Hammers for auto mechanic

[scott37300]

I'm just a home mechanic but looking to upgrade my hammer collection. Right now I have a few old used hammers of various makes, shapes, and sizes that work alright but looking to pick up a few good hammers of different styles. I don't have any dead blows or anything more than a couple regular hammers and a smaller sledge and a few ball pein wooden handles.

So what are your favorite hammers, or hammers that you don't use much but are nice when you do need them. Not sure if I will go with snap on or not but if you were going to get a few hammers from snap on what ones would you buy? If you could give item numbers or links that would be great so I can tell exactly what you mean. http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/cata...ID=122665&Cat_NAME=Hammers&store=snapon-store

Thanks

 

[D9H 90V]

Snap on 32oz dead blow, mines orange, I also want to get the 16oz version

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1047&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

and this Snap on dead blow

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?tool=all&item_ID=55819&group_ID=1044&store=snapon-store

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Normal ball peens can be bought reasonable at Home Depot (Vaughn) and I like Snap-on's dead blow ball peen hammers. Plastic faced dead blows will tear up so make sure you get some with a good warranty (Snap-on for example) or get them cheap (Import)

You also need a BFH and I like 32 or 48 oz Estwing drilling hammers for that job. There are times that a small sledge will come in handy but that can come a lot later. Another "nice to have" are brass dead blows and regular brass hammers for those "special moments".

 

[00S4Boy]

My go to hammer is a blue point branded nupla 6 pound sledge. Second is my snap on branded trusty cook 16oz ball peen dead blow, third being my snap on branded trusty cook 56oz soft face dead blow.

 

[scott37300]

Normal ball peens can be bought reasonable at Home Depot (Vaughn) and I like Snap-on's dead blow ball peen hammers. Plastic faced dead blows will tear up so make sure you get some with a good warranty (Snap-on for example) or get them cheap (Import)

You also need a BFH and I like 32 or 48 oz Estwing drilling hammers for that job. There are times that a small sledge will come in handy but that can come a lot later. Another "nice to have" are brass dead blows and regular brass hammers for those "special moments".

When are the "special moments" for brass hammers?

 

[blacK20]

bluepoint 32oz hickory handle ballpeen is my daily goto hammer. 4lb sledge for when I need a bfh. Like already mentioned I have heard many good things with the snapon ballpeen deadblow. I may have to drop the money on one soon to try it out.

 

[bradleykd]

Snap on 32oz dead blow, mines orange...

haha.. the orange handles blow up, that's why they are all red now... I've still got one orange one left, the 16oz rubber/steel face...

I reccomend that btw... it's my favorite hammer, i use one at work (red) and my orange one at home.

 

[bradleykd]

here's the link to my favorite hammer ever....

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1041&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

with that being said, if you have a ball peen in the 4 main sizes and a dead blow or two, there's not much need for any more hammers. IMO.

AND, brass hammers are used so as not to mark the steel peices you are hitting.

 

[REAL HOT SCHITT]

i'm just a home mechanic but looking to upgrade my hammer collection. Right now i have a few old used hammers of various makes, shapes, and sizes that work alright but looking to pick up a few good hammers of different styles. I don't have any dead blows or anything more than a couple regular hammers and a smaller sledge and a few ball pein wooden handles.

So what are your favorite hammers, or hammers that you don't use much but are nice when you do need them. Not sure if i will go with snap on or not but if you were going to get a few hammers from snap on what ones would you buy? If you could give item numbers or links that would be great so i can tell exactly what you mean. http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/cata...id=122665&cat_name=hammers&store=snapon-store

thanks

try american made...vulcan ball pein and ampro's dead blow....cheap at a great quality.

 

[scott37300]

If I wanted to put together a set of hammers what styles and weights would you recomend for a good all around set? I'm thinking a ball pein dead blow, a plastic faced dead blow, and I want to get one of the hammers with interchangable soft faces, I like them for smaller assemble work.

