Review of the Barry King 16oz Maul.

[Omega Leather Works]

I've often thought about drilling out my poly mallet and weighting it. There are two possible ways of doing this...

1. Think about "re-hanging" a hatchet.......pull the handle out and drill it out. Find and use a heavy tube of brass [say something 3" long and in the 3/8"-thick wall type] and run it straight through the mallet head. Sink the handle back into the brass tube.
2. Drill out the center of one mallet face and cement in a brass rod....say something in the 1" diameter x 3" long line.

I'm not all that keen on #2 because I use both sides of my mallet. I'd have to plug the drilled side with poly that I'd have to find somewhere [or buy another mallet to scavenge it from].

It wouldn't be a "pound" of metal, probably something in the addition of 6 -12 ounce range.....but that could mean all the difference in a "light looking" strike when in fact, I actually pounded the Hell out of it LOL.




...and ^^that^^ is exactly why I don't do custom work for sale. I am too much of a klutz and I know it. Also, my work schedule doesn't let me work on something for all that long. I can't dedicate 2-3 days to produce a finished product for shipping within a week's time. I couldn't [in good conscience] make any customer wait more than a week...not only for the sheath but the blade they might have spend a thousand dollars on....

You could drill a hole from the side between the striking surface and handle, then fill it with lead shot and cap it with epoxy.

What weight is your current mallet, and which maul did you try? I'm surprised you couldn't get the maul to work for you, maybe it's just a matter of finding the right one.
I usually give a turn-around time of two weeks. When I started I was doing three day turn-arounds, but the first time I had to extend past that taught me better.

From the business side, I do everything possible to build a relationship with the customer. I stay in constant contact letting them know when their property arrives, shooting over the drawing, progress pics, etc. I don't take payment until they approve the final pics and I have no problem taking payment after I've shipped and they've received the sheath. I wrap their new sheath in canvas or parchment paper and tie it with jute.

It's like good burnishing. It's the small touches that add up to happy customers, at least in my experience.

 

[druid189]

Omega....I use the Tandy "Poly-Head Mallet Medium" but it doesn't list a weight. I'd post the link but it might violate the forum rules. The dimensions are listed at Head size is 3-3/8" x 1-3/4" (4.4 cm) Total length is 11-1/2" (292mm). If i had to hazard a weight guess, it's probably about 12...perhaps 14 oz max.

The maul I tried was an Al Stohlman Medium, also bought from Tandy. Don't get me wrong, the Al Stohlman mauls are freaking gorgeous and are works of art in their own rite...but I couldn't 'center' a shot on that maul to save my own life. The weight was great, the construction was fantastic....I just couldn't master it.

...and I agree with what you say about business practices. My issue is that I know how my lifestyle has twists and turns and that would transfer to to customer [who doesn't deserve that type of issue]. It's just better this way LOL.