jlpservicesinc Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 $27.99 Amazon, I like most Fiskars products and since i had to order other things figured I'd buy one.. No chance to forge with it today but it's pretty well made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Google search with "fiskars 4lb." brings it up. Nice looking head design. I'm just not for the non wood handles. Interested to hear what you think after using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 Been one of those days.. LOL>> fuel pump went in car, while at the metal yard getting ready to leave.. Battery died cranking it over, Guy jumps the car and i have him crank it while I bang the gas tank to get the fuel pump to unlock.. It started and Then I get 200 ft down the road and a rock hits the windshield and cracks it.. I get home and the car died right in the drive way.. It was a good day.. Beautiful and it reached 52F... First day that warm in a long time.. Daswulf, I'm not a fan of to many other handles either, but for the money of 28.00 with lifetime warranty I figured I would try it out.. I do like the Stanley Anti vibe handles, and the Estwing handles.. Not sure how I would feel about either if I was working then forging but it's worth the 28.00 to try.. Besides that there hasn't been a review I can find on this hammer here.. It has a larger face than my Normal 4lbs German Xpeen.. And a fairly rounded face.. I did cut a few bars on the hardie with it and it felt good.. Not mushy.. I dislike mushy feeling handles.. Mushy and flexy are a big no go and won't tolerate them with sledges.. But then again, I'm not as active as I used to be.. Anyhow, I'll post maybe tomorrow or in the next few days.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 We all have those days lol. No worries. Yeah, I don't often see a straight pein hammer on the market. I think with a little dressing of the face and rounding of the edge of the pein it would make a great forge hammer other then the handle. ( does it look like it Could be rehandled?) I'm not against the synthetic handles for a beasting hammer , as in the occasional beating things apart or destruction. On the contrary, I love them for that. They hold up to abuse quite well. But for forging, where you need more finess, control, and will be using it much longer, I just have to have a wood handle. I have the same views on shovels and other tools used for long periods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 I'm looking forward to what you think of that handle Jenifer. I'm a fan of Fiskars and would be really surprised if they put their name on a less than excellent product. Strange things happen though. You lead a charmed life, my vehicles never break down in the driveway. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 Frosty, The I have only been stranded 2X in a bunch of miles.. I put on right around 24-28K a year.. Way back in the 90's I blew a friction disk in my old 1970 Saab V4 96.. I could have drove it home.. I thought it was much worse than it was, The car has a device known as a freewheel so you don't need a clutch for shifting.. And about a year after having the Audi, I was on my way to NY for work and the alternator died.. Brushes were worn out.. In my old SAAB 900 T16V the gen light would come on and you'd just give it a few revs and it would go off.. This meant you had a month or so before it would be capoot.. And then you would just put in new brushes.. 10minute job on the side of the road (used to carry and extra set in the glovey).. Not the Audi. Light came on about 10miles from the house.. Figured I could do the same thing.. 10miles later I was stuck on the highway.. Had I turned around I would have made it home.. As for SAAB's.. I used to be a wannabe rally driver and I drove a 91 SAAB 900 SPG with all custom parts I designed and then fabricated.. The car would peel rubber in 4 gears on a dry road and in 5th gear in corner it would peel rubber.. Anyhow, I was blowing up the gear boxes about 1 a year. 4th gear was the one that always went.. Anyhow, even with a blown 4th gear I was able to drive home.. I eventually found out one of the problems I was running royal purple and it simply wasn't up to the job,,, I switched over to Redline Heavy weight Shock proof and the last gear box lasted 4 years before I pulled the car off the road.. Audi has a new fuel pump, new spark plugs and a sheet metal repair.. Trimmed a few tooties today and got her apart and back together.. All's good now.. 460K on the Audi.. It's been a great care.. Quattro drive with 4 studded snow tires.. It will go anywhere and treads lightly like a cat.. With all that said.. I had no time to give the hammer a work out.. I think I going to like it. I did move some sheet metal around with it and so far the handle doesn't feel skushie.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 I love this hammer.. It is very good for the price and I used it without dressing it at all.. It's a little softer on the face than my other hammers but I don't see this as being a problem.. The Handle is very good. with no flex at all.. It feels really good in the hand and even after 3.5hrs+ of serious hammering I was ready to go more with it.. If they offered this in a 2lbs and the 3lbs with the same length handles I would have them in the stable.. Really enjoyed this hammer and see it as a main stay.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 Thanks for the report Jenifer, makes me want one. I sure wish I could get a lighter one, 4 lbs. is more than I like to swing. We'll have to suggest 2&3 lb. versions to Fiskars. I'm going to have to do another search I couldn't find the straight peins on any search engine. I may have to dump the cookies and do a restart. Thanks again. