journey333 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I picked this straight peen hammer up at a "junk" shop and was curious what the intended use was.The hole goes all the way through the head. The hammer weighs 3.5 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmHorus Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Maybe they used it to start a bend in something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironsmith Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 it's a stepping hammer from a lineman, The hole slipped over the bent end of the spike and the handle length provided leverage to thread the screw into the pole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Used by line men to screw the metal pegs into telephone poles. Most likely has 'Bell', AT&T, or someother company logo on the hammer. They are collectible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRON FIST RICH Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 if you look at the pic you can see BELL SYSTEM stamped in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey333 Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Used by line men to screw the metal pegs into telephone poles. Most likely has 'Bell', AT&T, or someother company logo on the hammer. They are collectible. Glad I saved it from the collectors, then. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Just saw one of those on ebay, iirc, and was wondering what the hole was for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayden H Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I have one of them in 3.5 and another in I believe around 2. Thought it had something to do with possibly alter the impact or something. Explains why they were with climbing spikes and a riggers harness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey333 Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Just saw one of those on ebay, iirc, and was wondering what the hole was for! I was outbid on the one on eBay, then found this one for less than I had been willing to pay. Guess I should be glad I missed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Not my favorite straight peen; but I have one too. Had to buy it at a fleamarket as my Father and Uncle both spent their careers in the Bell System---I only got 15 years in Bell Labs myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 An electrician friend of mine says they're not bad for tweaking I/2" conduit but I don't mess with that stuff myself so I wouldn't know for sure. I had one that was left at my home in Santa Fe, NM when I was a kid along with a big claw hammer. I guess the guy got tired of toting them around. :wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey333 Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 As I am just beginning to outfit my soon-to-be built smithy, I just bought it to have a straight peen. Once I start actually forging, I will evaluate to see which hammers I really like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt R. Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 (edited) These are called 'Stepping Hammers' by the Bell System, since they were sized to correspond to the distance between the climbing spikes (steps) driven and then screwed into telephone poles. The hole slipped over the bent end of the spike and the handle length provided leverage to thread the screw into the pole. Handy thought, but now it's all obsolete, since climbing poles is risky business, much less having to hammer in your own steps as you went up. Bucket lifts sent these and a lot of other tools out of action.-giovannimeola.com Edited July 26, 2021 by Mod30 remove highlighting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 You just repeated what a couple of other folks have said the function was...didn't you read the thread? And...the "font" or formatting of your text is really bad and hard to read. Try to remove the dark background and just use plain, normal text in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 Matt; welcome. Are you interested in blacksmithing or just in old tools? Have you used one of these hammers for their original purpose in real life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marley.roman96 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 that's a weird one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 There is a difference between power poles and telephone poles. Not something you see on power poles… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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