keeping your hammer finish

[Mark Ling]

During spring brake I took a hammer making class, and made a 3.5lb rounding hammer. Since then the burnt oil finish on the head has started to wear of from occasionally dropping it on the crushed limestone floor in my "smithy" and from resting the cheeks on the anvil face. Is there any way to slow this down, or restore the finish without loosing the temper?

                                                                                                 Littleblacksmith

[Frosty]

I don't think so, the burnt oil finish is a product of heat treating temperatures. So, how about finding some black shoe polish, warm your hammer head to coffee hot and wipe it down with the shoe polish. Let it cool wipe off the excess and see what you  think.

Just a thought, I let my hammers develop whatever colors their little old hearts desire so long as it isn't rusty red.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Ridgewayforge]

Heat some oil to 150 F and dunk your metal in? That might do it. 

[Frosty]

5 minutes ago, Ridgewayforge said:

Heat some oil to 150 F and dunk your metal in? That might do it. 

Not near hot enough to change the color of oil, 375f in a deep fryer won't do it.

Frosty The Lucky.

[wpearson]

Think cast iron seasoning

[Crazy Ivan]

Mix beeswax, turpentine, and linseed oil as typical finish. Warm your hammer head (and handle while your at it) and give it a good coating/ rub down. Then apply a second layer but take coal fines and mix it in thoroughly. It will blacken the paste. Run it on over the 1st layer, let it cool and harden and it gets you pretty close to the look you're talking about. 

[arftist]

Make another hammer witha nice finish.

When it starts to wear make another.

Rinse and repeat.

After a bit you will not worry about the finish you will be too busy admiring your assorted hammers.

[Glenn]

Any tool, if used, will show signs of being used.

Crushed limestone is a large grit abrasive, just look at the inside of the scoop of the loader.

You want a finish that can be replaced easily, often, and will keep the tool in good condition. The finish on the working surface will almost always be compromised or removed with use. The face of an anvil will shine after several hours of use, as will the face of the hammer. But a quick application of ATF or other product will protect the bare metal and keep the anvil face in good condition so it will not rust. How many times do you also protect the face of the hammer?

If you find an answer, or a product that will resist abrasion and wear, please let us know.

[SLAG]

Glenn is right . the tool should be protected. And working tools require frequent application of your favorite shmeer. I have used Vaseline in between forging sessions. Especially when there will be several days until the next use. The layer can be wiped off just before use.  Or for perfectionists, a second wipe using a bit of oil will get rid of the Vaseline.

  I have used soft wax coatings on my smithing tools when they will only be used a week or two later. A good soft wax source is the red coatings of Dutch style cheeses. They can be found at the supermarket. (For example edam cheese). Incidentally, eat the cheese before you harvest the soft wax. That wax is soft enough to rub on the tool's surface. There is no need to soften the wax before use.

Regards to all!    SLAG.

[7A749]

May not float your boat, but I use clear lacquer on anything I want to protect from rust that's bare metal. Sure, it's not going to look pretty, but it's practical and easy to reapply when necessary. I keep the faces of my hammers well dressed, but the rest of it doesn't matter to me as long as it isn't rusting to the point of coming off on my hands.

Just a thought.

[Matthew D]

Here's another idea if you want to keep a pretty finish on your hammer.  Buy a cold bluing kit at the local sporting good shop.  Follow the directions to blue your hammer.  It would still get scratched up, but then you could always fix it up a little from time to time.