Im more of a traditional construction fan but lots of folks like ball peen hawks. This time of year the flea markets are drying up due to weather. Ive "heard" that harbor freight ball peens are of good quaility. I even read they are something like W2 but thats just rumor of course. Does anyone know of any ball peen manufacturers steels used? lisa needs to make an order but we are torn on were to buy relatively cheap ball peens for hawks? Any suggestions? Thanks

I use the ball peins by Vaughan manufacturing. I use the 24oz part# s224. I contacted them and was told that particular # was 1080. Different companies use different steels even from size to size. So unless you buy one certain brand it is just a guess.

Thanks, I appreciate that a lot Been using a lot of split and drift square stock with welded bits, wrap and welds etc but folks just seem to love hawks made from ball peens :confused: I honestly believe that lots of folks think that a hawk made from a ball peen is tougher than one made other ways. Thats the impression they give me . Anyway I appreciate it :)

Edited December 10, 200916 yr by KYBOY

I have a 5 gallon bucket I drop cheap old ballpiens in when I find them for $1 or less at the fleamarket so I'm not tied to seasonal fluctuations...though over time I do drain the local supply down and I do run into folks that are very surprised that while I buy any ballpien hammer at $1 or under I won't bother to even look at more expensive ones.

Note that a manufacturer can change what alloy they are using every week if they want to!

You dont find hammers for a $1 around here, period..We have to many "proffesional" flea market vendors. We have several large flea markets and they are all about the same price. never a hammer without a handle (mostly new) and never a ball peen under $4(usually $5-$10). Our proffesional flea marketers' drive around(statewide and outside) buying up everything and when they find. A tool without a handle, they put on in it. Our largest local flea market has about 85% of its booths rented to the same sellers via contract so its the same thing every weekend. I have about a half dozen they grab every Black Diamond file they find for me. We have a lot of tool collectors in my area so the prices are more than what they should be.

I'm lucky I stocked up and moved a ton of stuff out here from OH so I can coast in between the less common finds of stuff at our *small* fleamarket in a small town.

Handles: there was a nice hammer head I wanted once with a poorly mounted *new* handle that the fellow wanted too much money for---saying that the *new* handle drove up the price. Well it was so badly fitted that I grabbed the head with one hand and pulled the *new* handle out with the other hand not even straining and handed him the handle and said "How much just for the hammer head?"

Every once in a while I luck out at a dump or scrap yard and find a pile of rusty chisels and hammer heads someone left in a bucket or tool chest that got flooded and just dumped.

Yes, the manufacture can change the alloy anytime they want. I use about 2 cases (8) of the 24oz's a month. Vaughan has not changed their's in quiet a few years. Unless they have changed in the last 30 or so days.:)

I have been using Plumb and other american brands I find. I think imay get one last trip thru the flea market this weekend. I need some leather too and the belt maker there usually hooks me up. We use to have some really good flea markets but now you cant find anything because its the same people every weekend with the same stuff Most even have thier stuff on site locked up in small buildings or trailers. Theres one small sale that I can usually find some things at. I think Ill make a trip this weekend. I need to order another drift too. Mines getting pretty bad. Ive had to grind a lot of the head away due to chipping. Ive started using a handles round drift to get 80% or so of the hole drifted then finish it off with the cast drift. I wallered' my cast drift to death before I figured that out :p

Be careful - I have gotten cast iron hammer heads before. They just go "sploot" when you try to forge them...

Yup they had bad tools way back when too---the 1900 Sears Catalog sold anvils that went from re-branded HB's to cast iron ASOs. However in general the low quality stuff ended up being destroyed, broken scrapped and so what has survived has a higher good quality ratio than back when it was originally sold.

My favorite fleamarket back in OH was at a *working* drive in theater. Every dealer had to haul their stuff in and out every day it was open---more pressure on them to sell stuff (and to leave the heavy stuff at home where I could get a lead on it by asking and not have competition for it...)