Hammers
- Thread starter shawhite
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ron in sc
Well-known member
Just wanted to suggest that size in not often real important
What is important is material hammer is made of, like; rubber, plastic, copper, brass, steel.
What is important is material hammer is made of, like; rubber, plastic, copper, brass, steel.
Lx460
Well-known member
What are you hammering?
Sheet metal, ball joints, bearing races, ???
Each has its unique requirements.
Sheet metal, ball joints, bearing races, ???
Each has its unique requirements.
Mechanical Noise
Well-known member
1/2" drive for general purpose automotive hammering.
Guess I should have phrased it different. It's more like what do I need starting off in the auto mechanic world. Like ball peen, dead blow, soft face (brass/plastic). And what sizes are your go to or common sizes. Right now my hammer collection consist of a wood handle 16oz framing hammer.
warmpancakes
Well-known member
where do you live? Im in michigan my go to it the 48oz dead blow ball pien every thing rust to **** up here
rlitman
Well-known member
Wait, were you one of those guys buying out all the wood handled framing hammers from HF?
Pretty tricky question to answer. Auto mechanics need to impart a certain oomph. You can do that with a light weight hammer and a good swing, or a heavy hammer with a short swing. I think it's probably good to take warmpancake's advice to start with, since it is often the case that we don't have as much space to swing a hammer as we might like to. Get heavy hammers. That said, most serious mechanics I know have a pretty large selection of hammers.
I would start with a 24 or 32oz dead blow ball peen and a 32 or 48 oz plastic faced dead blow. A cheap rubber hammer is also a good idea for hub caps, trim etc.
My experience is that the balance of a ball peen is different from the soft faced dead blows. So a 32oz soft face feels similar to a 24 oz ball peen. You could go 32oz ball peen and 48oz soft face. Make sure you try it before you buy it. I wasn't comfortable with a 48oz dead blow. Ditto, I prefer my 24oz ball peen.
If money is tight, a hickory handled ball peen is good. If you have the scratch, Snap On hammers are nice.
zx2slow
Well-known member
That really depends on how angry they are at any given time, its best to have a wide selection.
lauver
Well-known member
I find a 12oz ball pein perfect for most of my mechanical work on smallish Japanese cars & light trucks.
There are other times & places where a good 24oz or 32oz ball pein comes in handy.
These three sizes of BP's cover the water front for me.
I also have a good assortment of soft mallets and dead blows that come in handy when a BP is not the hammer of choice.
I don't have any claw hammers in my tool box. They are the hammer of last choice for mechanical work.
I still like wood handles on my hammers... always have, always will.
There are other times & places where a good 24oz or 32oz ball pein comes in handy.
These three sizes of BP's cover the water front for me.
I also have a good assortment of soft mallets and dead blows that come in handy when a BP is not the hammer of choice.
I don't have any claw hammers in my tool box. They are the hammer of last choice for mechanical work.
I still like wood handles on my hammers... always have, always will.
MattVette89
Well-known member
You mean a ratchet isn't the appropriate hammer for automotive use? 
You mean a ratchet isn't the appropriate hammer for automotive use?
only a 1/2 cman raised panel.
woody 73
Well-known member
This is the only hammer you will need:
But in all fun start going to garage sales and buying them when you see them and soon you will have a boat load to work with.
But in all fun start going to garage sales and buying them when you see them and soon you will have a boat load to work with.
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nicksnothereman
Well-known member
Build your own hammer...like a jedi!
No really...besides deadblow you might want to build a pipe hammer vs. buying drilling or engineer hammers for heavy duty. Effectiveness depends on how you do it and it won't be cheaper than buying a comparable "jr sledge" but they're modular and multi-duty so you won't really need more than one.
I'm just prattling on. You can't have enough hammers but your preferred hammer will always be the one you build yourself. (assuming you can't actually forge one yourself, I can't)
No really...besides deadblow you might want to build a pipe hammer vs. buying drilling or engineer hammers for heavy duty. Effectiveness depends on how you do it and it won't be cheaper than buying a comparable "jr sledge" but they're modular and multi-duty so you won't really need more than one.
