A Hammer I have

[kevin1050]

I have a double peen hammer marked H-61. I think it is made by Ampco. Their catalog only shows a single peen model. Can anyone tell me about this? Value? Uses? Thanks.

[rthibeau]

PICS !!! we need photos of the hammer.....

[kevin1050]

The pics of the hammer. It is made of a bronze/alum alloy.

[Steve Shimanek]

Looks like a straight and cross pein hammer that would be pretty handy to use; I doubt is has much collector value but as a shop hammer it is......priceless :D

[kevin1050]

Not sure if I am going to use it. It is made up of a bronze/alum alloy.

[John B]

Looks like what I would call a chipping hammer or descaling hammer used for removing rust from plates or welding slag/spatter

Are you certain it is bronze? If it is, it may be used on something that may be dangerous if a spark is present when chipping/descaling takes place.

One handy use for these style of hammers are for texturing leaves or feathers, if you rotate the hammer you get blows in a V formation, go down one side of your blanks form then spin the grip, and go down the other side, perfect opposing blows achieved.

[dkunkler]

A new scaling hammer like that, but with a fiberglass handle, would cost around $60.
http://www.columbussupply.com/products/?productid=1120

[fciron]

Ampco makes bronze tools for non-sparking applications. I don't know what the purpose of that hammer is, but I wouldn't probably wouldn't use it for forging. Too likely to bang up the peins so they mark your work. I'd also be careful using it as a non-marking brass hammer, that ampco bronze is surprisingly tough stuff. (I know, I'm blowing hot and cold with the same mouth.)

It's cool though.

[kevin1050]

Thanks everyone. The H61 is an Ampco marking. They still make the model but in a cross peen version. Their website verifies it as a scaling hammer. I contacted the company and they could not tell me any history on the double peen. They are the one's that told me it is a Bronze/Alum alloy. It is non-matellic, non-sparking hammer.

[keykeeper]

Thanks everyone. The H61 is an Ampco marking. They still make the model but in a cross peen version. Their website verifies it as a scaling hammer. I contacted the company and they could not tell me any history on the double peen. They are the one's that told me it is a Bronze/Alum alloy. It is non-matellic, non-sparking hammer.

If it is the berylium bronze, the dust can be hazardous to breathe, if you sand or dress it with a grinder. At least I have read somewhere that it is.

[ThomasPowers]

Be dust makes asbestos dust look harmless!

[Steve Sells]

<snip>They are the one's that told me it is a Bronze/Alum alloy. It is non-matellic, non-sparking hammer.

this makes no sense, you state what metal it is made from, then deny its metal?

[dkunkler]

I think he meant non-magnetic.

[Timothy Miller]

It looks like a hammer to chip off arc welding slag. If it is it seems kind of dumb because why would you need a non sparking hammer for that. You just shot sparks everywhere welding and now your worried about making sparks cleaning the weld? I have an old Atha hammer in steel just like that.

[jimmy seale]

i have used "brass" hammers and pipe wrenches in the oil patch because of possable explosive atmospheres eather way it is used for a non sparking impact device. hope this helps jimmy

[kevin1050]

this makes no sense, you state what metal it is made from, then deny its metal?

that is what the company rep told me it was made out of. Bronze/Alum mix. Ampco makes a whole line of non magnetic/non sparking tools to include dust pans... I think the person who owned it before me was flattening out copper seams or other copper work. the gentlemen did a lot of work on boats and had a nice heavy roll of copper sheeting in his old workshop. Also had a nice old drill press and bench grinder in there.

[kevin1050]

I think he meant non-magnetic.

F me, that is what I meant. Sorry for the confusion. where is that coffee pot?

[kevin1050]

Be dust makes asbestos dust look harmless!

Ampco's website says they are non Be. As this hammer is an old one it might contain Be. I think I will contact them again about the Be issue. Thanks for the info.

[kevin1050]

Here is the link to Ampco Safety tools. They no longer carry the double peen wersion.

http://ampcosafetytools.thomasnet.com/viewitems/hammers/hammer-scaling-with-fiberglass-handle?

[tomhw]

It looks like a boiler-maker's hammer for forming and shaping plate. I have a 3 1/2 pound steel faced, wrought iron, hammer that I got in a flee market.

[maddog]

I have a double peen hammer marked H-61. I think it is made by Ampco. Their catalog only shows a single peen model. Can anyone tell me about this? Value? Uses? Thanks.

From the grinding marks on the side of the straight pein, it looks like this is a modified cross pein where the face has been cut to form the pein. Which might explain why it doesn't appear in the catalog. If the hammer contains Be, the person who did this took a very bad risk. Very bad.