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My Quest to get Hammered Continues

Rick Marchand

Rick Marchand

Donkey on the Edge
Moderator
Joined
Jan 6, 2005
Messages
9,680
I have been really liking the Hofi-style hammer with it's compact head and shortened handle. I get much more control and experience less fatigue. I had been using a pair of French hammers with modified handles but I'm not thrilled with the performance.

3.3lb and 2.2lb Frenchies....
IMG_0010-4.jpg


I have pretty much given up on a Sammer... I think he believes I should make my own or something but there is no way I'm drifting a hammer head by hand, so today I bought a couple of 4lb club hammers to experiment with.

This is what they started out as... I emailed the manufacturer (Garant) and they told me that the hammers are drop forged 1060.
4lb-Club-Hammer-pop.jpg


I removed the handles, redressed the faces and ground diagonal peens into them. Then I normalized and re-HT'd them, drawing back to a spring temper. One is 3.75lbs and the other is 3lbs. I was smacking some mild steel around today and really like the feel. I suggest you try the Hofi method.
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those are very cool. i have bad elbows and the longer handles kill me. those look perfect!

jake
 
Rick,
I have one of Hoffi's hammers and really like it and also like you have modified some of the drilling hammers. I have one shaped with a rounding face on one side and square on the other and like it almost as much as my Hoffi. I think I paid about 5 bucks for the drilling hammers. Every time I find one with a nice handle with some character I buy it and put it back. The one I use now had a very curly hickory handle and after altering and dressing the head and squaring the handle it looks good and works well.

Jerry
 
Thanks for posting this Rick, I've also lusted after a Hofi but still hunting a decent anvil to replace my AR500 capped ASO. I want to reface my hammers, but have been reluctant with the limited directions I've read. This gives me a much better perspective.
 
Rick, what's with the diagonal peen face?
I'd expect a vertical or horizontal. does the diagonal offer a better angle relative to how things are naturally held with your tong-hand?

-Daizee
 
Nice work Rick. Have you seen his video? If not, let me know and I'll send you my copy.
I have a 2.6lb Hofi style diagonal pein.
 
Great looking hammers, Rick! I bet that wasn't much fun to grind those diagonal peens :D.

I have a diagonal peen hammer from Ed Caffrey, and it works great. With a vertical peen, you have to adjust your hold of your stock to make it 90 degrees to the face of the peen when using it to draw out the stock lengthwise. When using an angled peen, it puts your hand in a much more natural position relative to each other and helps maintain better body mechanics for certain drawing tasks.

--nathan
 
Nathan has it.

The peen on a forging hammer is usually vertical or horizontal because it is designed for blacksmiths. They normally move softer metal either longer or wider, but rarely are making complex tapers on hardenable steel like we do with knives. The diagonal peen makes moving blade steel far more comfortable and controllable.
 
SBranson said:
Nice work Rick. Have you seen his video? If not, let me know and I'll send you my copy.
I have a 2.6lb Hofi style diagonal pein.
Click to expand...
I do have the video. I would offer it to folks but I have many friends who want to borrow it, still. I also suggest getting Tai's videos... I will be doing a review thread on those at some point... as soon as I get off my butt and organize screen shots and stuff.

daizee said:
Rick, what's with the diagonal peen face?
I'd expect a vertical or horizontal. does the diagonal offer a better angle relative to how things are naturally held with your tong-hand?

-Daizee
Click to expand...
Nathan says it best...
silver_pilate said:
Great looking hammers, Rick! I bet that wasn't much fun to grind those diagonal peens :D.

I have a diagonal peen hammer from Ed Caffrey, and it works great. With a vertical peen, you have to adjust your hold of your stock to make it 90 degrees to the face of the peen when using it to draw out the stock lengthwise. When using an angled peen, it puts your hand in a much more natural position relative to each other and helps maintain better body mechanics for certain drawing tasks.

--nathan
Click to expand...
I first saw the diagonal peen on Ed Caffrey's table at Blade 2years ago. I thought it was a great idea. I am always contorting myself to fuller and the diagonal just makes sense. After making these guys, I now have a right hand, left hand, cross and straight. That should cover all the angles... badum-bum.

The bonus with the compact Hofi-concept is that you can angle the head and peen with the edge of the face. The hammers are almost square so a slight angle doesn't pose the same problems an elongated head would. It is just a different way.

Grinding was easy with a fresh 36grit blaze belt.

Rick
 
Are the eyes in those 2 hammers different sizes ?

you have lots of taper down to the eye on one, but not on the other.

IMG_0061-5.jpg
 
Are the eyes in those 2 hammers different sizes ?
Click to expand...
Yes... my local hardware store only had one club hammer in stock, so I grabbed another the next town over. The eyes are different sizes and I didn't notice until I had them both together. I made them both from an old sledge handle. They are 9" long from the head. I need to shape the bigger one to a bit more of an octagonal feel... it helps to index the face while hammering.
 
Thanks. I was looking for reviews but your word is good enough for me. I have one of Tai's hammers too... :)

Rick Marchand said:
I do have the video. I would offer it to folks but I have many friends who want to borrow it, still. I also suggest getting Tai's videos... I will be doing a review thread on those at some point... as soon as I get off my butt and organize screen shots and stuff.
Click to expand...
 
I've done a fair amount of hammering and tried several different hammer styles. Even made a couple hammers from scratch which made me feel pretty good thinking I found the perfect magic wand. Anyway little over a month ago for some reason counter balance entered my head. About the same time the tendonitis started to flare up in my right forearm so I never really tried it for a long enough peroid of time. All I did was drill two holes threw the iron and attach it with 2 drywall screws to the ends of the hammer handle. Before my grip was about 2" behind the hammer head and just by adding the 8oz to the end of the hammer handle my grip moved 2 to 3" further back and the balance was improved greatly. Now I don't know for sure if its going to make a big difference cause I just haven't been up to trying it for any period of time but it might be worth the 5 minutes to give it a try.
 
Raymond Richard said:
I've done a fair amount of hammering and tried several different hammer styles. Even made a couple hammers from scratch which made me feel pretty good thinking I found the perfect magic wand. Anyway little over a month ago for some reason counter balance entered my head. About the same time the tendonitis started to flare up in my right forearm so I never really tried it for a long enough peroid of time. All I did was drill two holes threw the iron and attach it with 2 drywall screws to the ends of the hammer handle. Before my grip was about 2" behind the hammer head and just by adding the 8oz to the end of the hammer handle my grip moved 2 to 3" further back and the balance was improved greatly. Now I don't know for sure if its going to make a big difference cause I just haven't been up to trying it for any period of time but it might be worth the 5 minutes to give it a try.
Click to expand...

i think i understand what your saying, but would you be able to post a pic of the hammer?

jake
 
strahd71 said:
i think i understand what your saying, but would you be able to post a pic of the hammer?

jake
Click to expand...

Jake, Here you go. I just used a couple piece of buggy axle for the counter weight. My little scale says 8oz. I really think it will make a difference. I wish I was up to giving it a good try myself.

IMG_4130.JPG
 
Rick, How long did it take you to grind away all that steel? Is there a small hamon on that one on the left. If you polish that up to 1500 grit and etch in vinegar, you might be able to really make that pop.
 
That's an illusion, Matthew. There is a bevel there... you can see it in the last two pics.

It really didn't take long. After I cut off and punched out the original handles, I was ready for HT in less than a half hour.
 
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