Flatter

[Hayden H]

Bought a flatter today, its stamped E.T.W. (It may be a Y thats been miss-stamped), with a 6 above the E.T.W. Is this a hammer some smith made, or is it a brand? She struck ends pretty mushroomed, but the face is pristine.

[Bentiron1946]

Post us picture of it please! ETW could be the fellow that owned, made it, the company that it belonged to or made it, there just isn't enough information in your post and without a picture it's hard to tell. And yes, the face should be in pretty good condition since it was used against hot metal was hardened while the struck end was not hardened. I suggest that if you are going to use it as a working tool you remove all of the mushrooming so when, not "if", those curls break off they do damage to yourself or to anybody else in the shop. The can be dangerous projectiles. My father was almost blinded by one off of a cold chisel, after that he ground the mushrooms off every tool in the shop.

[Hayden H]

Alright, I'll get a pciture of it tomorrow

[Frank Turley]

I have a hunch that ETW may be a manufacturing concern, as I think that I have seen it on a couple of my old tools.

Flatter tips. Fall off the flat side around all edges with a sander. It helps prevent edge marks. Just raise the edge a little by metal removal. As an example, on a 2" flatter, you'd come in toward the center an eighth inch or so and raise it about a sixteenth on the sole surface. The central portion of the flatter, of course, remains flat.

Some old timers, including me, put water on the anvil and flatter face to help pop scale by thermal shock. The flatter is a finishing tool which is most often used at a low cherry to a blood red and a bit below.. Wire brushing before use is a help.

If you have a long heat, it helps a little to hold the flatter face corner to corner. In that way, you cover more territory.

In Mexico, the flatter is termed a 'plancha,' the same word which is used for a clothing iron.