I'm just prattling on. You can't have enough hammers but your preferred hammer will always be the one you build yourself. (assuming you can't actually forge one yourself, I can't)
rodsnratfinks
Well-known member
No one talks about it, but It's good to have at least one smaller ball peen hammer around 12-16oz for gentle persuasion and for shaping things. There are surprising amount of projects that benefit from gentle tapping or the precision and finesse the smaller size offers.
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I agree wholeheartedly. I got a 16oz soft face dead blow on a deal as a part of a set. I thought it would be worthless. I was wrong.
Besides its low weight, it has a smaller head allowing precise hits in tight areas.
While we're mentioning it, I'm a fan of the slimline headed dead blows (Stanely Compocast and Snap On both make them- not sure who else. TC I think as well). For any given mass, the faces are smaller in diameter and the longer heads reach in spaces and provide knuckle clearance. Sometimes this makes the difference between hitting something square and hitting it with a corner of your hammer head. Its a little like having a built in drift. I only have one, (22oz Stanely) but I like it alot.
You mean a ratchet isn't the appropriate hammer for automotive use?
They are only good for beating bit sockets into the bolt.
Mechanical Noise
Well-known member
Just to be clear, the Craftsman pear head is the preferred raised panel ratchet for hammering. The round head fine tooth ratchet is best used for it's intended purpose.
I use dead blows and ball peins but I do keep a 3lb and 4lb drilling hammer around nicknamed "mini-sledge" even though technically they aren't sledge's just for those times when certain parts get stubborn and need more "persuasion"
In my world, you start with a 4lb engineer's hammer and work your way up. My personal favorite is an Atha handed down from my grandfather, love the balance, and if the handle gets beat up, I put a new one on and keep trucking. If that fails to do the job, there are short and long handled 8lb sledges, a 14lb, a 20lb, the smoke wrench, and gouging rods.
Also have a 2lb and a 5lb deadblow for delicate work, and a 2lb cross pein for precision work. A ball pein is good for 2 things: making gaskets and knocking the old gaskets off.
Also have a 2lb and a 5lb deadblow for delicate work, and a 2lb cross pein for precision work. A ball pein is good for 2 things: making gaskets and knocking the old gaskets off.
hangfirew8
Well-known member
The nice thing about hammers is there are still multiple US makers at reasonable prices.
I have been rounding out my collection with deadblows lately, I like Nuplas but wouldn't pass up a deal on a Trusty Cook.
-HF
I have been rounding out my collection with deadblows lately, I like Nuplas but wouldn't pass up a deal on a Trusty Cook.
-HF
the estwing dead blow metal faced ball peins have become my favorites for automotive work - like this little 26oz http://www.dynamitetoolco.com/Estwing-CCBP26-26-Oz-Compocast-Ball-Peen-Hammer-p/est-ccbp26.htm or the big boy 50oz http://www.dynamitetoolco.com/Estwing-CCBP50-50-Oz-Compocast-Ball-Peen-Hammer-p/est-ccbp50.htm
a good drilling hammer like this http://www.dynamitetoolco.com/Estwing-B3-4LBL-Drilling-Hammer-p/est-b3-4lbl.htm 4lb is also quite useful.
a good drilling hammer like this http://www.dynamitetoolco.com/Estwing-B3-4LBL-Drilling-Hammer-p/est-b3-4lbl.htm 4lb is also quite useful.
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nicksnothereman
Well-known member
And they can be had almost half price on specials on the van. I've bought all of mine that way. Great hammers, lifetime warranty, competitive pricing. Bought a set of three dead blows for $75+tax a few months ago.
Lippyp
Well-known member
I'm no pro but I have a variety of hammers in my car tools. not sure of weights but a small ballpein, a small cross/flat pein, a big BP for when you really need to lump something, a shot filled plastic dead blow, a combo hide/copper hammer.
Sticks McGee
Well-known member
Here are the three hammers I use at work everyday. To the left is a MAC deadblow ball peen. I have found this one to be the best general purpose hammer I have ever used. It is a 32 oz and the handle is short. it lets me do light work up to some pretty good heavier stuff. The one on the right I believe is a blue point that I got from snap on (48oz). This I use when the 32oz just does not have enough oomph...The middle one I use occasionally as it is a soft face. I have not found one like the mac on the left that has the balance and durabilty. I have seen 32 oz deadblow ballpeens but they have longer handles and I prefer them much less...This one is my go to for 99% of what I need a hammer for. I even bought one for home...
