballpeen hammer with my metal stamps for stamping keys. As long as the stamps don't bounce around (which they sometimes do) it works fine.

 

[3baygarage]

Just brought this in from its long forgotten place in the garage . What are these called?

 

[Outlawmws]

Cross peen hammer. Most are 90 deg the other way.

 

[3baygarage]

Thank you for sharpening my brain.