Lead hammer my way

[vintage nut]

I was making some lead hammers today, and figured I might as well share how I do it.
First off, the mold. Yes, it's wood, pine actually. Hardly even charrs the wood when you pour it. Process for making it is to screw together two pieces of wood that fit against eachother perfectly, then use a drillpress with a forster to drill out a cavity the size of your hammer head, right down the middle of the two pieces. Then drill is the side exactly half way down the big hole, a hole the size of your handle. Again, right on the middle of the two pieces

The handles are 1/2" steel pipe with a nut welded on the end, both sealing it off, and giving it some way to hold into the lead.
To insure it can't leak lead around the handle, I give it a couple wraps of duct tape to insure it's a tight fit.
Oh, and you put the handles in, then screw the two halves back together.

Here's how I melt the lead. Old camp stove with a piece of expanded metal on top to reinforce it against the weight, and a cast iron plumbers lead melting pot. The ladle to pour it is a stainless steel cup from a thrift store, along with a pair of visegrips.

Here it is after the pour

And here after splitting the mold.

And here's the finished hammers! I also like to spray the handles with rattle can bed liner to give them some grip, and I'll grab a picture after it drys

Hope this helps someone wanting to make one of the most useful tools you can have!

you can never have too many tools

 

[Dust Devil]

Made some in shop class 30 yrs ago, still have them.

 

[-Brent-]

Nice. I think this will be a good project this summer. Where did you get the lead?

 

[vintage nut]

I have over a hundred pounds I've collected up over the last couple years.
Wheel weights are one option. Or battery terminal clamps.
Also old lead flashing, lead pipes, fishing weights, and if you have any connections in nuclear medicine, they use tons of lead flasks to transport isotopes.

you can never have too many tools

 

[G_P]

My father made one by filling a tin can with lead, peeling the can off once the lead was solid, and then drilling a hole in the lead to fit a wooden handle.

Your way seems much more efficient.

 

[zkling]

My father made one by filling a tin can with lead, peeling the can off once the lead was solid, and then drilling a hole in the lead to fit a wooden handle.

Your way seems much more efficient.

Maybe, but a wooden handled hammer is much nicer than a tubular steel handled hammer.

 

[Tim37]

I have a mold my similar in style to your wood set up it is steel and only does on at a time I think I have threeb aluminium handles that he made I use one at work its great when you need it

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Maybe, but a wooden handled hammer is much nicer than a tubular steel handled hammer.

YES! Why is every single lead hammer I see have a steel handle.

Can I pour lead directly onto a wood handle?

 

[dutchgray]

This is cool. You could cast over a piece of dowel and then remove it and fit a wooden handle if you wanted.

 

[404]

Great Job! I have to fix my lead hammer, and keep looking at the cast iron molds on ebay for big money. Your method is genius, I will be using it.

Thank you!

 

[Fretters]

YES! Why is every single lead hammer I see have a steel handle.

Can I pour lead directly onto a wood handle?

The mould is made from deal, so I'd guess a hardwood handle should survive easily. A mild bit of charring at most.

 

[vintage nut]

You would have to have something on the end of the wood handle for the lead to grab on. That's why I stick welded a nut on the end of the pipe.
I always agree wooden handled hammers are nicer. In fact the only non wood handled hammers I have are those lead ones, my framing hammer (stanley clone of estwing I got as a second for 6 bucks because the clear coat was scratched!) and a fiberglass handled proto copper hammer I got used.

I'm wanting to try a lead hammer the way I make brass hammers sometime, putting a cylinder on the milling machine and milling an eye into it.
Like this one I just did

If you're wondering about the tape, I just made that handle, and drove the wedge in too far, cracking it. I decided to tape it up and see how long it lasts rather than take it right out and make another handle

you can never have too many tools

 

[vintage nut]

Oh yeah, and the double mold was something I tried for the first time today, and had no idea how it would work. Basically I drilled the first hole, and thought I could squeeze one slightly smaller hammer in too, so decided to give it a shot.

The thing to remember is that liquid lead is very good at finding little gaps to leak out. However, its easy to stop it. If the mold doesn't fit together perfectly, you can use paper as a gasket in the loose spots. Duct tape as a gasket stops it too.

I first tried this after seeing how expensive proper molds are, and remembering hearing about casting fishing sinkers in wood molds. Only way I have done it since. Probably going to make a lead sledgehammer soon. Be real nice for jobs such as removing tractor wheels rusted to the hub, or persuading rusted on brake drums

you can never have too many tools

 

[Fretters]

You would have to have something on the end of the wood handle for the lead to grab on.

Could just drill a couple of small holes through the handle, else gouge a groove around the stem.

Nice work, btw.

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

I used to just gather lead wheel balancing weights from the gutter whenever I walked my dog...put them in a tin can and melted them on the stove, and the steel clips just floated to the top for disposal. Lead ones are rare in the modern gutter, as some sort of mystery metal has bee in use for a long time.

 

[dutchgray]

Could just drill a couple of small holes through the handle, else gouge a groove around the stem.

Nice work, btw.

Or form it reverse taper rubber mallet style, eventually the lead would stretch round it but how long do these last anyway.

 

[vintage nut]

They have recently started using zinc and steel for wheel weights. Not as common in canada as down south though

you can never have too many tools

 

[BJ42LX]

Here it is after the pour

That's it!

I have a lead hammer that looks like meteorite. THIS is how I'm going to re-cast it.

