Hey guys,

I've been seeing a few french-pattern crosspeins around. Can anyone tell me what's the deal with them, or in what situations they'd be used instead of a symmetrical crosspein?

Thanks,
Toreus

Hey guys,

I've been seeing a few french-pattern crosspeins around. Can anyone tell me what's the deal with them, or in what situations they'd be used instead of a symmetrical crosspein?

Thanks,
Toreus

I've read that they developed during construction of the Eiffel Tower to set rivets that were hard to get at!

Toreus, do you have a pic of one of these hammers?

Toreus, do you have a pic of one of these hammers?

Good example is:

http://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/Templates/cart_templates/cart-detail.php?theLocation=/Resources/Products/Hammers/French_Pattern_Hammer

I am not sure what the purpose of the peen to be off center is but......i love french pattern hammers (half of my nationality gives me that )

they're great for moving metal




alec (the Frenchman!) B)

Looked again and found the thread :-)

thanks for the link ...when I blew it up the date on the last page looks to January 1906. the front shows Est. 1866.
it does have a lot old tools...the vise stands like some that were posted here.
at this point I don't think we're ever know when or why this pictular hammer style came about.

I seem to recall seeing a picture of the french pattern hammer being used in Diderot's Encyclopedia pushing it back at least to the late 1700's.

I got one from Kayne and sons, it's a little over 2 lbs, and I love it, it is my travelling hammer.

Not the exact same pattern but close - I made this hammer about 15 years ago and use it daily. It started life with a 2-1/2lb head but has lost about 3/16" in length over time. I made it from 1080 steel but drew it on the soft side in the hopes it would not damage an anvil from a missed hit. Subsequently, it slowly mushrooms with use and I grind away the swelling instead of demounting the handle and reforging to shape. I'm hoping I'll wear out before it does so I don't end my career with an 8 oz hammer... :P

I expect if anyone can offer a definitive answer, it's the staff here: http://www.maison-de-l-outil.com/index.php?page=accueil_anglais

I suspect that many times a tool's shape develops by happenstance. It the old days, there was lots of regionalism, so that particular shape stayed in France. I have two old beautiful French books which picture tools. In one "l'outil" The Tool, they show a quite old French pattern hammer from a museum. In the other book "le livre de l'outil," they also show the hammer, but a newer one in recent use in the blacksmith shop.

I have an old, rusted, "pock marked" hammer of the French style, and it has a rectangular face, slightly rockered. The edges are not radiused. I have not used the hammer; to me, it is an antique. If I were to use it, i think I would radius the edges of the face.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools