Just wondering if anyone has seen a head like this before. It weighs in at 35lbs, the handle was put on as a joke. My thinking is it may be for a helve hammer of some sort????? The hole in the center is rectangular, and each end has a different face shape. It appears that it was reversible possibly. Any info????? - JK

Is it a hammer used for driving railroad spikes in to the timbers under railroad track?

This thread could be a contest LOL...

F

Spike hammers are long and thin. Probably weigh around 10-15lbs. There are usually a few on ebay.

I don't think a 35lb hammer could be swung with any control from anyone but Paul Bunyan.
My guess is that it was part of a power hammer or something.

iv seen a few hammer heads that size, i have no idea what they are used for, if it were mine, i could crush stones, maybe crush cans, or just use it for physical therapy like i say every activity i do is

Ron

Might be from an old prison quarry where they made gravel outa boulders. If so it implies new meaning to the term HARD LABOR.

I've never seen a 35 pounder, but I have seen a 25 pounder. My uncle works on the railroad, when they were cleaning out one of the shops they came across it and he somehow ended up with it. Looks real pretty hanging on the wall of his garage....
-Aaron @ the SCF

blacksmith at the local sca group had a "loaner hammer" i think it weight 80lbs or something. you ask to borrow a hammer to set tent spikes he handed it over and laughed

LOL.. priceless.

Man that thing is a bigun
I wonder If maybe it was used like as a "back up " you know like when you hold a hammer behind one end and some one hits the other.

The size of the hole just doesnt look big enough to be used to strike with unless it was iron- I sure wouldnt want to mess with the ol boy that could swing it

This is very likley the head off a LOCKREM MODERN TRIP HAMMER made in South Dakota between 1900 and 1915 It was actualy a foot operated (treadle) hammer mounted to work onto a anvil The head was 4" square and weighed 36 lbs with a sharp corned eye as it was reversable. A Daryl from Saskatchewon Canada was making a copy! The above was gleaned years ago on the old Junkyard Forum.

IIRC the labourers makeing roads the hard way in the old CCC camps used a 30#+ sledge for breaking rocks---may have read it in one of the foxfire books.

People also used very heavy hammers straightening plate at the mill.

They were *real* *men* back then but of course your body was worn out by the time you hit 50.

i have no idea what the head you have was used for ,but as to heavy hammers i have a 56 lb and up to 5 years ago we forged 56 lb hammers for quarry work to drive wedges and plugs with feathers splitting sandstone paving stones

I seen a picture of a 30 to 40 lb hammer being used to weld anchor chain links it had to handles though. I think this is more likely what Bruce has suggested, they would not have to swing it very much to drive wedges but would need the brute force it would deliver to split rock.

I have a twenty pounder that I used to use with slugger wrenches when coupling rotor halves in steam turbines. The stretch that we would put on a bolt to bring it to tolerance sounded plumb crazy, but it was like eating an elephant. Just take small bites and don't quit til yer done. God bless the inventor of the Hy-Torq!

Seems the lead in my pencil went from 3H to 2 sometime in the last several years. Tried swingin that hammer the other day and man that thing sure got heavy. LOL

I helped restore a local agricultural smithy which had a selection of sledges. One was a 28 lb head - probably a quarter hundredweight as Bruce's are half hundredweights. I used this hammer to strike for another smith - it was too big for direct forging but was the cat's meow for struck tools like swages. All you had to do was get it high and give a little assistance on the way down. This shop also had a 350 lb anvil set about two inches lower than the other ones in the shop - I assumed this was to employ the sledges on top tools (either that or the primary smith was pretty short).

Used a 28lb hammer years ago to drive the master pin out, to break
the track chain on dozers.

R W

Used a 28lb hammer years ago to drive the master pin out, to break
the track chain on dozers.

R W

Just goes to show, there ain't no substitute for heavy when ya need it done. VBG