What size (weight) hammer do you use the most ?

I use a 2.5#, which isn't an option! Dang metric system. :)

I settled on the "French" pattern many years ago and use that for my primary battle weapons...:-)

depending on what I am doing, I use a 1 lb, 1.5lb, 2 lb, 2.5 lb, 3 lb, 3.5 lb and a 4 lb. But a 3lb quarter peen is my favorite.

For most forging I use 2-3 pounds. The biggest I use is 6 - for slitting larger stock.

My smallest is 8-10 ounces or so, and my next smallest is 2.5 or so (which I use most often), so I need to get me some in betweens!

I use a pretty wide variety of hammers as well, I routinely draw clips on horse shoes with a little 8oz ball pien, its too light for the job but I like the pien. I just handled up a narrow faced straight pein hand sledge that is 5 or 6# Nice hammer for hand welding billets of patternwelded steel. My favorite 4# rounding hammer, and 2# ball pien both need new handles:-( so I have been using a 2# Tom Clark hammer, a 2# left and right diagonal pien hammer (which I made:-) and a 800gram swedish, and a chech pattern hammers. I don't use the heavy hammers as much as I used too... ;-) Older if not wiser;-)

Aww you can only vote for one ? Well My Favorite hammer is a 3 lb Quarter pein made By Jr, but honestly the 2.2 lb German and Swedish hammers see a little more use on a day to day basis.

Jens

I think mine's about 24oz. All I know for sure is that it's about "that" much.

I guess my hammer use depends on the day and whats up. For the large part, I use a 1 or a 2# in most applications ( and these are both made by Ironsurgeon ). Straight piens. I will use the 1# on larger stuff as a finish hammer and the 2# on 1/4 rod, just depends on the issue.

G'Day World ,
mostly it's a 32 oz cross pein , but anything between 10 oz to 11 lb ,,, whatever the job needs

What more could a bloke want,
ta play with fire & hit things.
( Oh & drink BEER )

Chopper, that's why they invented the propane forge---you place your 5 gallon tank of propane in a washtub of water and turn up your forge for forge welding and it cools the beer you put in the tub to a nice drinkable temp on a hot day.

Thomas

Glenn
thank you for putting in your list "gramms". Makes thinge easier for "Europeans..." I use about 1500g, for heavy things 2000gr. To weld about 300g.

After 7 years of gathering dust in the archive, this needs brought back to the surface.

I made a 5 pound rounding hammer that is the one I use the most. most movement of metal in the fewest heats

My main hammer is a 3# cross pein that I bought years ago.  I'd love to try a hammer in the 4-5 pound range, but have yet to find one.  The 4# sledge that I have really moves metal, but the plastic handle is extremely thin and uncomfortable.  One of these days I'll get one of those fancy rounding hammers!

I had been using a 2lb "Brian Brazeal" rounding hammer that Dave Custer and I had forged last year (I think it was that long ago   :blink: ), but now I'm about to step up to a 3LB 11 oz hammer that we made a few weeks ago.  B)

Depends on which forge I'm working at. For my shoeing rig (where I work most often I have a 2# Asian cross pein. I've just gotten used to it for hot and cold work on shoes. A 2# each rounding and ball pein round out the hammers in the truck.
As for the shop, 4# rounding hammer (started life as a double headed so its lost a few oz.) ocompanied by a 4# cross pein, and 3# each cross, rounding, and ball. And the family favorite (not 14# strait pein)

I use a 4# rounding hammer that I made in a class with Brian Brazeal, 

I ususally use a 2 lb. 10 oz. (1306g) (includes the weight of the handle) rounding hammer which I've always known as a farrier's hammer.  I picked it up years ago along with some other old tools for a few bucks at a ranch auction.  If I'm whacking on anything bigger than about 3/8-1/2" I'll move up in size to around 3.5-4 pounds.  Bigger than that I go to my treadle hammer or get my son as a striker.

 

Impactingly,

George M.

5lb rounding hammer forged with Brian directing, me striking!

So many hammers in the shop for so many things :o overall favorite is the japanese cutlers hammer for all my blades, think it's 4lb.

 

5lb rounding hammer forged with Brian directing, me striking!

I directed for and struck for Brian to make mine, i win ;)

Doing more hardware than big ironwork, I mostly use my 2 1/2 pound Channellock cross peen.  I used the 3 pound one for years, and then switched a few years ago.  I made a 4 1/2 pound cross peen from an 18 wheeler axle, and I will use it on occasion when I need to whale on a piece. I have many other hammers: rounding, cat's head, japanese, etc.

I routinely use a 2 lbs Hofi style followed, by a 2 lbs czech (knock off) converted into a rounding/cross pein, followed by a 3 lbs Hofi a ball pein and a larger sledge. I figure after Brian's class I'll sooner or later make myself a 2.5 lbs one, with the intention of seeing about going to that for the most part. For the most part I don't need anything bigger then the 2-3 lbs I usually use and if I do I can look for a striker, lol.