Help identifying "Hammer"

[jkoll42]

Hi all - long time lurker. I was cleaning out FIL's garage before closing on the property and found an odd hammeresque tool in a dirty corner that I have absolutely no idea what it could be for. There are no strike marks on the back of it to indicate it was used as a die to make impressions. The only markings are on the handle which appears to be original.

It is a Hartwell Bro's handle and next to their brand is stamped "PRUDEN" which I have had no luck finding anything about.

Unfortunately he is suffering from dementia so it's unlikely I will be able to find out the origin from him.

TIA for any suggestions about what it is, what it's for or who made the tool.

- Jon

 

[freudianfloyd]

Meat tenderizer?

 

[thehorse13]

My immediate thought is meat tenderizer but who knows.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Early soft blow hammer makers used nubs like that for seating replaceable soft blow faces (leather and composite), but those were typically recessed, or had a split head apparatus attached.

 

[jkoll42]

My immediate thought was tenderizer as well but they are usually flat faced not profiled.

MIL showed FIL the picture today and he said it was for shaping metal but unfortunately I can't trust that.

 

[redragoon]

Looks like the head is made of copper. Wouldn't expect that to be used for anything food grade without a coating.

 

[jkoll42]

Looks like the head is made of copper. Wouldn't expect that to be used for anything food grade without a coating.

Sorry - should have given more info. It's a steel head with green paint that looks remarkably like copper patina in the picture!

 

[rlitman]

I think that's a bush hammer for stone work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_hammer

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Unless it's the camera angle, one thing that's a little odd is that the head is very narrow. It's all cheek. The striking faces - if that's what they are, aren't but a 1/4" or so from the plane of the handle. It's why I'm still stuck on soft blow hammer. Imagine some soft blow faces on those nubs and it suddenly looks more normal.

One other comment. I don't know if Plomb was the only OEM to use octagonal handles, but they were famous for it.

 

[DadsTools]

That it's painted on the main face surface leans me away from anything food related like a tenderizer. I don't think it would make sense for a painted surface that would be concealed by any soft-blow face, plus the tapered 'pins' would make for a very insecure footing.

I'm thinking rlitman may be going in the right direction. Either to add texture to a surface or for breaking something up. The hemispherical shape suggests it's not intended to strike a surface evenly like in forming a pattern, but to strike a surface at angles, either to make contact with the demolition target even if it's swung crookedly, or to shape something in a concave curvature.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The shape of the nubs don't bother me. As I said, I have seen them patented like that expressly for that reason. The fact that that surface is not recessed is not typical, admittedly, unless there was a split-head collar over that. As for the shape, that's exactly the shape of old Greene, Tweed & Co and Garland soft blow hammers. I'm not proposing that's what it is, just that I'm still "seeing" that type of hammer.

EDIT: I'd really like to see a photo of it laying flat on a cheek, not a striking surface, and if there are nubs on the other side.

 

[jkoll42]

Really appreciate the help on this. Additional pictures attached. If anyone wants any other please let me know.

Diameter at widest is 1.65" and length 1.82"

Edit: Not sure if this would help at all but he came from a farming family in NJ

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It's a really small head, but it's not for soft blow faces.