Broadus Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I hope I'm writing this in the right section. I picked up this sledge hammer head at quadstate this year for two bucks (along with many others lol), but I don't know a thing about it other then that it is OLD. So I was wondering if anyone knows if it had a specific use or could estimate an approximate age? It seems to be made of wrought iron but does not have steel faces like other wrought iron hammers. I had to make the handle because eye was such a strange shape, plus it didn't seem right to handle it with a storebought handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Hard to say the age. I'd guess early 1800s or so. The claw end didn't come about until later and the general hammer end shape is correct. That hammer looks a bit like a pin maul which had the pointy end to help drive wooden pins (no, I don't know how it a pointy end helped except maybe to drive pins below the surface)--however those were generally straight instead of curved. The photos I can bring up in a search of colonial era (usa) hammers have a slightly different handle mount and tend to have a flat back rather than a point. Probably either home-made or from a very small shop: Q&D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadus Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 I had a hunch that's what it was, I actually also bought a pin maul hammer while there. for now it's going to be my little brothers sledgehammer. It definitely works on hot steel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 reminds me of some of the hand forged mining tools of the 19th century Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Looks like a pick to me too but it's hard to judge it's scale. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadus Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Oops! i forgot to put something in for scale... It's about 5-6 pounds, 9 1/4" from tip to tip, and 1 1/2" thick. I had wondered if it was even a hammer. Oh well I was hoping it was a viking age relic Thanks for the IDs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 look in De Re Metallica... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 22 hours ago, Kozzy said: The claw end didn't come about until later Pretty sure the Romans (ancient types) had claw hammers. Will have to look into the old books to confirm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 24 minutes ago, Judson Yaggy said: Pretty sure the Romans (ancient types) had claw hammers. Will have to look into the old books to confirm... You are correct. I read a couple of history pages on hammers too quickly and got it wrong. In any case, I also mistook the weight of the hammer in question..much heavier and larger than I thought. Zero for 2. Guess I need to up the coffee intake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadus Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 just finished checking De Re Metallica and this seems to be a style of "hammer" from the time, there was no real implication for it's use other than to break stuff. I guess I should have checked there first, lol Maybe it is REALLY old, should I still use it if it could be this old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 That style was in use in these parts in the late 19th century and still show up at fleamarkets from time to time. It's your hammer you can use it if you want to. I really doubt that it is Renaissance though. Just a place I remember seeing a similar one. Got any old miners you could talk to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadus Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 Nah I don't know any miners, I'm pretty sure there aren't many mines around here. Still an interesting hammer, or pick. I'll definitely use it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matto Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Looks like a rail pick to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Tools do seem to travel; I once bought a British Army Issue (Broad Arrow) straight peen 7# sledge at a fleamarket in Las Cruces NM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 The trouble with hammers is, they are often used for differing reasons by different owners so identiy can be vague, I recently viewed a current manufacturers catalogue, which listed my welders chipping (slag) hammer as a tinsmiths hammer, their version of a welders hammer being a totally different shape. although mine is the shape I have been familiar with welders using since my days as an apprentice. The OP's hammer shape could be as useful to a tin or coppersmith as it could be to a prospector, geologist or mountain climber! Had you item been found in it's original setting, maybe with a collection of rocks, climbing equipment or whatever, then you could have probably made an educated guess and likely have been spot on the money, however once removed from it's surroundings that additional information is lost. Hence why archeologists dislike metal detectorists. Whatever it's original purpose was, it's now a blacksmiths "specialty" hammer, of unknown origin and age...............swing it well. ( P.S. my old chipping hammer is being cleaned up redressed, reshafted and reassigned to my cold metal work .......) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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