Strange hammer , maybe homemade?

[Mark914]

Got this strange looking hammer from my dad’s things. Initially I thought maybe home made because the round face has no crown. It’s flat. And no markings. Any idea ??

 

[johnre]

Ball pein hammer with the pein worked down a bit for some specialized use?

 

[Oldsnapper]

I inheritted from my father a cross pein hammer that has a flat face.

 

[disston]

I'd say that is the way it was made. The tiny tip side does not show signs of being ground down. Can't tell you it's name tho.

 

[rsanter]

Looks factory, if it’s not then it was modified very well

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I think its like a RR spike driven hammer but smaller, used like a drift punch, but with a good handle.

 

[Leviton]

Got this strange looking hammer from my dad’s things. Initially I thought maybe home made because the round face has no crown. It’s flat. And no markings. Any idea ??

Could you post a photo showing the face/tip of the small end of the head?

 

[Mark914]

So I noticed that there is markings on the head. Very hard to read. Other than the 2nd line that says Cast Steel

 

[The Cobbler]

Sure looks like machining or grinder marks to me , as if it was spun in a lathe to remove some material

 

[Mintgrun]

It looks like the logo says H. CHENEY. They made very nice hammers.

The marks from the shaping process look like grinder marks to me.
I think that end was factory made for some special purpose. If it was a user-modification, they did a very good job.

 

[Junkman]

I have one that is very similar to yours. I will check it in the morning. I have an affinity for buying unusual-looking hammers when I see them at swap meets.

 

[four.cycle]

Cheney / Henry Cheney Hammer Corp., Little Falls, NY / est. 1836 acquired by Prentiss Vise Co. 1925 / hammers / patent 1621761 Mar 22 1927 Arthur E. Taylor / http://jtc.net/hchc/ / https://craftsofnj.org/images/sitemedia/toolshed/Tool Shed No173-201309.pdf /

@Mark914 - check International Tool Catalog Library and see if you can find a match to that unit - the site's down right now for some reason.
10/23/25 02:39 PDT

 

[RTM]

It looks like the logo says H. CHENEY. They made very nice hammers.

I was trying very hard not to reach that conclusion. Looking at the spacing of Cast Steel, seems like there should be more letters in there, or Cheney has extra wide kerning.

 

[Mintgrun]

Cheney has extra wide kerning

I agree. Maybe they did that to help balance the scale over CAST STEEL.



I only see the 1904 catalog on the IA site and that hammer is not in it.

Henry Cheney Hammer Co. : 1904 Illustrated Catalogue : Henry Cheney Hammer Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

40 p., illus., 23.1 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[Mark914]

great info!!! definitely looks like it starts with a C or G, and ends with an EY

 

[four.cycle]

@Mintgrun -
1926 Henry Cheney Hammer Price List No. 21 is also available at ITCL, though that particular model does not appear in the 1926 price list.

 

[RTM]

By clicking away from Metadata to Text Content search, and using Cheney, there are a couple of sneaker ads which may help. This one lists other hammers they made, maybe searching these names with Cheney might bring up an image

Hardware Retailer Directory : July 1943 : National Retail Hardware Association : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

736 p., illus., 28.9 cm, trade magazine

archive.org

Cheney Nail-Holding Carpenters’ Hammers Curved Claw-Straight Claw
Carpenters’ Finishing
Ball Pein
Straight Pein
Cross Pein
Machinists’ Riveting
Tinners Riveting
Tinners Paneing
Blacksmiths Hand
Engineers double face
Scaling
Auto bumping
Bricklayers
prospectors picks

 

[Mintgrun]

Straight Pein

That'd be my guess.

 

[RTM]

That'd be my guess.

Isnt strait peen the one that runs parallel with the handle, cross peen perpendicular to the handle, the same direction as a Warrington pattern.

 

[Mintgrun]

Ah, you're right. Thank you. I'm learning.

 

[dscheidt]

It’s some sort of tinner’s hammer, I think. They came in a huge range of shapes and sizes.

 

[RTM]

Knock these two off the list, riveting and paneling.




Lots of cool hammers here, but don’t see it yet.

Joseph Woodwell Company : Hardware : 80th Anniversary Edition : Joseph Woodwell Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

672 p., illus., 24.4 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[four.cycle]

okay... I was holding off saying anything but....
I am almost certain I have seen that head before in one of the hundreds of old catalog pages I've looked at, but there were/are so many hammer makers, and so many different models....

I'm not having any luck finding a match.

 

[RTM]

Here’s a book for someone with patience Sheet Metal Workers’ Manual.

Sheet Metal Workers' Manual : Broemel, Louis : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

568 p., illus., 17.1 cm, educational book

archive.org

 

[kylemartin]

Got this strange looking hammer from my dad’s things. Initially I thought maybe home made because the round face has no crown. It’s flat. And no markings. Any

. I have made these in many sizes for blacksmithing. We call it a hot punch. for making holes. It’s a top tool not one that you swing. Usually when the hole size gets up to 3/8” you want a handle on it..or your hand is getting cooked! That one looks like it could possibly be made out of a ball- peen hammer . Farriers use a real short punch like . Usuallysmaller though for nail holes.

This is the last one i made for doing 3/4” holes

 

[kylemartin]

Got this strange looking hammer from my dad’s things. Initially I thought maybe home made because the round face has no crown. It’s flat. And no markings. Any

. I have made these in many sizes for blacksmithing. We call it a hot punch. for making holes. It’s a top tool not one that you swing. Usually when the hole size gets up to 3/8” you want a handle on it..or your hand is getting cooked! That one looks like it could possibly be made out of a ball- peen hammer . Farriers use a real short punch like . Usually smaller though for nail holes.

This is the last one i made for doing 3/4” holes

 

[slowtwitch73]

Here's a moded one I picked up... there were some auto body tools floating around with it, think that's what it's for.

 

[four.cycle]

^ We were just looking at one of those a couple days ago, I believe.... Blue-Point model BF-616 body hammer. Rather an odd duck for sure. Does yours have the ridiculously long handle too?