Sledge Hammers!

Hickory n steel said:
Use a wire wheel to remove the rust, don't bear down and you'll remove only the rust leaving the dark aged finish of the steel like you see in this thread.

The benefit is it looks good and is distinguished from something brand new, they don't rust as easy, and it takes much less time.
Plus you don't have to worry about removing stamps and such if you were trying to get it really shiny looking.
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Many thanks for this. I read this and immediately went and applied a 4” fine wire wheel (for an hour or so) to an old 8 and a half pound hammer head that has been laying about for a while. Results are in the link below.
It was found within a couple of hundred yards of the SP RR tracks in the Sierras near Colfax CA. I’ve thought this head might have been for driving rr spikes or drill steels. It shows little if any use on either face. I included a close up of what’s left of the only markings.
Any one have any ideas of what it might have been for, it’s age or anything?
Regards, Bill
https://ibb.co/album/Rkdmzn?sort=da...den[from]=album&params_hidden[albumid]=Rkdmzn
 
NOljvnS
I got this as a "two-fer" at a garage sale for $1. I wanted the 4 lb. Stanley sledge and got the rusted broken-handled one as well. After grinding off the mushrooming on the head, I found "J.H." stamped into each side. I concluded it was a J. H. Williams brand, but posters on another forum said it was John Henry's hammer and that name has stuck! After grinding and wire-wheeling the whole head, I heated it with map gas to get the moisture out and then applied 5 coats of gun bluing. I put a new handle on it and this (almost) 8-pounder is ready to go again!
NOljvnS
 
I call this John Henry's Hammer. I got this 8-pounder as a "two-fer" for $1 at a garage sale. I really only wanted the 4 lb. Stanley but took this rusted hunk of crap too. I ground the mushrooming off and found J.H. stamped on both sides. Another forum posters joked that it was John Henry's hammer and it fit. I believe it to be J. H. Williams brand. Anyway, after using the wire wheel on it I heated it up with map gas to remove the moisture and used 5 applications of gun bluing on it and it turned out well!
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David Martin said:
The glue is now dried & I'll cut the top wedge off. Then give it another coat of linseed oil. This tool may not see a lot of action. But when you reach for it, you really need it. DM
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Now you need some railroad spikes, ties and you can start narrow gauge railroad project :)
But seriously. When I added that sledge to your Maul I was hoping that by pounding steel wedges with that handy Warwood you could extend life of your 6 lbs Fireman Axe poll
 
I absolutely adore axes and hawks. I must have a dozen+ hawks, a few axes, and a bushel of hatchets. However, in my line of work as a contractor the hammer is king.
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Here is my freshly rehung 10# Sledge, The Bastard. This hammer has been kicking around my family business since God was a boy. I have no idea when or where we got it, but im going to guess my grandfather purchased it as cheaply as possible. It's a Quikwerk 10# hammer that has most assuredly been rehandled numerous times.

Being that we now have a dozen hammers and this one is very work and marred, I decided to refurbish it yet keep it true to form of the life it lead.

I call this one The Bastard because it is cut down to a weird 28" overall length. I did this because the original was done the same way. This hammer, the ones that followed it, were used to drive dead man stakes in 3" wide over digs for in ground swimming pools. The longer handle would just slightly catch on the bracing of the panels, so cutting a few inches off the handle retained a lot of the control but gave plenty of leverage without getting hung up.

This one is semi retired even if it can do a lot more work. It's a heavy cuss that strikes like it's being wielded by Thor. To further "bastardize" it, I did my unconventional truck bed liner coating on the bottom grip. It holds up surprisingly well gives just a bit more purchase when you hands are slick with sweat.
 
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