What's your favorite forging hammer?

I

itrade

Joined
Jul 3, 2002
Messages
645
OK forging is cool. So far I've ruin my fair share of steel. But things are starting to take shape. Enough that this might actually get fun. So, now I need a real hammer.


What size/shape do you use most often?


I've read about rectangular faced hammers. Is that common?

Steve
 
I use three hammers most times, A small 2 pounder with a square curved face and fuller on the other end for light finishing work.

A 3 pound shop hammer(mini sledge type) for little heavier work and fine control.

A 10 pound maul with the handle shortened for most rough forging. It helps build the biceps.:p
 
3 and 4 pound cros-peins. and occasionally 1 and 1.5 ball peins.
I also have a 2# sheffeild style hammer head by Ric Furrer that Im hoping to get a handle on soon too.

The actual shape of the head isnt too important but the striking face is something youll have to play with, to find what suits your technique. Mine are very slightly concaved and left in low grit. Leaving them in low grit will help them pop off scale real well.

The thing about forging:
If your reading this, youre wasting forging time! :D

Joe
 
Jim Joyce makes an old English pattern hammer, mine is 3 lbs, i use it daily. Im gonna order a 2 lb. as well.

I dont own a Hoffi hammer, but this is similar to a Hoffi. I just like the short squaty hammers, i have more control with them.

EDITED TO ADD: I just noticed your from Cali. Jim is in Santa Cruz, he is definitely worth looking up.
 
Steve, The hammer sitting on the anvil was the first hammer I made for doing knives and its still my favorite of the three that I made the last few months. Its around 2 1/2 pounds. What I was wanting was a Hofi hammer but there pretty spendy plus Bruce Evans gave me a bunch of 1 3/4" rebar and didn't know what I was going to do with it. The bar sitting on the anvil is what the hammer was made out of.
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I have an old forged hammer I bought used together with 2 others for 10$ the three of them: square hammer 4 lbs with square, curved, crowned faces. The other is 3 lbs a cross peen I use for drawing.
I occasionally use a 1 lb ball peen for fine work.
All hammer faces are polished to 600 grit.
 
I use a 2.5lb cross pein for most general forging. For crushing steel flat, into managable size, I use a 4lb drilling hammer. And for some detail and final forging, a small 1lb, similar to the drilling hammer. FYI, I reshape all my hammer handles (thin down the grip mostly), they are never adequate and often longer than need be as well. But that's a personal pref. Good luck and have fun!
 
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