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In Search of Left Handed Angle Peen 2.5 Pound Hammer


Kexel Werkstatt

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Hello all, any assistance would be much appreciated.  I only have/use a few hammers routinely, and one I am quite interested in trying is the angle peen.  I am left handed, so I'm looking for a left handed angle peen hammer.  I would like it to be at ~2.5 pounds, but no heavier.  

 

Any suggestions?  Searches on the internet (which I am not so good at) only show a couple options.  Not too uncommon for us goofy left handed folk but I thought maybe I would ask the team for some references.  I do not need super fancy, most expensive, pay for the name hammers, but I do enjoy quality over savings, if that makes sense.  Where I live there are no longer the "Estate Sales" or "Farm Auctions" of days past.

 

Thank you in advance!

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I saw a fellow make a double diagonal peen hammer after a SOFA, (now NMABA) meeting by taking a single jack hammer that had the flats on the "corners" and heating it in a gas forge and then using a hydraulic press with the hammer head aligned on the 45 degree flats.  2 "bites" per end and he did it so one end was right handed and the other left.  He did it after the meeting as he didn't have a hydraulic press and the demonstrator did...  Made a nice bulged face for the peens so minimal clean up and of course heat treat.

In 40 years of smithing I have seen *1* diagonal peen hammer that wasn't an expensive custom made one at a smithing conference and that was a sledge from the scrapyard. (Why yes it's on my hammer rack, cost me around US$2.)  Finding a left handed one would probably be more difficult than making one.

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Which is why I mentioned that the guy used the forge and press of another smith.  I only know a couple of smiths with "all the toys".  When I forged the 2.5" sq stock for my stake anvil I used a 200# Chambersburg air hammer that certainly didn't belong to me!

You could do the same hammer modification with a striker using a sledge.  Or just grind one down!

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Specialty hammers and custom made hammers are going to be more expensive as there is a limited market for them.

Cheapest option is to purchase a double jack hammer and transform one side to a left handed peen.

 

The left handed hammer does not do anything that a cross peen hammer will do, other than let you see where you hit the metal. 

 

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KW, I would recommend getting a 3lb engineer's hammer from Harbor Freight or the like and cutting in the peen to suit your own preference. If you have (or have access to) an angle grinder, this will be easier, but it's also possible to do it completely by hand.

If you haven't already, take a look at this thread: 

 

This should get you pretty close to 2.5lbs, even if you're not super picky about keeping track of changes in the weight during the process. 

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Thanks JHCC... very helpful, not a bad idea. I do have an angle grinder, bench grinder, etc... it may take some time, and a lot of "keeping it wet/cool" as I work it, but that just might be the best way to go if I don't want to spend $200.

 

I appreciate everyone's input, thank you so much.

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At least three of my go-to hammers are modified double-jacks: one rounding, one straight peen, and one cross peen. I've not done an angled peen, but if I did, I would start by using the corner faces of an octagonal hammer as a guide for where to put the peen.

Make sure you do your layout properly! I'd suggest taping a pencil (or something of similar dimensions) to the face of the hammer where you think the peen should go, and then taking a couple of hits at a piece of clay. That will show you immediately if the peen is aligned the way you want, to hit how you want. 

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Thanks Glenn.  I'll read those threads.

 

JHCC - Woodwork I am pretty experienced with, all handles are hickory, parallel grain, no runout (not as important with short handles), and treated with either BLO or Danish oil.  the H.F. handle will stay in it while I play with it, and absolutely the varnish comes off as with all other big-box hammer and axe handles I've ever had to deal with.  If I decide I love the finished product, I'll replace the handle.

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Thanks Glenn, yes, the woodwork portion of projects I am quite comfortable and experienced with, it's making things from metal where I lack the experience.  I carve Antler, wood, make axe and hammer handles... have for a long time.  It's the Blacksmithing/metal-work part that I'm finally getting back into after a couple decade hiatus.

 

What I do for "big-box" factory hammer and axe handles is strip the finish, and rasp the new custom contour.  Once fitment is correct for the hand(s) I will be using and where, I run them all through a 2 or 3 stage sanding process involving everything from belt to drum sanders, etc.  Then I'll use wood burning pens on some to mark them as I wish, finish them in either BLO or Danish Oil, and then sometimes I will even torch them in stages and then add yet another couple layers of oil on top of that.  I've found this process, for me, provides my hands (skin, muscles and joints) the best experience and really helps me use the tool ergonomically.

 

I have Ash (Baseball bat turning blanks) and Hickory handle stock on my shelves as I rarely keep the original handle on anything, unless it happens to be so close to the profile I desire that I just need to do a little tuning and maybe refinishing.  I usually hatchet/drawknife/spokeshave/rasp/sand new stock.  With this H.F hammer project, as with he other H.F. hammer's I've ever come across, I'll see if the piece of metal is worth the woodwork time investment before I do it.

 

I appreciate all the feedback, sincerely.  This is a great group and I'm actually somewhat saddened I've been away from the craft for so long and am just getting to meet everyone now.  

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Thomas -  I would try it for a hammer handle some day, sure.

JHCC - Nothing really "dimensional" - no cabinetry work, etc.  Most of what I have done over the decades are carvings, small gifts (spoons/bowls, etc.), and hammer and axe handles.  I've done quite a bit of forestry work over the years on private property and I am a bit fancy when it comes to my axes specifically.  My carvings have been in antler, wood, some stone (not much), and I have done some metal carving/engraving but not much.  I've done quite a few custom rifle stocks for myself and others, and other odds and ends.  Not a professional by any means, more of a hobbyist, but a hobbyist for a couple decades now.

