Hammer questions

[New axe maker]

Has anyone used these hammers? I'd like to find out anything I can about these. 

There is a Stanly3lbs rounding hammer and a fiskars 3lb straight pein. 

[akagi333701550221k]

Looks like an OK design, I've been told that fiskars doesn't use the best steel in most of their tools

[ausfire]

Looks like a fine tool. But like all hammers, its performance is directly proportional to the skill of the person holding the handle.

[SReynolds]

I was looking for a set (sette??) hammer and found one in the stack of used items at the local farrier supply. But the question; I have never tried a straight peen. What is the advantage of a straight? I just can;'t see paying 40.00 for one when I don't know what to use it for. Funny in that a cross pein is less than half the cost of a straight. Why?

If I can locate one for the cost of a cross pein, I'd have one. I can see where the coveted 45° pein would be nice.......but never seen one for sale. Maybe eBay?

[Smoggy]

I can see a straight peen being of use in a corner where a cross peen would not reach, think of boiler making a long 90% inside angle in a sizable piece of plate, you'd not get right into it with a cross peen, I'm sure there are many other situations too, but why so expensie? I suspect, demand!

Fiskars and Stanley I have never found any problem with either companies material or tools.

[Alan Evans]

The "advantage" of a straight pein is if you have a use for it....I would not confuse the difference between it being a useful hammer... and it being more or less useful than a cross pein.

In some instances it will be more useful in others less, like any tool, just depends what you are making.

Alan

[ThomasPowers]

A Lot depends on what your methods are.  I like standing at the point of my large anvil and widening  a piece of stock for a blade or a spear socket using my 1" diameter  straight peen and the wide smooth horn on my anvil, before I had the big anvil and the large diameter straight peen I would have done this on the flat face of an anvil with a cross peen. (as happens to this day when I'm not collocated with my full set of tools and anvils...)

[New axe maker]

Iv been in several positions where a straight pien would of been helpful. And I haven't been able to find one bigger than 2lbs. I'm really comfortable with 3 and 4lbs hammers. I saw those hammers the other day at the hardware store for fairly cheap on $35. But I wasn't sure how good fiskars are I've used Stanly and I've never been disappointed. Next week I think I'm going to snag a couple. 

[Frosty]

In a very general sense a straight pein works better for a long taper where a cross pein works better for spreading. Think a grape vine with leaves, you'd use a straight pein to draw down the little tendril things and a cross pein to draw out the leaves.

I've NEVER heard of Fiskars using anything but the best steel in any of their products and I know a lot of people who use Fiskars products, mostly shears. I have a set of scissors next to me, we have 3 different sized sheep shears in the barn and Deb's hoof trimmers are Fiskars. I've only ever had to sharpen the hoof trimmers a couple times in the 15 years Deb and I kept goats. Twice for the sheep shears but the sheep were really dirty. I'd rather sharpen the shears than try washing a sheep.

The only thing I don't care for about the straight pein Fiskars hammer pictured is the handle, it's shaped to use the face, using the pein wouldn't fit my hand well. Of course changing it out for a proper slab handle would just be a matter of doing it.

Are you going to come to the meeting Saturday at Jim's? I'll bring a couple of my straight peins and you can give them a try and see what they're good for.

Frosty The Lucky.

[rockstar.esq]

I watched an old Woodwrights shop episode where Peter Ross was striking for another smith making a hatchet.  The striking sledge was a straight pein because the smith is holding the edge facing the striker.  The smith was using a cross pein because his blows were perpendicular to his tong hold.

I could see a straight pein being useful to lengthen a section of stock without spreading the width.  I'm imagining a rectangular tenon that's riveted on the long axis of a mortised bar.  If you had to hold the long mortised bar with one hand, and rivet the tenon with the other, a straight peen would present at the correct angle.

I've also seen a few smiths who use a blunted chisel as a fuller for when their cross pein would have spread the stock in the wrong direction.

It looks like Stanley's calling it a drilling hammer despite the one side being round.

[ThomasPowers]

I've got 2 straight peen sledges of 7 pounds apiece; both are British Surplus, (broad arrow marked) one from the 40's and one from the 1980's and the more recent one ran me US$10 at the flea market in Las Cruces NM---still wondering how it got there.

[New axe maker]

I'll be up at jims. 

[SReynolds]

The use of a straight peen makes sense. Thanks. But I use the anvil corners as a fuller as well as the horn. So I doubt I'd pay 30-some for a hammer that does the fullering. But yea...that makes sense. And the cross-pein does the spreading. That is what I use the cross -pein for. But if I need to fuller a large section, I use the anvil. But seldom need to as this sin't the 1600s. If I need smaller stock I buy it. I can't visualize anyone hammering on a section of 1x1 to render it down to 1/2" or 1/4" but I know **somebody** is going to reply that is exactly what they do cuz all they can afford is free RR spikes and they have to make 1/4"- S hooks and 1/8" shank nails. So, yea. There I **can** sympathize with you and your Straight peen. I find one at the flea market for cheap I'm gonna have one cuz somebody will ask me If I have one.................someday.

