Aschaefer Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 i got a new Estwing blacks smiths hammer when im hitting hot steel it smells terrible makes me sick even with a mask on. any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 They coat their hammers from the factory with ( something) to keep them from rusting. Could be the paint as well. If for some reason you are getting the hammer head hot enough, (No reason it should but I don't know what exactly you are doing) you could be heating the epoxy holding the fiberglass handle in or if the fiberglass handle is touching the workpiece it could be that. I would Never recommend a fiberglass handled hammer for blacksmithing. The grip is rough as all get out on your hand. Shame on Estwing for making such a thing with blacksmithing at the intended use. I'd recommend about any cheap wood handled crosspein hammer to start and don't forget to read up on dressing your hammer head. There are some good threads about it on here. (Use your web search function adding iforgeiron after the search phrase tho, it'll work better then the search function here.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 The factory anti rust coating is getting smooshed into the hot steel while you're forging and it's burning. Sand the face off and it should be fine. Frosty the Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Frankly, you should be sanding the face anyway, to get rid of those sharp ridges that are denting up your workpiece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 When I first started blacksmithing I bought one of those Estwing cross peen hammers thinking the fibreglass handle would absorb shock. It didn't, and I have never been comfortable with the general feel and balance of the thing. It's good for hammering in tent pegs and garden stakes, but doesn't get a look in around the forge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoMike Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Growing up, Estwing was considered a premium hammer. they had some that the head and handle were integral with the handle comprised of stacked leather rings. They seemed to exude quality. Now I can't find one that does not have a synthetic handle or steel handle with plastic handle. I am sure they've put a lot of engineering into them, but I no longer have any excepf for a roofers hatchet that I really have no use for. Hmm is there enough metal there to make a hammer eye drift. Aschaefer, I'd probably round that peen too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Richter Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Agree with Das, Aus & MM, no hammers with ‘plastic’ handles in my shop. Didn’t go’s together with the hot stuff we dealing with. Use the (grinded/sanded) head with a nice (hickory) ash handle and you will be happy without mask Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Most of the shelf hammers are to heavy in the first place, and have hand sledge handles as aposed to the slimmer blacksmiths handle, second a smooth wooden handle won’t cause as many blisters, look for a 1&1/2-2# hammer, tractor supply caries Mustad rounding hammers for about $60 and one can lay hands on cheep ball peins anywhere. May be a search to find lighter weight cross peins. besides the blisters, it is nigh on imposible to shave a handle down to get a handle that fits your hand, as hand sledge handles are so large and lead to hand fatigue and the dreaded death grip that leads to tendinitis. Typicaly a 1x1&1/4” handle fits my hands, and with Smith wood I can choke up on the handle as needed. If shock relief is your goal, classically the handle behind the head was thinned done to impart a bit of wip, say 1/2-3/4”x 3/4-1”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 I've gotten to preferring my home made handles. I buy straight grained, clear, hickory from a cabinet wood supplier in 5/4 x 4" boards, whatever length he has that meets my spec. 4' typically but sometimes longer. 5/4 is thicker than the thickest eye on any of my hammers so it grinds down to fit nicely. Yeah, I just take my belt grinder to them. (I leave the draw shaves to the purists. ) I copied Uri Hoffi's hammer handle profile with one improvement, I cut the handle to taper wider from the head to the end by about 1/2" or so. The slab handle fits the hand easily and indexes naturally. You don't have to think about the hammer leaning in or out you instinctively hold it flat. The taper means it takes hardly any grip to hold it securely and if it starts to slip you reflexively tighten up and it stays. My last trick is to profile the edges, the face side of the hammer head gets a flat edge on the handle, the pein gets a more rounded edge. That lets me know which way the hammer is facing without looking. Better, at demos it allows a little flashy hammer handling for the audience I spin the hammer over my head to change from fact to pein, etc.. There are no sharp corners on my handles of course, I just leave one side more flat than the other, lots of folk hold or use my hammers without noticing but I know. I have a few plastic handled hammer I find at yard, garage, etc. sales and even use them with no ill effects BUT I don't use them for long periods. Heck I found a sweet 4 lb. drill hammer at a yard sale, then started seeing them at the big box stores for reasonable. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aschaefer Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 11 hours ago, MotoMike said: Growing up, Estwing was considered a premium hammer. 1 I have really liked Estwing since I bought an axe from them but after this hammer im kinda disappointed got a good deal on it too i might just change the handle and sand all that blue away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoMike Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 @Frosty would you have some pictures of those handles you describe?. I think I can picture it, but not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdriack Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 For Christmas a family member got me a Fiskars 4lb straight peen hammer with a synthetic handle ( they also make a 3lb version). I was not really optimistic about it at all - but honestly - I really like it. It's really well balanced and doesn't feel like 4 lb, I find myself using it frequently. The head is well rounded and wide for a production hammer and the peen has a fairly large radius. I really didn't modify it much. Granted, I'm a hobbyist and don't spend extended hours every day hammering hot metal - but it feels good in the hand and is holding up well. For a 30- 35$ hammer some may like to give it a shot. When the Fiskars axes came out years ago with the synthetic handles - I laughed them off preferring traditional wood handles. But a friend has one of their splitting mauls and has tried very hard to kill it - and it's still going. Maybe I didn't give them enough credit...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackdawg Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 17 hours ago, tdriack said: For Christmas a family member got me a Fiskars 4lb straight peen hammer with a synthetic handle ( they also make a 3lb version). I was not really optimistic about it at all - but honestly - I really like it. It's really well balanced and doesn't feel like 4 lb, I find myself using it frequently. The head is well rounded and wide for a production hammer and the peen has a fairly large radius. I really didn't modify it much. Granted, I'm a hobbyist and don't spend extended hours every day hammering hot metal - but it feels good in the hand and is holding up well. For a 30- 35$ hammer some may like to give it a shot. When the Fiskars axes came out years ago with the synthetic handles - I laughed them off preferring traditional wood handles. But a friend has one of their splitting mauls and has tried very hard to kill it - and it's still going. Maybe I didn't give them enough credit...... I have the 3lb version. It is by far my favourite hammer in that size. Cost me $70 though here in Oz. I to just smoothed off the face, and the straight peen is a great size, far to many peens are to narrow for my taste. When I bought it I just assumed I would tire of the synthetic handle and get around to putting a wood one in it at some stage, but I love it, nice and comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted March 26, 2018 Share Posted March 26, 2018 I'm betting the terrible smell is hot metal scale burning that fiberglass handle. Ever bend and break a round fiberglass rod? It stinks really bad! That could be it too. It could be flexing and putting off that smell, but most likely it's the hot metal scale burning it. Go on Ebay, there are tons of hammer heads for cheap (well cheapish, but not flea market or garage sale cheap) and get yourself a good handle for the hardware store. Way cheaper and way better than that Estwing. I'm a relatively newer smith and I've put 7 or 8 handles on heads that I picked up for cheap. If you must buy new, go to Harbor Freight and get their wood handled hammers. They were my first hammers and they work just fine, just don't grind too much of the face of them off as they may be just case hardened. I can't see paying hundreds of dollars for a hammer. Maybe if someone sent me one of these high dollar hammers for free I'd eat those words after using it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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