Hammer Update: The modded rounding hammers are still awesome!

Rick Marchand

Rick Marchand

Donkey on the Edge
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Jan 6, 2005
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Hey Folks,
I love hammers ... no, really ... I spend ten minutes standing in the hammer aisle every time I go the hardware store and do a web search at least once a month. I am searching for the ultimate style but know deep down, that it is futile. My latest additions were the rounding hammers. They are made from sledge heads and have been ground, heat treated and re-handled. They have one round/domed face and a square/flat dressing on the other. They are compact, versitile and can be used a different angles to move steel the way you need it.

Here they are in 1550g(3.4lbs), 1000g(2,2lbs) and 550g(1.2lbs) ...


The rounded face moves metal fast and by changing the angle of the head I can get a different radius...


The flat face is great for bevels, finish work and by using the edge, I can peen from any side without missing a stroke...


The hickory handles are grooved at two locations for indexing...



I mostly grip the hammer with my middle finger acting as the fulcrum and my index finger and thumb controlling the angle of the striking face. My palm is mostly facing down while forging... like I am bouncing a tennis ball. The grip is light and I stand very erect(no hunching over). I stand at 45deg to the anvil and the length of the handle is at 45degs to me. That places the handle parallel to the length of the anvil(if my anvil wasn't square:p). It is heavily inspired by the Hofi Technique For Moving Metal(look it up). It is also very similar to the way I was taught to play the drums, so it felt very natural to me from the start.


I can pretty much do everything I need with these three hammers. The two French hammers in the background were the ones I learned on and still have a place on my wall. But, these newest beaters have really proven themselves over the last several months. Could this be the end of my quest?... I hope not!


Thanks for looking and putting up with yet another hammer thread from me.
 
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did you make those? and when you say you can do most everything you need with these, do they replace your cross peens somehow?? thanks.
 
Yes, I am addicted to making my own hammers... though, I cheat and use sledge heads so I don't have to drift by hand. I have spoken to the reps for the two popular brands around here(Garant and Benchmark) and they both use 1060. I rarely use my peens anymore. The rounding face and the edge of my anvil get the job done well.

Check out Brian Brazeal

[video=youtube;pCiMitLk5GI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCiMitLk5GI[/video]
 
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I completely understand the addiction, Rick. I hunt ebay for different and unique hammers not because I really need them, but because they're so unusual. Of course, I get outbidded more often than not, but the hunt is fun.

Right now, my favorite hammer is a 3lb cross peen, but I'm definitely on the look for a rounding hammer for all the reasons you've listed. Brian's video sealed the deal for me, but I still haven't found the right hammer to mod.
 
A good friend of mine is a 4th generation Master Blacksmith. He uses a 1.5lb and 3lb English ballpeen for everything!
 
As the old saying goes, "it's the singer not the song."

For moving metal in a hurry, I use a 4lb sledge over the horn of the anvil. Other than that, it's a 3lb cross peen for 90% of the hammering and a 1.5lb ball peen for general tinkering. You don't need a lot of hammers to make great pieces, but having a lot of hammers makes me happy. :D
 
My friend who is a farrier showed me the basics of forging out a billet by hand, so rounding hammers have been the way to go from the beginning! I currently use a 1.75 lb rounding hammer and an old 2.5 ball peen with a rounded face. Re-shaping an existing hammer face to make it more rounded is a great upgrade.
 
My lil sis is a sculptor. I made her a Mjolnir for Christmas out of an Estwing Bricklayer

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Ya got me in the mood to tinker, Rick. Your photos were just what I needed to motivate me to re-do the hammer that I bought some time back.

Tractor Supply Co. isn't renowned for their quality tools, but I needed a cross peen and they had one that was almost perfectly ground on the head. The wood handle sucked real bad; far too thin for a 3lb hammer and made from some foreign wood.

So yesterday I replaced the OEM handle with a chunk off of an old hoe handle that broke. The wood is seasoned and plenty thick. With a bit of thinned BLO and a lot of carpenter's glue, the whole thing came together with relatively little fuss. I can't put into words how much a thicker handle changes the feel and handling of the hammer. It's way past time for the rest of my kit to get properly sized handles on them!

I used the leftover handle to haft a 1/4" punch I had. Too thin for a hammer, but plenty of material to hold a punch for hot work. I'm going to do the same to the plastic handle on my 4lb sledge. I bet that plastic handle will be great on the little set hammer I have.....
 
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