Hammers galore

[NewNHSmith]

Hi all. Beginner question here.

I've looked at stuff I need to set up my own little (hobby) smithy. I have a question about the nature of hammer designs.

So far, I have seen or heard of:
Swedish
French
German (used these at a recent workshop)
Czech ----> There is no Czech hammer, this is a rumor
Hofi

Each of these seem to be different. For example, the French hammers I have seen online have a 'step' built into them. The German hammers have an 'aerodynamic' design, for lack of a better term. Other hammers have their own shapes as well.

My question is... why? What is the point/advantage of one design over another? How/why were they developed the way they were?

If there is a resource I should look at, please let me know!

Thanks in advance!

[Finnr]

My hammers are mostly of my own design. Which is sort of a cross between Hofi's and the Haberman hammer. I like the blocky shape. Some don't. It's a matter of trying out several styles (hopefully without buying them) until you hit what feels right.
Finnr

[Doug C]

I think ThomasPowers has said it right a couple of times. "Try different ways and see what works for you. What works for you is the right way, for you". See what you can find at flea markets or at meets. Try out different styles until you find the one you like. Do what Finnr did and make them till you find what you like.

[rthibeau]

hammers are like cars..they'll make them look different, but they all work the same. After you get yourself to a point where you know you need a better hammer, you'll have an idea of what to make or buy. In the meantime, start with the basic cross pein and straight pein about 2 lbs or so. No need to spend money when you don't need to yet. I make hammers, so if you have a specific question, ask away.

[Glenn]

There is no Czech hammer, this is a rumor. Click the link to read more.

[matt87]

According to Hofi, the French hammer was designed for cold riveting the Eiffel Tower; it's all angle iron and the step is designed to get the pein into the corner.

Don't forget ball pein hammers, they're commonly available in a variety of weights and handle lengths, and the ball is useful for many tasks. You can fuller over the edge of the anvil, over a horn, over a bottom fuller... and you or someone you know probably has one you can use. English smith often use ball-peins as a matter of course (this may be due to the low availability of cross-peins over here).

[Glenn]

LB0004.001 The Hofi Hammer
LB0004.002 The French Hammer
LB0004.003 The Swedish Hammer
LB0004.0004 Haberman Hammer

The Hofi Hammer - - The REAL story

[jimbob]

That is a very interesting coment from Hofi about the French Hammer...I remember when I took metal shop in the seventh grade we were tought to use a cross peen to rivet with; now everyone insist that the correct hammer to use is the ball peen....Times change

Edited September 20, 2008 by jimbob

[KYBOY]

Ive always had a thing for hammers. Even befor I started smithing..I have an old Bluegrass 36oz sledge that my great grandpaw passed down to me..He called it a smiths hammer..then I have his daddys hand forged all metal driving hammer he used to shoe horses..I couldent guess how old it is..I also have most of the old familys other tools..Planes,brace and bits, yolks, breast augers and the like...Tools dont eat or cost anything in upkeep..Im a packrat as tools go...
As far as smithing hammers go Ive found myself reaching more and more for my 2 1/4# rounding hammer for everyday work...It just feels good and moves metal well.

[maddog]

"...

My question is... why? What is the point/advantage of one design over another? How/why were they developed the way they were?
...."

Every single one of those designs is better than all the others!!



Well OK. Every design has its own advantages. But to learn to exploit them you must learn to use the hammer well. The advantages mean little if you cant exploit them. If you were training with a smith he would teach you how to use his style of hammer but probably thats not available to you.

My advice (which probably worth what you are paying for it) is choose one hammer and learn it well -very well. In light of this the Hofi is a no brainer since there is a DVD that teaches you how to use it. It is more expensive than the others but this is going to be your main tool and its worth a bit of investment. Plus its backed up by strong tech support

I dont completely agree with Thomas' advice, though he is a wise man, that you should try different styles and see whats comfortable for you. When you are starting you dont really know how to use the hammer and you cant assess whats best for you. The reasons for liking a particular design may be based on poor technique and fade as you progress.


If you are haphazard about developing your hammering technique, not only will you not progress as fast, but there is a real risk of injury due to bad ergonomics. Hofi's method pays special attention to this. You can always buy another hammer, but fixing an arm that is damaged by repititive motion injury is very tough.

[NewNHSmith]

Wow, thanks for the information! The LB's were short and to the point. I appreciate the advice as well. I was unaware that there are different hammering techniques. The smith at the seminar I went to (great guy, btw), said to keep the elbow tucked in to the body rather than let it flail unsupported.

Thanks again. Can't wait to set up my own shop. :)

[Bob Ouellette]

I hope I'm not too late to jump in on the discussion.

First I would like to say that you should probably use a lighter hammer. The biggest mistake some beginners make is to get too heavy of a hammer. About 2 pounds or so is a good weight. I recommend using a long handle, so that when you put the hammer head in the crook of your elbow, the handle extends to your finger tips. A longer handle will increase the velocity and the power of the swing. It will save your arm in the long run. The heavier weight of other hammers gets you twice. #1: You have to lift more weight, then #2: It doesn't rebound as much. Another advantage of a longer handle is that you can keep you hand father away from the hot metal. I guess some people like the short, Hofi hammer with a heavy head, but from my experience, the longer lighter hammer is really easier to use and hits just as hard with less effort.

As far as head pattern goes, I like the old Viking/Medieval style. It's fairly similar to an American pattern, which is not too far from the German style. I think that it's all about the look you're going for. Of course, some hammer faces are a little further from the centerline of the handle than others, but each hammer takes a bit of getting used to before they all function the same.

[Buffalo]

Ive always had a thing for hammers. Even befor I started smithing..I have an old Bluegrass 36oz sledge that my great grandpaw passed down to me..He called it a smiths hammer..then I have his daddys hand forged all metal driving hammer he used to shoe horses..I couldent guess how old it is..I also have most of the old familys other tools..Planes,brace and bits, yolks, breast augers and the like...Tools dont eat or cost anything in upkeep..Im a packrat as tools go...
As far as smithing hammers go Ive found myself reaching more and more for my 2 1/4# rounding hammer for everyday work...It just feels good and moves metal well.

I tend to reach for the rounding hammer as well. It does the job 80% of the time. Sounds like you have collected some sweet tools.

[rustyshackleford]

I enjoy the look of a swedish hammer, it seems like it would be affective at fullering (not to open a discussion on effective hammering technique). That being said I've never used on, always german pattern, or american (with the octagonal style head). Can anyone attest to a Swedish? I plan on aquiring one soon, and would love to know what you guys think

[Bob Ouellette]

Swedish pattern hammers are nice, I like nice square faced hammers though.

[philip in china]

hanton@prumyslovy-servis.cz would be interested to know that there is no czech hammer.

[Glenn]

The story of the ''Czech'' hammer started when George Dixon in his book on Francis Whitaker the late in the paragraph of hammers. He put a drawing of the Hofi hammer and called it Czech.

We seem to have fallen into the advertising game where people create all type of stories in order to sell a product. We need to look at the who was the original developer of this hammer? Was he a blacksmith, or what was his background? How did he come about the design?


Information:
Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a separation into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. It is a country slightly smaller than South Carolina.

[Glenn]

The answer to my above question can be found here