I can't forge without my hammer !!

[Ohio Rusty]

..... well ... i probably could, but it's not the same as your 'perfect' hammer. Have you ever put a rifle to your shoulder and the stock was too short and it didn't feel right ?? Ever sat in a car where the seats didn't fit you well ?? Your hammer and handle is alot like that. When you have a hammer that the weight and balance is perfect, the length is right and the handle fits your hand perfectly, then you can forge effectively without thinking about your hammer and having to constantly adjust your grip. My original handle went bad and I needed to remake it ..... It needed to be made exactly like the original to feel right in my hand.

The original handle was octagon in shape, it was a bit narrower in the front where your fingers curl around the front of the handle, and it had a sight waist where you held it and flared out slightly again at the bottom. There were no shorcuts (power tools) in duplicating that handle. I don't have electricity in my little smithy anyway.  A draw knife, a woodplane and a file were used to duplicate the handle. Now that the hammer is finished .... I can forge on again !! This hammer was a priority !!

Ohio Rusty ><>

The Ohio Frontier Forge

[Glenn]

I feel your pain.

 

I broke the handle out of my blacksmithing hammer and the new handle had no where near the same feel. I told my self that perfect was not achievable but close to perfect was good enough. If at some point it did not work, I would just rehandle the hammer again and now know just how far to take the modifications.

 

 I made some rather radical changes, thinning the neck down a whole lot, adding groves to fit my fingers during the grip, trying to get the whole hammer and handle to work together.  I spent several days tuning, working with the handle, tuning again to get the new handle to fit my hand, and my swing. The new handle and hammer worked much better than before. The neck was thin enough that I could break the wooded handle with a strong power swing, so I learned to let the hammer do the work instead of using a power swing. 

 

End result was a great combination of hammer, handle, and swing technique, which yielded greater performance of the hammer at the anvil face.

 

 

Grab a secondary hammer and do not be afraid to modify the handle to fit your hand and your swing. That way the primary hammer is untouched and you can compare the primary hammer and secondary hammer in performance. You may be surprised at the results.

[eriktlupus]

Hey I was born down that way! Logan, Ohio

[Ohio Rusty]

I'm maybe out 10 or so minutes from Logan .... It still looks as nice and hilly as when you left.  I have hunted and fished all over Michigan. I've fished every major river there up to the U.P. ...... A very nice state for outdoorsy people.

Ohio Rusty ><>

The Ohio Frontier Forge

[eriktlupus]

Rusty looking at your profile if you went to school in Logan you knew my uncle George tipton

Oh yeah the fishing/hunting up here can be awesome if the weather will cooperate (it hasn't been doing so this week when I'm on vacation)

[VaughnT]

I understand your pain, hoss.  Someone absconded with my 3lb cross peen hammer and I haven't been happy since.  I'm learning how to make do with a 4lb sledge, but it's one of those ones with the too-thin plastic handle and I really miss the peen.  

[matto]

If you are set up and re doing handles, make a couple extra while you are in the mind set. That way they are ready when you need one.

[ThomasPowers]

My first smithing hammer was a nice old doublejack that came with a red lacquered  handle.  As it was my main hammer for many years I had to colour the next two handles for it red as that what the corner of my eye was looking for.  I've branched out enough now in hammer usage choosing the hammer for the job and sometimes the stage of the job.