Little hammer for a friend

[NRunals]

I met someone a little while ago who was traveling from South Carolina, we got to talking and became friends. He is a chef by profession and a jeweler by hobby. A few months back I came to the realization that we never treat guests with as much hospitality as we would have in years past, and that I would make a forged gift for any friends I met that were just passing through (time permitted).

I made him this hammer for his jewelery. Now I don't know much about this sort of work, and I'm sure there are specific styles of hammers for specific jobs, but I figured a small hammer with a cross pien would have it's uses. The head is 1" square 4140 oil quenched and double tempered. The handle was a hickory log that I was going to burn for warmth, instead I turned it into a handle and got warm. I used a hatchet and spokeshave only to make the handle, and it's not the nicest looking thing but it's the first I've made from a log. Thanks for looking.

[bigfootnampa]

Nice hammer! I have done a lot of jewelry work... not real typical as I forged a lot. I usually used pretty small hammers. A tinners hammer similar to that one but with a longer smaller radius peen was a favorite. I like a peen of about 3/16" in width at the end and rounded nicely even on the corners. Just for future reference. I also liked some little cross peens that were formed from about 5/8" round stock and maybe around half the weight of that one you made. Those were days before I had the equipment or knowledge to make my own... but I still use those hammers.

[Mainely,Bob]

Funny how chance meetings become something that have an impact on your life and become pivotal moments.
Things like your hammer become symbols of how even a few moments of pleasant conversation and shared time gain momentum and get people to think about how they live their lives and the impact they have on the people around them.
If you go into any craftsman`s private domain,from a toolbox to a kitchen drawer,most times you`ll find a particular item that stands apart from the everyday items and tools of the trade.If you pick that one thing up and ask about it I think if you watch closely you`ll see a smile come to the owner`s face and the story will begin.
That item is there not so much used as a tool but as a snapshot of time.It will spark memories of a person, project or event in the owner`s past.They are compelled to keep this item close as a way to bring the memory to light whenever the need arises.It`s their connection to that better time or person and the way they wish life could always be.
Your hammer holds the potential to be one of those talismans.Every time your new friend sees that hammer he will think about your time together and the impact it had on you both.Your gift will say to him "Someone cared enough about me to hand make something useful for me though I barely knew him.He really listened while we talked and created something in hope of making my life easier".That hammer is proof to him that his words have value in this world.
Small things like a thoughtful hand made gift commemorating a chance encounter are the drop of water that creates the ripple that build the wave that changes the world.
Thanks for sharing and caring enough to transform a stranger into a friend.You are a craftsman on more than one level.
I am reminded of a quote one of my classmates uses as her signature;
"Be the change you wish to see in the world"

[lordcaradoc]

Very nice hammer, and very considerate of you. I agree that hospitality has become an industry buzzword, not a way of life as it once was. My family and I participate in Medieval re-enactment (Society for Creative Enactment) and we try to live this way all the time. I stress try, but at least we make the effort that many won't.

Good job,
Tim