[New axe maker]

I haven't done extensive research but I've been unable to find 3 or 4lbs hammers cheaper than that in alaska. I haven't been able to find straight peins anywhere. I know there out there somewhere. And the ones I've found were around 70ish. 

[ThomasPowers]

I once watched a smith take a small sledge head and make a double 45 deg peen from it using a press, As I recall it was about 2 bites per end once it was up to temp and the press did a lovely job of making a smooth rounded peen on it---minimal grinding needed.

[rockstar.esq]

New Axe,

I don't know if you have access to cheap engineer-type hammers that have identical sledge faces.  If so, an angle grinder with a cut-off disk will pare one face down to any peen you could want.  If you go slow and keep the head cool, you might not even have to remove the handle, let alone, re- heat treat it.

On the off chance that you did overheat the peen side, it's probably not too big a deal for the peen to be a little softer than the hammer face.  Straight and 45 degree peens definitely seem to be less popular in smaller hammers.  I've never touched one that wasn't either hand-made or cut down from a heavier sledge. 

I'd be interested to see that Fiskars in person because they're advertising that peen as a demolition feature.  It could be ground to a semi-sharp edge.  If so, it'd be a bit of work to grind it flat.

I found these, they're a bit more money but based on the images, it sure looks like they'd come set up for what you're wanting and they're available in the weights you're after.  No idea what getting it to AK would run you in shipping though.

 

 

[Frosty]

2 hours ago, New axe maker said:

I haven't done extensive research but I've been unable to find 3 or 4lbs hammers cheaper than that in alaska. I haven't been able to find straight peins anywhere. I know there out there somewhere. And the ones I've found were around 70ish. 

One of mine will explain itself to you.

Frosty The Lucky.

[New axe maker]

I have a 3.3 sledge hammer that I was going to round and dome one face I suppose if I want I could cut the other face into a straight pien. I'd need a belt grinder first. I wonder if that would throw the balance off of the hammer? Always worth a shot being it was a free hammer. 

 

I'll have to take a look at a few of your hammers frosty. 

[ThomasPowers]

Anybody up there have a hydraulic press?  Mushing the steel around rather than grinding it off would probably do less to the balance.

[New axe maker]

Somebody up he should have one. If anything I'm a big guy I could always forge it and redrift it.  

[Frank Turley]

A straight peen was furnished as a cooper's tool, maybe for tapping down the barrel bands. I've not used one as a hand hammer. I use a cross peen. I have two sledge hammers with straight peens, which peens I don't use too often. But when you need 'em, you need 'em.

Brian Brazeal can do most anything with his rounding hammer, no peen. He's figured out many angle blows to achieve what he wants. Fun to watch his vids.

[SReynolds]

Yea. I noticed that. He does it all (almost) with his rounding hammer. But I don't particularly care for one nor do I like the point he makes that you need to use one to cut steel on the hardie cutter and to perform half-face blows on the anvil edge. I work alot of steel with a slightly convex face like most do and it works for me. Besides. .... I like a leaf made from a cross peen. Not a rounding hammer which he calls a die. Not a hammer.

Nothing wrong with trying to be .  different in the hammer one employs or what you refer to your hammer as. But in the end it is still a hammer. 

[Francis Trez Cole]

I personally a big fan of fiberglass handles but the draw back is after a few days work the epoxy that holds the head to the handle gets hot and lets go. So you have to keep cooling or re epoxy. I am still looking for an epoxy that can bind fiberglass to steel and can hold up to heat.

Every style hammer has its advantages and disadvantages. peter ross uses a cross peen, philip simmons used a ball peen Brian brazeal has made the rounding hammer an other choice.  Brent bailey uses a 8# sledge head. Uri hofi uses a hammer with a short handle. There is not right or wrong answer it is what makes you feel comfortable. remember you will have it in your hand for hours.

My first hammer is a 3# sears cross peen. I like a 3# and 5# rounding hammer I also have a 32oz ball peen that I re made into a cross peen that I have become very fond of. You will try many over the years. and you will end up with a rack of hammers, 

[Frosty]

I don't know if it's available but Phenolic adhesives are very heat resistant. Back in the day I worked for a company that made hot and cold connectors for aircraft, I ran the "wire machine" made flexible ducting like vacuum cleaner hose. A number of connectors were engine parts and made from phenolic resin products. An adhesive I used in conjunction with one type ducting was a heat cure phenolic adhesive. The stuff cured at 300f and made epoxy look like balsa wood.

None I used were 2 part all were heat cured but sticky and tough. Once set you had to sand or grind it off or leave it.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

I long ago decided I didn't need to be a "One hammer to rule them all, One hammer to find them, One hammer to bring them all and in the darkness bind them"  type of guy.

I switch hammers to use the one best for the process at hand.  (and I've learned teaching that when I go to "fix" a student error I use the hammer they were using; after hearing many of them blame the issue on "their hammer vs my hammer")  Now every once in a while I'll demonstrate doing a counterbend on a 1/4" S hook using a 1500 gm swedish crosspeen; to show it can be done with enough skill and practice---but using the small 200 gm crosspeen is actually a LOT easier---(and then I will show them how to do it with needlenose pliers telling them the only right way to do them is anyway that works for *them*!)