 

[vintage nut]

Glad to help!

you can never have too many tools

 

[HMCFab9]

Would Aluminum work?
I don't have any access to large quantities of lead, but there's a lot of soda cans available.
To make up for the weight of the lead, maybe weld a chunk of steel to the metal handle & pour the aluminum around it.. ?
I am in the process of building a forge anyway, so heat is not a problem.....& it will give me a use for cans.

 

[zkling]

Would Aluminum work?
I don't have any access to large quantities of lead, but there's a lot of cans available.

Doesn't have the density, while it would hold most of the non marring capabilities, it wouldn't have near the wallop for a same size head of lead.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I have a handful of mushroomed out lead hammers from yardsales.

I assume I can put them in a pot and melt the lead right off to reuse?

And the aluminum sounds good too. Just melt and pour that as well? Or do you need another something mixed in?

 

[zkling]

Also realize that melting the aluminum is not nearly as easy as melting the lead. ~2x the temperature is needed meaning a small furnace and capable crucible. You would be better off turning a piece form bar stock for the aluminum route.

 

[Ridwaan Gallow]

May i ask, what other uses are there for these hammers?

I have only ever used hard metal 2, 4 & 10 pound hammers for really smashing things and i was just wondering if the lead hammers would not "burst" under the impact?

 

[zkling]

Higher density, but lower hardness of steel hammers. Non marring (to a point), non sparking, but harder hitting than other materials with similar properties. With modern dead blow hammers they are a bit of a thing of the past. You have to be careful when they get worn as pieces can and will fly off. Real handy if you need to hit the end of a threaded shaft, but can't gall the threads.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I seem to have used lead on mostly rusted farm equipment. Can't dent and mess up X piece, but have to wack it pretty good to move it...and there is usually not a lot of room, so the mass of lead really helps.

 

[Ridwaan Gallow]

Thanks..

I shall now endeavour to cast myself a new lead hammer with a wooden handle.. should work nicely for removing tight brake drums etc..

 

[1940_dodge]

What mask do you use when you're handling the liquid lead?

 

[404]

What mask do you use when you're handling the liquid lead?

Many people don't. Bullet casters for example. Some have a range hood near the work station to vent outside.

 

[404]

Lead hammer is used to tap work down in a milling machine vise, tighten vise handles, and with a wrench to loosen and tighten bolts on the milling machine.

 

[vintage nut]

Yep, just toss the old hammer in the pot, and the head will melt off. Probably need to add a little lead to make up for little pieces coming off.

As for the mask, I wear a P100 respirator which stops everything, but it really isn't necessary. Lead doesn't produce fumes until well past 1000 degrees, and good luck getting that on a camp stove.
I also do it outside right in front of the shop.


As for lead hammer used, the mill vise is one, although I normally use a delrin faced hammer. My main use for them is mechanics work where you need to beat the **** out of something without hurting it. Lead hits very hard, acts like a deadblow, and will not hurt your parts. I have used them for things like encouraging steel wheels to come off the hubs, convincing a rusted on brake caliper to come off, and just any time something needs a beating but can't be dented.

I also have a copper hammer, a brass hammer, an aluminum one (for the mill vise) a nylon/delrin faced one, rubber mallets, all kinds. They all have an application

you can never have too many tools

 

[vintage nut]

Also, if you can't find lead, rotometals (they're online) sells lead bars for about $1.50 a pound. You want the antimonial lead as its slightly harder, not pure lead

you can never have too many tools

 

[BJ42LX]

May i ask, what other uses are there for these hammers?

There's only one use that matters: removal and installation of knock-offs on your Ferrari 275 GTB.

 

[hangfirew8]

What mask do you use when you're handling the liquid lead?

A simple/cheap face shield will do, anything that will keep a splash off your face.

You don't need elaborate lead abatement breathing masks because there is no such thing is "lead fumes", you'll never get that hot on a Coleman storve, what you smell is all the other stuff burning off.

 

[vintage nut]

Yep that's exactly my point. I just wear a respirator because all the **** burning off wheel weights and old flashing really stinks, and the respirator stops the smell.

You have to boil the lead before fumes are an issue. And you would need a cutting torch and a crucible to do that

you can never have too many tools

 

[toolmuchtool]

Vintage nut, nice job I never thought of using a mold out of wood. I did see a guy make a few different ones on youtube. His easiest one he did used a tomato can. He had to try a couple times to get it looking good, as the clear coating in the can reacted with the lead and made for one ugly lead hammer. You can only use the can mold one time. As you peel the can off the cooled off lead hammer. I like you wood one as it can be used over and over. Thanks for shearing how you made it and all the pictures.

 

[vintage nut]

I have never actually tried reusing a wood mold! I have the one double mold in this thread, and one larger one that I used once. I'll try reusing one tomorrow and post the results! My only worry is how the edges right around where it joins have a little more charring, and I'm worried it might not seal as tight. I think it will work at least twice, maybe more, but I think the flash around the seam would get pretty bad before long. Although an autobody file would take care of that pretty fast!

Also, the molds are really easy to make! If you have a drill press and forsner bits, you can make the mold in under 5 minutes easily

you can never have too many tools

 

[Farmall450]

Maybe, but a wooden handled hammer is much nicer than a tubular steel handled hammer.

Not always.

 

[JWC07]

I'm going to make one using this method next time I fire up my pot. I cast my own boolits and fishing lures. I have a lot of lead and I know I could use a lead hammer. Thanks for posting


Sent

 

[Jere]

Thanks for sharing this great method! I have a lead hammer I picked up used and have been conservative with its use as I haven't had a good way to replace it but this will do the trick nicely!