Got my Brent Bailey Abrazo hammer

[Mark Emig]

Finally took the plunge and ordered a Brent Bailey hammer-the Abrazo. Beautiful hammer-nicely made-works even better. Looks to nice to use-well almost. Had to light a fire and play as soon as it got here. Brent is nice to do business with also-great service, even better product.
Mark Emig

[Frosty]

Gonna post a picture or are you just a tease?

Frosty

[double_edge2]

from their site.. ill take one of each

[Mark Emig]

Hi Frosty-due to my technological incompetence the only thing I can do is try to put a link in.Brent Bailey Forge & Tool Company. And maybe not even that.

[David Einhorn]

Very pretty, but with shoulder problems and with the Abrazo going for $145, I will stick with Hofi hammers.

[Mark Emig]

I hate to say this with all the Hofi-ites around, but I do not like the Hofi hammer (which I have used). I took a week long class with Hofi-VERY talented man, does fantastic work and I have great respect for all he has done for blacksmithing- but about 10 years ago I blew a hole in my hammer hand running an abrasive water jet (55,000 PSI- ouch) and I just don't find it comfortable or ergonomic for me. The Abrazo is a great drawing and heavy forging hammer and I really like it. I can't make a hammer like that in less than 3 hours if I am lucky. My shop rate is 65 bucks an hour, so it would cost me at least 200 in lost production time to make it.

[Dragons lair]

Use what works best for you. No issues with a differant grip face to pein?
Ken

[welder19]

Well after looking at his website I can say he is a very talented smith and does some beautiful work.

welder19

[Mark Emig]

Talented and a really nice person too. Quite helpful-if you want to modify the weight and such he'll make you exactly what you want. And I got a really cool sticker for the truck too. I look at it like I got a $145.00 sticker and a free bonus hammer.
Mark

[Mark Emig]

Ken, I didn't get your question until I looked at the website again-my hammer has a normal handle. The first thing I did though was shave it down the way I learned from Mark Aspery. If you look in his first book he shows how. With my hand problem I make the handle pretty thin-which actually takes away some of the shock transmitted. Works great for me.
Mark

[Dragons lair]

Mark, I am glad its working so well for a free hammer.(GRIN) Kidding aside I cut down a hatchet yrs ago. Worked great useing the cutting edge but trying to use the hammr side
was a pain, The right way or right tool is what works best for you. Enjoy.
Ken

[Drako11]

Wow those hammers look to beautiful to use..... XD

[Bill in Oregon]

Man, those are some lovely hammers. I recently ordered a couple of hammers from Blacksmiths Depot (have neither the money nor the skill to justifya really nice hammer) and between the two -- their Czech/Hofi style and a Peddinghaus 1500-gram Nordic-- I much prefer the Nordic. Can't say why.

Edited August 18, 2009 by Bill in Oregon

[Frosty]

Hi Frosty-due to my technological incompetence the only thing I can do is try to put a link in.Brent Bailey Forge & Tool Company. And maybe not even that.

You got the job done, hard to call that incompetence.

Oooh Shiny! What a beautiful bunch of hammers and other tools.

That just got saved in my suppliers file.

Frosty

[Grafvitnir]

Brent Bailey has been doing demos on hammers and tools for a while. Here is a link to a booklet he made on making one of his hammers out of Atlantic 33:

http://www.calsmith.org/techniques/hammers/baileycrosspein.pdf

It includes the slitter and drift he uses for them.

Rub

[Bentiron1946]

Now you went and done it! I got hammer envy again:D

[thisblackduck]

great hammers