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny O Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 I am not a fan of fat oem handles, I usually rasp them down. With this handle I would have to replace it if to fat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackdawg Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 I have the 3lb version. Cost me about $70 at the local hardware big box here in Australia (for my daughter to give to my on my birthday last year). Had it for about 8 months. Needed very little work on the face / peen to clean it up, I love the hammer, particularly the wide straight peen. It is definitely my go to 3lber. I thought I would be getting rid of the handle fairly early and going to wood, but it is just fine as it is. Just dont "hook" hot metal with the hammer to move it in to place, melts the handle pretty quick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 A little Google-fu shows me that Fiskars calls this a "club hammer", and there's a three-pound version available from Amazon, Home Depot, and a bunch of other places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 2 hours ago, Frosty said: Thanks for the report Jenifer, makes me want one. I sure wish I could get a lighter one, 4 lbs. is more than I like to swing. We'll have to suggest 2&3 lb. versions to Fiskars. I'm going to have to do another search I couldn't find the straight peins on any search engine. I may have to dump the cookies and do a restart. It wasn't even listed on Fiskars website under hammers.. It was under home improvements, Sledge hammers.. If Fiskars offered a 2lbs and a 3lbs with the same handle as the 4lbs i'd buy them for sure.. I like a little longer handle and the 3 vs the 4lbs was nearly 3".. the 4lbs having the longer handle.. in the videos I switched to my normal German 2lb for the finesse/quick hammer work. My pleasure.. 45 minutes ago, Kenny O said: I am not a fan of fat oem handles, I usually rasp them down. With this handle I would have to replace it if to fat... It's not that fat.. about 4" around at its widest and just the handle is 12" long.. Really like 10+" to the handle bulge.. I usually do too.. I so dislike the way they make hammer handles, nearly useless. . I buy a hammer for good money, take it home swing it for 2 minutes and then break out the draw knife, ash, elm or hickory and start making a new one.. If it's something new I will usually try it out before I pass judgment.. This hammer feels a lot like my normal 4lbs German Cross peen.. Very familiar. Was really just very nice to swing.. Again I can only compare it to what i am used to if that helps.. My hand is 6.75" long and it was super comfortable.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 Jackdawg, I think you have convinced me to grab a 3lbs also.. I'm a little gun shy with that shorter handle though.. Nice add to the kit you got there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 Fiskers makes the hammer in 3 and 4 pound versions. They do not make it in a 2 pound weight according to Fiskers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 Got it now, Fiskars lists it as a heavy duty demolition hammer or Club. The Amazon Prime price is $24.39 free shipping. If they knew it was actually a blacksmith's straight pein NOT a demolition hammer they would have the 2 lb. available now and the'd be selling like hot cakes! Some people. <SHEESH> Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted April 5, 2018 Author Share Posted April 5, 2018 Frosty, don't let the cat out of the bag.. I'm going to buy a few cases of them and start selling on Ebay. I've got my methods.. Yeah, Money is not one of them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Dave Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 I don't mean to diverge a little but I've been watching Craig Trnka videos. A farrier with extra ordinary skills. I find it interesting in the hammers farriers use and blacksmiths use. It looks like Trnka uses a 2 lb rounding hammer most of the time and a thin long wood handles. He moves some big thick steel horseshoes with ease using very light hammer heads. But, he strikes the shoes at a much faster pace. Blacksmiths like 3lb hammers and bigger for the most part. I believe the thin handles are much easier to hold in comparison to a large handle Fiskars. Also, blacksmiths I've watched in person or on videos hold the hammers very close to the hammer head which is much different than the farriers. There must be lots of opinion on this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 I like the longer handle (cradle the head in your hand and the handle reaches the inside of your elbow) I also find fat handles fatiguing. Typically about 1+1 1/4” inch works well for me. I work shoes with a 2# rounding hammer and routienly forge with 3# hammers in the forge, I plan to rehandle my 4# as a light sledge for Sandy and the grand daughters, which won’t slow me down much as I one hand the 14# when we really have to come to an understanding. I have eyeballed the Friskars sledge for a buddy who is a geology post grad. He has asked for help with tools. Jennifer, you jinxed me! Number one high pressure injector line snapped at the injector on the Isuzu. $34 a piece, but if 300,000 miles of fatigue took out one....I ordered all 4. Wont be here till Friday. Nice to know your a gear head, Smith and farrier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted April 5, 2018 Author Share Posted April 5, 2018 10 hours ago, SoCal Dave said: I don't mean to diverge a little but I've been watching Craig Trnka videos. A farrier with extra ordinary skills. I find it interesting in the hammers farriers use and blacksmiths use. It looks like Trnka uses a 2 lb rounding hammer most of the time and a thin long wood handles. He moves some big thick steel horseshoes with ease using very light hammer heads. But, he strikes the shoes at a much faster pace. Blacksmiths like 3lb hammers and bigger for the most part. I believe the thin handles are much easier to hold in comparison to a large handle Fiskars. Also, blacksmiths I've watched in person or on videos hold the hammers very close to the hammer head which is much different than the farriers. There must be lots of opinion on this subject. What a great question.. Most blacksmith prefer a 2-2.5lbs hammer, though the 3lbs has gained favor in more recent times.. i think in part to Brain B.. and Alec S.. Modern farriers swing hammers like old time blacksmiths used to.. Getter, done.. I know, i know ill get a whumpin for saying that.. A farrier gets paid by the horse, not by the hour.. you basically work like your hair is on fire.. The faster you work the more shoes you can get on the horses, other thing is these guys at the WCF are trained to compete in farrier shoeing events.. the goal is to forge like the dickens to a very high order.. this is what they train for.. desire is the