New addition to the tool kit...show us your sledge hammers

[Brasilikilt]

Hey all

I've been on the look out for a good cross-peen sledge for a while now. I haven't been able to find much in the way of good used cross-peen hammers in either the lighter or heavier sizes.
But, during a visit to my local used-tool store I came across this monster. It's not a cross-peen, but it still looks like it would be a good smithing hammer, but don't know if it was originally designed for blacksmith work. I'm sure somebody here might be able to tell me if it had a more specific application.
It weighs around 13 lbs and I have the thought to replace the handle with metal tubing to use it for an Oliver hammer.....I'm still not sure.

Anyways, here's my sledge...now let's see yours.

[Sam Thompson]

I was once told that those were used for splitting stone in quarries, I've got no idea if that's correct, although I've seen two handled versions that were definitely used for that.

[Wind Chapman]

My Grandfar had one much like that. It also was 13 pound. He worked for the railroad.

[Stash]

Yeah- I'll ditto Sam. Looks like a stone hammer to me. I know a guy who gets granite "mill ends" that are ~6x12', up to 12" thick and busts them into building stone with a 16#er. The guys an animal. Be sure to stand behind him or you'll be eating stone chips.

Steve

[Frosty]

I have it's brother in the 18lb range. I think it's probably a stone working hammer (whatever tey're called) but it works a treat as a straight pein forging hammer. Mine's too heavy for me to take a full over the head swing with it but I can still do some significant smooshing with it anywho.

Good score!
Frosty the Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

The stone hammers I have seen have a much thinner taper to them. That looks like a good sized blacksmith's straightpeen to me.

[CBrann]

I would tend toward the blacksmith hammer. The stone hammers I have seen have rounded sides on the pein end.

good score for you!

[Mainely,Bob]

Now that I think of it most of the stone "hammers" I`ve seen of that size and shape have been called a stone axe and the shape has more similarity to an axe than a sledge.The head tended to be thinner than a sledge and they were used more like a hot cut chisel.Place the edge of the axe on the line and hit it with a sledge.The edge concentrated the force into the stone and made the stone fracture on the intended line.A rounded pein would just bruise the stone or pulverise it,any fracturing would be more random from the point of impact than when using a chisel or stone axe.

I have also seen this type and size of sledge used as a "persuader" in boatyards so I`m going to vote for using it as a metalworking tool that can cross over to heavy woodwork.
BTW-we had a sledge at Sample`s that ran close to 20 lbs weight for the head alone.The sledge had been named "Monday" as whenever you had to spend a day swinging that hammer it always felt like Monday.

[Sam Thompson]

Now that I think of it most of the stone "hammers" I`ve seen of that size and shape have been called a stone axe and the shape has more similarity to an axe than a sledge.The head tended to be thinner than a sledge and they were used more like a hot cut chisel.Place the edge of the axe on the line and hit it with a sledge.The edge concentrated the force into the stone and made the stone fracture on the intended line.A rounded pein would just bruise the stone or pulverise it,any fracturing would be more random from the point of impact than when using a chisel or stone axe.

I have also seen this type and size of sledge used as a "persuader" in boatyards so I`m going to vote for using it as a metalworking tool that can cross over to heavy woodwork.
BTW-we had a sledge at Sample`s that ran close to 20 lbs weight for the head alone.The sledge had been named "Monday" as whenever you had to spend a day swinging that hammer it always felt like Monday.

I'm sticking with stone hammer, the quarry that I was thinking of produces a type of granite called 'Dhustone' which was broken into setts and used all over Britain and Europe for paving. The thinner axe-like tools are used for cleaving slate and other sedimentary rocks.

[Mainely,Bob]

Don`t know about how they do it in the UK but I was talking about how they do it here in Maine and NH.I was talking about stone tools being used for granite as that`s what we have most of and what this area is known for.
I`m familiar with slater`s tools and that`s not what I was referring to.

[rthibeau]

It's a nice looking hammer.....almost big enough to use for finishing work or scrolls.
If you can't make a cross pein sledge yourself, I'm sure you could find someone who could.

[Sam Thompson]

It's a very similar pattern to this 3lb cross-pein which is definitely a blacksmith's hammer.



It's a horrible thing, I've tried several different sticks and I still find it unwieldy and awkward to use.

[Frank Turley]

My 1894 catalog* calls it a Blacksmiths' Sledge, New England Pattern. I have a couple of similar ones, except they are smaller cross peen sledges. This pattern was very common in the smithies of the U.S. They always have the fullered corner-indentations at the thick end of the peen. The old Atha brand sledge hammers have the same shape. Over the years, I have usually found them in the 8 and 10 pound range.

*Manning Maxwell & Moore Catalogue; New York and Chicago

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