The more I get into blacksmithing the more options there are for hammers. weight, shape, style, manufacturer....

What is your favorite hammer you do most of your work with?

Mine is an Ozark School of Blacksmithing(Tom Clark) cross pein that weighs in at a little over 2lbs.

Peyton

Mine is a 2 1/2lb crosspein that I picked up at a garage sale.I have a couple of japanese style that I use alot also but for all around forging I use the garage sale find. The head is angled slightly downward and hits sweet.I'm sure it was owned by a blacksmith type since I got it with an old fisher anvil and a couple of drifts at the same sale.

My hammer set: (at least the primary ones)

Note: the wieghts are aproxamate. I make them where they feel comfortable to use not necessarly to a spacific wieght.

Straight pein: 1 3/4 lb and 4 lb
Cross pein: 1 1/2 lbs
Round face: 1 3/4 lbs and 3 lbs
Ball pein: 1 lb and 2 lb
Single hand sledge: 8 lb (named Thug)
Two hand sledges: 6 lb and 10 lb
Raising/Planishing hammer: 2 lb

With the exception of the ball peins and the sledges, all hammers were made by myself.

I find that so far, this hammer set answers for all my smithing needs from decorative work to knives and swords.

Me too primtechsmith! Mine is 2lbs. and I got to help make it! Tom was making 12-15 of them when I took his class in May of 2005. BEST money I have spent, for the class and the hammer.

Until recently I used a 2 pound cross peen for most work with a 3 pound for slightly heavier work. Lately, I've started to use a hammer with a RH 45 degree diagonal peen...it weighs about 2 1/2 pounds. I believe the diagonal peen will soon become my favorite.

Steve

Either not too many have a favorite, or there are a lot of us using power/air hammers? Or just a lot of Strong-Silent types...

I just got a Farriers rounding hammer no name, weighs 2 lbs at a junque shoppe for $5.00 or so last month. Haven't tried it yet, but am looking forward to it. The Japanese hammers strike me (hyuk hyuk hyuk) as interesting, but they're pricey.

Also got a 40 oz. Plumb with an 18" handle at the aforementioned junque shoppe. It has an uncommonly sharp peen, to my eye. I splurged on a Sears/Craftsman Cross Peen because I was amazed how good the handle felt and thought I would use it as a pattern/reference for sanding the rest of them. It is simailar in profile to the Plumb, but not as sharp.

The handle more than anything will I think decide for me what my favorite is.

What I don't understand is why the cross peen is so common and a diagonal or straight peen is not. Standing at the anvil, I can immediately see the advantage to the diagonal and straight over the cross. They would line up better, or more naturally, for me anyway.

The Hofi and the Ozarks one are just waaaaaaaaay outta my league.

My Hofi hammer is my new favorite:). I love it, a very amazing hammer to work with, the technique is comfortable once you get the hang of it(and stay with it), and it moves ALOT of metal. Before I got that one I was using a 2 or 2.5 pound straight pein hammer everyday, which I also loved, and which also moved lots of metal.

My Favorite Hammer is a Right Hand Quarter Pein, in varying weights from 2.5 to 3.5 lbs.

A left handed diagonal pein tuned left handed to the point it is difficult to use right handed. Then followed by a 2 pound cross pein that is tuned left handed but not as much, so it can be used right handed.

2 lb. Peddinghaus cross peen for me.

i like the weight and feal of the 2# ball pane i have, I use that for most general forging. For larger stuff I use a 3# masons brick hammer.

-Andrei

i'dhave to say my fvorite is my 1000 gram picard swedish patern hammer.i love that loooong peen end:-)more and more,though i find myself picking up a 3 lbs made in mexico cheepo hammer for the little bit of extra weight.it seems to me alot of the comfort factor is in the proper handle shape,though.

I like my 2lb cross pein, and I also like my 2.5ish pound diagonal pein that I made, but the handle needs some work to be really usable.

My favorite (if judged by time used) is a 2.5 lb ballpien. I like the balance of it, so I use it for almost all my general forging from 1/4 inch up through 5/8 inch stock. I tend to use the rounded edge of the anvil for drawing out, so my straight and cross peens don't see much use unless I am doing something requiring spreading.
-Aaron @ the SCF

A favorite hammer huh....don't really think I have just one, maybe one for each different project, or situation, or mood, or......aw heck, someone else can make the pick.

Mine is a 2#"and a little bit" diagonal peen,a gift from Bill Epps.I have an assortment of good ball peens and a couple of x peens including a Sears 32oz but the Epps Special gets most of the work done.

I Have 4 Favorite hand hammers , 1000G(2.2lb ) German pattern Cross , 2.8 lb Rh Quarter-pein made by Jr.Strasil aka Irnsrgn, 1.65 lb cutler's hammer with made by me from some Dodge Power Wagon axle shaft, and a modified 2 lb sledge with faces ground to different radius on each face


My other favorite hammer is my 25 Little Giant "Mjollnir" because ... WELL, ITS MINE


Jens

My favorite hammer is my 2lb. English crosspein forging hammer given to me by my uncle, it has always felt good in my hand.

Here is what could become a new favorite! LOL. If I ever get the guts together to strike!


Tom Clark 6.8# Striking Hammer!!!!

Awesome Christmas present this year!!!!!

Peyton

I've purchased a few HF hammers that I haven't used yet. I was suprised that after I scoured all the hardware / home improvement stores I realized that HF seemed to have the better selection for blacksmiths...

Anyway, my favorite is a light (1.5?) pound ball peen that was machined by my father as a gift for my granddad. My dad worked as a tool and die maker most of his professional life, and when he first started taking machining classes he made a hammer for my granddad. When my granddad passed away, my father found the hammer, unused, in a drawer in his shop. He gave it to me when he found out I was getting into blacksmithing. It has a beautiful purple color to it from the heat treat. The faces of the hammer have lost the color though since I've been using it. It just seems really special to me. I used it recently on a gift I gave to my sister. I tend to use it for finishing work or on smaller stock since it is a bit light. Last night I used it exclusively on a holder for a shower head.

I'll see if I can't get a pic posted of it.

All my other favorite hammers belong to other smiths :)

I know i've seen pictures on here of the Hofi hammer. Can't find it right now. So can you tell me where i might find or purchase one any information or contacts.

prof

Tool section on Hofi's website

Some guys use the same hammer for everything, some use a different hammer depending on what they want to do. I don't really have a favorite now, I use whatever hammer has the shape I need to move the metal the way I want it to go... I miss some of the hammers that were my favorites for a while... Fitting a handle to my hand and my style is very important to me and my comfort. I have a few of the heads of past favorites that I have not been able to make the handle feel as good when I replaced it:(
Just depends I have 39 with handles maybe another 20 without handles or still in progress, but I use 10-15 regularly. THe hammer I use the most is probably a Tom Clark 2# cross pein, but i use a lot of ball peins, diagonal piens and straight peins... Like I said just depended I have a left/right diagonal pein that I use alot to fuller and set shoulders.

my favorite hammer has a 50 hp motor on it

My favorite hammer is the one I ahem "borrowed" from my father-in-law irnsrgn it is about a 3# diaganol peen the other one most used is just a lighter version of the first.