 

[William Payne]

I have been looking at these but before I buy was wondering anyone have any experiance with these what are they like? Who makes them they are bluepoint but the coo is USA

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1053&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[shampoop]

I like the snap on dead blow ball peen hammers. Waste of money to get a whole set though, just nice to have one medium sized one. I also love my orange HF soft face dead blow hammer. No reason to buy an expensive one of those, they're guaranteed to get messed up. I think this is the one i have http://www.harborfreight.com/4-lb-neon-orange-dead-blow-hammer-41800.html

just wish they made a giant 8 pound long handle version of it.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

When are the "special moments" for brass hammers?

When you need to hit some steel but you don't want it to have that abused, beat upon look, you use brass hammers. They hit hard but will deform and not mark the steel unless it is thin. They are also used when you need to hammer in a non sparking area.

Lead hammers can also come in handy at times but they are very soft and must be re-cast fairly often.

 

[bcjames]

My main hammers are a 32oz ball pein and a No.2 Copper. I really don't use my deadblows much.

 

[scott37300]

When you need to hit some steel but you don't want it to have that abused, beat upon look, you use brass hammers. They hit hard but will deform and not mark the steel unless it is thin. They are also used when you need to hammer in a non sparking area.

Lead hammers can also come in handy at times but they are very soft and must be re-cast fairly often.

I see, I should have know since I have a set of brass drifts and know why they are brass!

 

[MadMark]

Lead hammers are great in machine shops to make sure your part is firmly seated in the vise.

It isn't fun to have a part you have spent hours on pulled out of the vise by the spiraling force of an end mill.

 

[jjjrmx5]

If I wanted to put together a set of hammers what styles and weights would you recomend for a good all around set? I'm thinking a ball pein dead blow, a plastic faced dead blow, and I want to get one of the hammers with interchangable soft faces, I like them for smaller assemble work.

Yep.
For home shop/home auto work, I have a 12oz. std. ball peen, 24oz. Snappy metal tipped ball peen dead blow, 3lb. drillers hammer (really a small sledge) , dual rubbber replaceable tipped mallet/hammer (w/ both rubber and nylon tips), std. rubber mallet and several sizes of orange handled regular soft-face dead-blows from HF, since they tend to self-implode over time.

Outside of a really big BFH, I've tackled 99% of any job with the above.

 

[diesel research]

8lb sledge with cut down handle. No special brand or COO. Just works.

 

[mrholeshot]

Snap-On 32oz dead blow ball pein

 

[Moose-LandTran]

I would definitely reccomend at least one nylon or cellulose acetate hammer. I have a few and love them, you can get a decent bit of impact with them without damaging anything and they hold up well too. I use them all the time, as much as if not more than my steel hammers.

 

[diesel research]

Also had a 8 or 10lb (1ft handle) that was "custom made". 1" steel pipe core, 1" rubber water hose handle press fitted. Everyone liked that one so much I could never find it, and it was eventually stolen.

Don't forget to compliment your hammers with a nice selection of chisels/punches, punch holder, striking prybars, and a few wedges.

 

[Lotek]

16oz deadblow steel/rubber hammer, the orange one, 8oz ball pein, 3lb engineers hammer, body hammer and dolly. There is truth to the saying, "If all else fails, hit it with a hammer, if that doesn't work, you need a bigger hammer"

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

16oz deadblow steel/rubber hammer, the orange one, 8oz ball pein, 3lb engineers hammer, body hammer and dolly. There is truth to the saying, "If all else fails, hit it with a hammer, if that doesn't work, you need a bigger hammer"

I always thought it was "If you can't solve it with a big hammer, it must be an electrical problem..."

 

[csargents1546]

here is mine small bfh, work alot on deisels and some suspension
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=hand&item_ID=68540&group_ID=1047&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
My other bfh is a no name 5lb sledge hammer. That gets attention when you start hammering on suspension parts.

 

[e-tek]

This set was on-sale for $19.99 at Princess Auto!

http://www.princessauto.com/workshop/hand-tools/striking-tools/hammers/8258675-5-pc-ball-pein-hammer-set

 

[Lotek]

I always thought it was "If you can't solve it with a big hammer, it must be an electrical problem..."

