sharing some forging hammer info

H

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Nov 7, 2012
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I was reviewing my hammers and thought I'd share what I've learned for me.

The hammer that I keep coming back to over and over is the one on the left in blue, a Vaughn ball peen, 40 oz head, available at McMaster Carr for $22. I have a Hofi style Big Blu straight peen, a Toruku 48 oz Japanese blacksmith and other cross pein. Previously I've had 2 other custom made for me, rounding and pein hammers. But again I keep coming back to the low cost ball peen. It just felt most comfortable all around,

Reasons why - I shaped the handle Hofi style and made the handle significantly shorter. Dressed the face to my liking. But then I just realized the head is way forward much like the Japanese blacksmith hammer!

So that overall balance and head forward works for me. That's why I keep coming back. to that hammer. The Toruku has too much weight forward (for me) and the Vaughn ball peen feels just right.

just thought I'd share :)

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Do you have a diagonal peen hammer?

I keep thinking that's the one thing I really need but don't have.
 
kuraki said:
Do you have a diagonal peen hammer?

I keep thinking that's the one thing I really need but don't have.
Click to expand...
no, haven't really seen the need,
sometimes I'm at a 45 deg diagonal to the anvil :)

but I'm thinking about buying another Vaughn hammer and grinding the round front face into a straight peen, I might go up to the 48 oz on that one since I will be removing material away to create the peen.
 
Funny, I worked in a shop one time where a couple of the guys preferred to forge mostly with heavy ball peens. Never could understand it, since the ball isn't that useful for GP, but perhaps it was the whole weight forward thing. Makes sense to me.
 
Salem Straub said:
Funny, I worked in a shop one time where a couple of the guys preferred to forge mostly with heavy ball peens. Never could understand it, since the ball isn't that useful for GP, but perhaps it was the whole weight forward thing. Makes sense to me.
Click to expand...
yeah I never use the ball side of that hammer, just the front face
 
I always reach for my 32 and 40 oz ball peens too over my straight and cross peens. Although second most used would be a 2 lb Swedish style. The weight forward thing isn't something I had thought about, but reading this now makes me wonder if I should try out a Japanese style hammer myself.
 
These are my most used hammers... from the top...

3lb Double diagonal peen (reground sledge)
1.5lb Ball peen
2.5lb Ball peen
4lb Rounding hammer w/ squared face (it has since been replaced by one of my own making)
2.2lb Rounding hammer w/ squared face (reground maul)
3.3lb Frenchie
2.2lb Frenchie

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