New hammer

[Sam Salvati]

Forged this up yesterday from 4140. I was doing some R&D trying to figure out a way to make the eye hole easier, after all these things I tried the foolproof and quickest way was just to do it by hand . But I did come away with a new technique to drift the hole so it is angled like the traditional ones without dealing with starting with an angled slot. This one came out at about 2.5 pounds. I am used to 1045 for hammers, this 4140 is very different but good. Hopefully I can get the HT down with this steel just as easy as with 1045.

[Frosty]

It looks pretty darned good Sam. How do you mean angled eye?

Frosty the Lucky.

[MattBower]

I know what you mean; I just wanna know how you did it! The one Japanese style hammer I've made ended up with the helve at about the right angle, but it was basically accidental. (And I subsequently helped it along with a die grinder.)

Frosty, when the face of one of these hammers is resting flat on the anvil, the handle normally slopes gently downward, toward the floor, as you travel from the eye to the end. That's what he meant.

[Sam Salvati]

This style of hammer has all the metal in front of the eye, so it's a bit uncomfortable to use if it's at a right angle as it would put your hand another 1 or 2 inches higher than it is used to with a hammer that has the eye centered on the head, unless your anvil is fairly low. But if the handle is angled downward it is more comfortable to use. also, and this is just personal opinion of using one it helps in the ergonomics of the arc of swing.

[Mainely,Bob]

So what you`re dealing with is the relation of head to handle is other than 90 degrees,right?
If so what you`re talking about would be like fitting an axe or adze with a handle that had the proper "hang".No easy trick.

Nice looking hammer Sam.Any chance of a pic of it with a handle installed so we can clear up the visual mystery?
I`m also curious to see what you have in mind as far as wood goes.You`ve been pulling out all the stops here lately and I`m looking forward to what the handle brings to this project.

[Sam Salvati]

Bob, Yes the handle does not come out of the head at 90'. It's not hard if you know what angle you want There's an ancient chinese secret technique to it.

Thanks very much! I make all the handles for my hammers from scratch, I have some hickory at my shop upstate I will grab for this, it's nothing showy or special just good hard wood. I will however shape it in an ergonomic way I have developed, more comfortable IMHO for some things.

[Frosty]

I got it, thanks. It's the same idea behind curving a pick head to match the circumference of the swing. Makes perfect sense.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Bentiron1946]

I like the looks of that head, nice work. B)

[Sam Salvati]

I got it, thanks. It's the same idea behind curving a pick head to match the circumference of the swing. Makes perfect sense.

Frosty the Lucky.

Exactly, but you curve the handle by curving the eye hole instead of bending the hammer head itself, like you do with a pick.

[Bob S]

http://tinyurl.com/2vswd86

[Frosty]

Exactly, but you curve the handle by curving the eye hole instead of bending the hammer head itself, like you do with a pick.

Understood Sam. It's only on longer heads like a pick that curving it to match the circumference is worth the effort. For shorter heads like this one or, Oh say a rock hammer, angling the handle to the head is actually better. I should've realized that's what you were talking about in your first post. It's not like I didn't know it already. . . Stupid TREE! <sigh>

Frosty the Lucky.

[DennisG]

EXCELLENT hammer!!

[Sam Salvati]

Understood Sam. It's only on longer heads like a pick that curving it to match the circumference is worth the effort. For shorter heads like this one or, Oh say a rock hammer, angling the handle to the head is actually better. I should've realized that's what you were talking about in your first post. It's not like I didn't know it already. . . Stupid TREE! <sigh>

Frosty the Lucky.

No0 stupid me, I was just being picky (ha!) but really clarifying because some hammers like this DO indeed have curved heads.

[Steeler]

This may be a rooky question, but here goes... What advantage is there to having the eye so far back from the hammer face?

[arftist]

Nice job journey-man.

[Sam Salvati]

Thanks Arf and Steeler!

Steeler, it's just another way to do things. It is a bit different feeling when you swing it from a regular hammer, it sort of throws itself into the work sort of, hard to explain you have to try it it's pretty cool!