It's "If a bigger hammer doesn't work, you needed to replace it anyway"

But seriously I see guys tapping away with too small a hammer on occasion, mushrooming what they were trying to drive in, when the judicious application of a BFH "with feeling" would have done the job faster and without damage. Technique counts though.

 

[afazz]

I have been looking at these but before I buy was wondering anyone have any experiance with these what are they like? Who makes them they are bluepoint but the coo is USA

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1053&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

I have one and they're great, but I believe Vaughan is the OEM. The same hammers are branded as Vaughan, Blue Point, and even Craftsman with different colored handles. I have all 3 brands and they're great hammers if you like wood handles.

 

[Lotek]

I have one and they're great, but I believe Vaughan is the OEM. The same hammers are branded as Vaughan, Blue Point, and even Craftsman with different colored handles. I have all 3 brands and they're great hammers if you like wood handles.

Nothing wrong with wood handles, all my blacksmithing hammers have wood handles, along with my 3lb engineers hammer. Bought the deadblow ball pein before I saw the light, and can't get the rubber/steel hammer any other way. learn to control the hammer and the deadblow seems kind of...dead.

 

[D9H 90V]

haha.. the orange handles blow up, that's why they are all red now...

Really? I guess they must have fixed what ever problem they had with them because I bought it brand new off the truck about 3 weeks ago

 

[scott37300]

Thanks everyone, looks like I have a list of new hammers to start picking up!

Those deadblow ball peen look pretty nice.

Where are some of the places you use the ball peen side of the hammer vs. the flat side? Just trying to figure out which one to get first, if I don't see a need for the ball peen side I will get the combination of rubber and steel first.

 

[Lotek]

Get the rubber/steel combination, the pein isn't as useful for automotive at first.

 

[otis66]

I've had my Craftsman drilling hammer and 16oz ball pein hammer for 24 years. I also have the Snap On dead blow ball pein hammer set (very nice) and a few other Snap On dead blow hammers but if I were buying hammers today I would buy est wing. Est Wing makes a great hammer.

 

[kornjulio]

I love my Trusty-Cook deadblows.

 

[scott37300]

Are the rubber deadblows warrantied when the rubber fails like everyone is saying they do?

 

[otis66]

Are the rubber deadblows warrantied when the rubber fails like everyone is saying they do?

My Snap On dealer has replaced both rubber tips of my hammer twice so far under warranty with no problem.

 

[scott37300]

What about the all rubber ones, not the replacable tips. Like this one, are the warrantied?

 

[Weps]

the hammers i go to most frequently seem to be nupla or custom brass with wood handles. i really like the grip and feel of the nuplas and they've proven to be pretty much indestructible.

i also mention that there are many older, high quality hammer heads that show up at flea markets and antique shops. they're often only a few dollars and only need a polishing and a new handle to be useful, but you can also grind them to any weight and shape you want.

 

[Capt Chrysler]

2-Snap On dead blow Reds as the orange ones exploded. Some Nice $$$$ ones that ended up lost or stolen?

An a 8 LBS customed handled tapping hammer! And some used Ball Pein from my old service manager. He was proud to give them and I'm proud to have them.


Capt. Chrysler

 

[dirttracker18]

Scott

Unless you ahve money to burn I would go with a HF set of ball peins. For a guy that will use them occassionally they work great. i have had a set for close to 10 years and only have one that is failing. That was due to some ding dong missing his swing and hitting the fiberglass handle. Still useable but not worth the risk.
I also have a dead blow from them that works great too. For what you use it for it should hold up fine.
Then I have a BFH that was a hand me down, no idea of the make. The final blow (pun intended) would be the sledge. I figure if I need that on a car I have bigger problems to deal with

Just my $0.02 but you may not need a SO piece for you purposes. If I used my tools everyday or hand money burning a hole in my pocket I would get SO but I don't so I have HF or Tool Town in Canada.

 

[Toolhorder]

What about the all rubber ones, not the replacable tips. Like this one, are the warrantied?

I found one of these at the flea market that was crumbling apart at both faces and the SO dealer gave me a new one for it no problem.
Not bad for $5