I thought I would post pictures of slate shingle hammers. The handles are made of leather washers ground down to size and shape. I use 1080 steel in these hammers, and harden and temper both the shingle cutting inner edge and the point, for poking holes in slate shingles. It takes me all day to forge, grind, heat treat, polish, and finish half a dozen hammers per diem.

Never having seen a slate shingle hammer, I can only comment on the apparent workmanship. Nicely done Stuart. Is this a regular job? I don't think there's a slate roof in Alaska but I could be wrong. I've only ever seen a slate roof from the ground at a distance.

 

My Father's rock hammers (geologist's picks for you younguns) have the leather washer grips.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

I didn't know there was still a call for slate hammers, are they still making slate roofs? Nice looking hammers and with them being painted red they won't be easy to loose will they?

A lot of slate roofs around here, mostly historic but some new ($$$).  I visited an old slate quarry a few weeks ago just because I'd never seen one.  The tailings pile looked like it would have filled 2 or 3 quarries!  Slate "rippers", the long flat handled bars with a very blunt arrow head on one end are the only slate tool I've ever made, do you make those too Stuart?  Is that the right name for them?

i helped put in 2 over in NY about 10 years ago so they do still pop up now and then

I also manufacture slate shingle rippers for the same customers

I would love to see some progression photos of the forging. 

I require that the techniques that I employ in the manufacture of these items remain proprietary, for financial reasons. However, I did pm you with my methodology in their manufacture.

to Judsen and bigred............most of my customers for these are either in vermont, or granville, ny.