catch word.. There is an equation of weight vs speed= Most people can swing a 2lb hammer very well and accurately for a long time.. the secret to moving gobs of metal is speed of the head.. As you move up in weight you can move the hammer slower to get the same amount of work.. problem with larger hammers is people simply cant swing them as long or as fast and as fatigue sets in so does a shorter grip. (Lessening pressure and strength needed in the wrist) Also there are times where you want a harder/heavier blow or a lighter faster blow.. Either of these can be regulated some with where your holding the hammer handle. Holding handle long for hard driving forging blows and close to head for finish blows which you want to be lighter and faster.. With a heavy hammer this regulation still plays in but fatigue usually drives hand position as much as speed/force.. Back when i was a pro smith my normal hammer was 6lbs and that would be used 8-10hrs a day.. Its taken me over a year to start to use a 4lbs hammer effectively and still switch back to a 2lbs for finish work as i just cantt move the 4lbs fast enough.. About 1990, Most farriers had no interest in making anything more than shoes or a trinket or 2, maybe a knife, but today there seems to be a lot more interests in diversification. Or fun forging.. Back when i served my apprenticeship, me being a blacksmith with real forging skills was kind of rare.. i used to make my own driving hammers, pull offs, clinch cutters, etc,etc while other farriers thought it was neat, they would say to me why would they waste thier time when they could just buy the stuff off the shelf for the time it would take to shoe a horse.. 4, size 1, shoes fully, swedged, punched for 8 nails each, with clips and a trailer was 15-20minutes.. startind with 5/16x1" And lastly... the effective size of a hammer is referenced by the cross section in metal... Shoes range in size from 3/16x2 up to 1/2x2" draft. Basically about 1" square in area is the largest size of stock.. if you look at a regular shoe this drops off to only 3/8"x3/4 or 3/8x1"... So a 2lbs hammer can move a lot of material in the normal farrier range offering a lot of advantages a heavier hammer cant offer.. One being a piercing blow like when punching.. peircing is dependent on hammer speed.. its the reason why farrier driving hammers are so small.. .sadly i have no videos of me just whacking the metal like a beast but if you watch this video again you will hear when/where the tempo changes and you can see the difference in how the metal moves. These are full on over the head hammer hits.. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted April 5, 2018 Author Share Posted April 5, 2018 This is going to sound weird: I might be a slow learner.. It took me about 5 years to really understand what or how to swing a hammer.. It took another 2 years or so to be able to implement the understanding of swinging the hammer and have it be effective.. I right now have a controlled hammer strike but it is no where near as effective as it can/could be and it has nothing to do with half on half off or a light or heavy hammer or round vs flat face.. Its simply how I am using the hammer.. When you swing the hammer and hit the metal and the edges of the steel you are hitting move from this [ ] to this ( ) then you are hitting effectively.. My hits are still more like the straight sided version though I get glimpses of the bulging once in awhile.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Sounds like an info-video project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted April 5, 2018 Author Share Posted April 5, 2018 It does doesnt it.. in that reply (you) is me.. Personally, i would have never thought there was a difference swinging a hammer until i started seeing it, and it became consistent. Most people think im crazy...They could ne right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Tho I like heavier hammers for larger stock (moves the insides faster, ever notice when trying to move a framed wall, a framing hammer mashes the heck out of the wood wile a sledge moves the whole wall with little denting of the wood?) their is a triad off. 3# is the triad off point for me (using long handles). To get the most out of any hammer is about form. Watch a taiko drummer. To move a lot of mental early on in a forging and to overcome the leverage of the hammer handle tilt the head so the handle is vertical, pull your arm in and lift it strait up, now guid the hammer down and snap your rist to bring the handle horizontal. The longer handle exaggerates this. I learned this as a kid. Dad was breaking up the drive way, when he went to work my 8 year old self took his 10# sledge and went at it. Didn’t take long to figure out I couldn’t lift the hammer with the handle horizontal, and I had to use my legs, back and sholdiers to get it over head. Remember your not trying to push the hammer down threw the anvil, your throwing it at the anvil and guiding it exept for the snap at the end. Choking up on the handle reduces the snap at the end and esentualy you revert to lifting the hammer and dropping it with just your arm to shouldered hight. Good for planishing but not for moving a lot of metal. The average smithing hammer in the Viking era was 1 1/2 to 2# wile sledges we’re rarely over 4#. This was partially due to economy, iron was a very expensive commodity but also it worked for years. Their is a reason why a 3#+ hammer is called a hand sledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Another aspect of Viking era hammers is they were forging real wrought iron at high heats; generally around welding temps where it is very soft and moves easily. For moving beams with a hammer; timber framers have a "commander" a huge "mallet' for making firm rather than sharp hits to move large beams without damaging them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Watching Steve slow roast steel befor attempting a weld was an eye opening experience. Many of us make the mistake of not heating the stock sufficiently and we don’t really get it hot all the way threw until we are on our second or third heat. But yes, I use 3# hammers in the shop to overcome the hot hardness of modern steels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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