Newbie hammer question...

[Xsable]

are wood handles a MUST? I have a few hammers that seem ideal for some simple projects but they have steal handles and rubber grips.. I'm aware that these things are more susceptible to burning, especially hammers with rubber and fibre glass handles, but is there any other reason I'm not seeing here? Is it better for control? Is it easier on the elbow and joints? or is it just aesthetics?

I have read a few books on blacksmithing and just getting started here but I can't seem to find an answer for this one anywhere I've looked so far.. plus hammers with wooden handles are a lot harder to find for me so far. Any advice would be appreciated thanks. ;)

[edge9001]

I am by no means an authority or probbably not even a good person to answer this, but. IMO it seems to me wooden handles are a matter of convenience compared to other handle types. fiberglass and metal handles are harder to replace if broken than wood. also if wooden handle breaks then all you need to fix it is a cutting tool(pocket knife, draw knife, tomahawk, ect ect) and a piece of firewood. even a poor choice of wood will still make a useable handle. metal handled hammers are a lot harder to rehandle. and in my experience all handles eventually need replacing.

[Xsable]

yeah that makes sense I guess, i never considered that steal handles would break too

where you get your hammers?

[edge9001]

I've been toying with the idea of making my next hammer, I got a cross pein hammer from lowes...the face cracked, and now I'm looking for a suitable replacement while I use my largest ballpein hammer.

[Willis]

I prefer wood handles with a few minor alterations. I replace my handles with a small hatchet handle or cut down ax handle. I also wrap the bottom six inches with wet rawhide and tack it down on the underside. This will dry very hard and provide a nonslip grip. It also help identify my hammers at any hammer in I attend.
The rawhide is just the dog chews you get for your dog,soaked overnight to soften then stretched and tacked to the handle.
I do this even to any new hammer I might buy.
A little OCD maybe but my hammers are comfortable and I modify the handles to fit my hand.

[Eric Farrar]

I've only come across a handful of metal-handled hammers so far and neither of the two types I've hefted have impressed me. The ones with fitted/shock-mounted handles seemed to all be thin walled aluminum and I've destroyed the handles within hours of starting to use them. The other type I've used have a solid head-and-handle with a molded rubber grip. They had a convenient center of gravity but felt unnaturally rigid. Also transmitted considerable shock through the handle - especially on cold work.

As for wood vs. fiberglass - this seems to be a matter of choice among craftsmen, including smiths. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Wood handles are easy to replace, cheap to buy or make, easily modified for a custom fit, and based on type of wood, a variety of mechanical properties. Fiberglass handles are generally very well mounted and can last years; can get rained on with very little risk of damage and quite often these handles have very nice grips. Replacing a fiberglass handle is a pain in my opinion, and I change all my hammers to hickory - I keep at least a half dozen on hand.

[Xsable]

funny, i never considered the fact that they break so often... I guess these are things you learn fast when you are new

thanks for the tips, I'm going to do a bit more shopping around and see what I can find.

[Stormcrow]

Durability is a smaller factor than wear and tear on your body. A fiberglass or steel hammer transmits more shock into your hand and arm than a wooden hammer will. This means more damage to you. My parents got me a hammer with a fiberglass handle for my birthday back when I was in high school. I forged with it once. Within thirty minutes, my elbow was sore. I never forged with it again.

Sounds to me like you are buying a hammer from one of the big box home improvement stores that have largely replaced actual hardware stores. (I'm a grumpy old man of 28. ) They don't typically carry replacement wooden handles any more as they expect you to buy a whole new hammer if your handle ever breaks. Metal suppliers, welding suppliers, and actual old hardware atores will be your best bet in a brick-and-portar store. May be able to buy one off the Interwebz as well. I know Link is one brand of replacement handle if you want to search online for one.

The big box stores will not sell a hammer that doesn't need a fair amount of dressing before it can be used for forging. They typically have a very large bevel on the face, with a sharp corner. That translates into marks all over your steel that you're forging. In my preference, a forging hammer face should be one smoothly, slightly arced dome from one side of the face to the other. Other folks' opinion will vary.

If you have any decent flea markets in your area (the kind with a lot of rusty metal and not just wholesalers of cheap junk from Communist China) you will have a better chance of finding a worthwhile forging hammer for cheap. May need to replace the handle, but such flea markets often also have someone selling factory second wooden handles.

[ThomasPowers]

Hammer handles do need replacement over time. I've replaced the handle on my old "favorite" three times since I started smithing! Averages out to once every 10 years...

Most of the hammers need a new handle when bought and have sat in the rack with that one for 15 to 20 years. (Save for the ones students use...)

[sloscheider]

.....plus hammers with wooden handles are a lot harder to find for me so far. Any advice would be appreciated thanks.

....where you get your hammers?

....and now I'm looking for a suitable replacement while I use my largest ballpein hammer.

Nathan Robertson makes some beautiful hammers - I think his number is (see below) - he's a member of Northern MN Metalsmiths and you can buy his hammers at their spring conference near Itasca State Park in Minnesota. He makes at least 2 different sizes in straight, cross and diagonal (both directions) - they're a work of art in and of themselves I've got two of them - not too expensive but not exactly cheap either - worth every penny imho.

As mentioned below - Here's a link to Old World Anvils where they've got a page devoted to Nathan's hammers
http://www.oldworldanvils.com/hammers/index.html

[SGensh]

Nathan does in fact make some beautiful hammers but he also helps folks learn to make their own. He just gave a hmmer making class at my shop this weekend. Two seperate one day sessions of eight students each yielded sixteen happy blacksmiths with hand made heat treated and handled hammers of several designs. If any of you are in an area where he gives a class I highly recomment it. Nathan provided the blanks, handles, and instruction. Each student provided the labor and enthusiasm. Nathan and I struck for some of the participants and others worked as teams taking turns providing striking for each other. Each student at this event paid only seventy five dollars for the instruction and the materials which was a terrific bargain(only because he doesn't charge enough. Here are a couple of pictures of the setup, Nathan instructing, and the eight hammers made by the class on Sunday. Steve G

[Spears]

Just last month I ordered a rounding hammer from Old World Anvils made by Nathan. WOW, what a nice tool. Shaped nice, dressed beautifully, nice dry wooden handle with no gooey stickers stuck on it. I now believe I waited too long before buying myself a rounding hammer. After buying this one made by him, I won't even look anywhere else the next time I need hammer. It's also heat treated well because when I get tired and hammer sloppy, I sometimes miss the workpiece and this thing is holding up very well going against my anvil. Spears.