I've been wanting to mess with some carving, and finally put my hand to it with this. I decided a hammer handle was a good canvas to mess with, cause it's cheap, and similar shaped to a knife handle.   Plus, if it worked, spiffy hammers are the way to go! 


So, I carved it out with a small wood chisel I forged and my dremel. Cleaned it up with some sandpaper, and dyed it black, backsanded it, and re-dyed it brown.

That's good work, and you'll only get better as you continue.  Celtic knotwork would look spectacular on a hammer handle!

 

The only downside is that a rough handle is hard on the hands.  I wouldn't do much carving on the handle of a working tool unless blisters are something you like.

Nicely done but it's going to be really hard on your hand. You might do scrimshaw instead. It can be strikingly visual and it's smooth as a baby's butt.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

I agree, about the blisters. At first i was going to suggest carving under the head ( because your hand doesn't belong there ) but that might  encourage cracks due to the narrowing shape in that area

Well, I rarely have blister issues. And I purposely put the carving on my finger side and not the palm side, so my hope was that I shouldn't end up with blister problems (that was the plan at least)....  I haven't had a chance to really put it through it's paces yet.  We'll see!  :D

 

I'll let ya'll know how it works.

 

You will be the first to know how it works out for you after you do a fair amount of hammering with it. You may not have a problem, I think I wouldn't care for it, even though it looks good on your hammer.

As I have been known to use most of the handle at times, even letting it slide through my hand while hammering it wouldn't suit me.  However what about doing a nice rondel on the end of the handle---would make a good identifier!

I know I've already chipped in on this thread but it would be impossible to do something to JUST the finger side of my handles, my hammers have two sides, a face and a pein and I use both. Still, I'm thinking a little skrimshaw would be cool and it just occured to me I might know someone with an old tatoo gun they don't use anymore. Hmmmmmm.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Seems like you could inlay the voids and get back to a smooth handle without covering your work.

I can see you allowing a newbee to use your scrimshaw handled hammer. Yep...making replacement handles could be everyday.

 

 

Carry on

I can see you allowing a newbee to use your scrimshaw handled hammer. Yep...making replacement handles could be everyday.

 

 

Carry on

 

You have a point David, the way new guys go through handles I might develop a new skill, especially if tattoo guns work. I BET it'll be darned easy to guess what Danger Dillon would be decorating his hammer handles with.

 

OOH OOH! I just now thought of another handle ID technique,  do them up like Easter eggs! We could have PRETTY hammer handles!

 

Frosty The Lucky.

... I purposely put the carving on my finger side and not the palm side...

 

All fine and dandy till you flip the hammer over to use the peen  ;)

 

Seriously though, it looks great!