I've been doing my own axe handles for so long that it has always bothered me that I've always used axe heads that someone else made... so at some point when I'm ready for that step up I'll try making a few of my own.  For now, I need to stick to the basics, fundamentals, and go from there.  I understand all the theory, and I know what I'm supposed to do, but I also know better than to jump into it without mastering the simple things first.  Books and videos only do so much... time at the anvil and learning from your mistakes is the best way to advance in my opinion.  I could go make an axe this weekend, but I already know that the bit weld will be poor, the eye will be crooked, and I will have wasted my time and just be frustrated.  Right now I'm just repeatedly running tapers, scrolling, drawing out, etc. to get my muscle memory built on little trivial pieces.  I also need more tooling, which I will make myself over time.  Time, is the least of which I have, so it will not happen overnight.

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On 1/22/2021 at 8:39 AM, KexelWerkstatt said:

and I am left handed, left foot forward, if that makes it more clear

First off, as a lefty, left foot forward puts you out of balance. off foot forward (opposite the working hand) creats balance with any physical activity no matter which handed you are. Think throwing a ball, swinging a bat etc. A hammer is no different.

Second, no matter how you face the anvil, as a general rule, move your iron, not your body, to get the angle of the blow you want. Then you only need an easy to get and inexpensive crosspeen. Make sense?

Fwiw, for the most part i only have two approaches to the face of the anvil. Perpendicular and parallel. Parallel with the off foot forward is excelent for creating offsets over the near edge of the anvil. Your body is less constrained and your view of the offset is increased.  

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Right foot forward feels totally unnatural to me.  I am left handed but I "bat" righty, golf righty, and my left hand is what I use to write, it is more dexterous. I stand left foot forward, hammer hand closer to the anvil, and my natural stance is at about 45 degrees.  Otherwise my off hand, holding the material, is at the anvil and the reach of my hammer hand seems too far away.  My horn is at my left, my hardy and pritchel holes are to my right.  I move around as needed of course but that is my general "working on the face" stance.  I don't think your suggestions would work for me. I just went and tried them and it does not feel right in any way.  Different strokes/folks I guess. 

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Ditto Anvil, he beat me to pointing out how out of balance your stance makes you. I'm going to assume it was a typo, anybody trying to do much of any strong hand work with their dominant foot forward would notice immediately. 

We were typing simultaneously. Different strokes it is.

I suggest you try diagonal peins before making or buying a work horse weight. Yard sale, 2nd hand store, etc. ball peins are easy to modify and you can get them extra reasonable if the handle is broken or missing. My straight pein is an indiscriminately heat treated, reformed ball pein.

I rehandle hammers as the need arises with a modified Hofi style slab handle. They taper from head to a slight bulb at the far end. The bulb is sort of a legacy, I did it on the first handle and even though the taper has prevented me ever letting one slip I still put the bulb on them. 

My handle stock is a 5/4" x 4" x 6' clear, straight grain hickory board from a specialty hardwood cabinet lumber supply.

The handles are very comfortable and easy to hold, you don't  notice the taper unless the hammer starts to slip in your hand and your grip catches it reflexively. After a while they just don't slip in a silly relaxed grip. Pic 2 shows the handle.

Frosty The Lucky.

  562904314_Balltostraightpein.jpg.8976d35a38a4516eeab172df0c995868.jpg         1950202537_Balltostraightpein01.jpg.c4f513ebca72734583f98e01eec5e4cd.jpg

 

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Ok to clarify, when I look down my feet are shoulder width apart, neither is really "forward" of the other.  I communicated poorly.  Since my natural stance is at about 45 degrees I meant my left foot is closer to the anvil... not really "forward" of the other. Sorry for the poor explanation.

 

I bought the 3 lb H.F. hammer and have already started grinding on it.  Once I figure out how to post pictures I will do so of the hammer progress and my shop/stance to better explain my setup.

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1 hour ago, KexelWerkstatt said:

. I just went and tried them and it does not feel right in any way.  Different strokes/folks I guess. 

first and most important, when a bad habit becomes your norm, of course trying it in a different manner feels "wrong".

Everything you describe shows why you are having problems, and no hammer will solve this.

Wny are you approching the anvil at a 45* angle? Generally, You should be facing the anvil at a 90* angle.A 45* does put your left foot forward. It also puts your body in the way of your hammer, work and sweetspot. Your hammer as a general rule should be striking the sweet spot. This is centerd on the face and over the center of mass. With your feet parallel and 45* with the anvil, you must twist your body to do this. 

Altho many do otherwise, "hammer to the heel" is far more efficient for working on the horn than "hammer to the horn". If you watch videos of those who work "hammer to the horn" and compare with those who work "hammer to the heel", you will see it takes more steps from forge to anvil to get into working position at the horn than "hammer to heel". To paraphrase, the devil is in the details.

Just to clarify, every thing ive said happens because of another basic. That is the setup of my forge, anvil, and post vice. They are set up  as an equalateral triangle. All three angles are the same, and im the nut in the middle. The distance from each is also the same. Each is a step and a half. I say steps because step length can be different depending on individusls. The first half step(near foot) turns you twards your anvil. The second full step(off foot) brings you naturally up to the anvil and your body is in balance wirh the off foot forward.

"Hammer to the horn" does the opposite. The first half step and turn(off foot), then the full step(near foot) brings you to your anvil, but now you are out of balance with your near foot forward. You must now take another step or "shuffel" to be in balance. You can see this subtle difference easily by specifically watching for this detail either via youtube or actual in person demos.

A small difference, but thats the devil of it all. There are other differences that back this as well.

1 hour ago, KexelWerkstatt said:

Different strokes/folks I guess

Without a doubt there are always more ways to do anything. However one should not jump to the  conclusion that all ways are created equal.  ;)

Fwiw, 17 years a professionsl farrier and 35 years a working architectural blacksmith,,, and a leftie to boot.

No matter what, keep it hot and have fun.

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