Bounceless mallet

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hi everybody,

I’m trying to make my way through Alan Revere’s Professional
Goldsmithing book. In the book he refers to a "bounceless mallet"
and provides a picture. He says to use the bounceless mallet to
forge metal. I’ve always used regular rawhide (not shot filled)
mallets for this purpose. The only shot filled mallets I’ve found
locally are big rubber coated whompers. Googling bounceless mallets
gets me the same result (and lots of golf clubs). These big mallets
don’t look like what’s in the book. Does anyone know where the
specific mallets he refers to can be sourced?

Thank you,
Nora
noraligia_AT_earthlink.net

2 
    I'm trying to make my way through Alan Revere's Professional
Goldsmithing book. In the book he refers to a "bounceless mallet"
and provides a picture.

I don’t know if this is what’s in the book, but Rio Grande has a
shot-filled rawhide mallet.

Sojourner

3

I got mine from Rio Grande http://www.riogrande.com and they have
several sizes.

Cheers,
Paul Ewing

4

Try googling “deadblow” hammers. I think that ius what you are
after.

-AL

5 
I'm trying to make my way through Alan Revere's Professional
Goldsmithing book. In the book he refers to a "bounceless mallet"
and provides a picture.

Hi Nora. A mallet very similar to the one shown in Alan’s book is
available through Otto-Frei in Oakland California. The mallet is
made of cast polyproylene (tough stuff), weighs 14 oz and is
non-marring. Here is a link to the product page at otto-frei.com,
the mallet is shown at the bottom of the page.

I recently purchased tools from Otto Frei and was quite pleased with
the service. As an aside Otto Frei has a branch office located on
the 9th floor of the Phelan Building in Downtown San Fransisco. The
door to that branch office is about three steps from the door to the
Revere Academy.

David L. Smith, JT

Otto Frei

Help others make informed buying decisions with Otto Frei. We
welcome your opinions and experiences with their products, ordering,
customer service and and over all satisfaction.

Write an Anonymous Review
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6

try looking for a “dead blow” hammer, it should fit your needs…

Wendy Dayton
Treasure Dragon
www.treasuredragon.com

7

Rio and many other sellers carry these mallets. Best thing is to
find out the size and the weight of the mallet and post this so we
can guide you to the right source.

Regards
Kenneth Singh

8

Hi, Nora,

I don’t know where to get the mallet, but you could email Alan
directly and ask him, at the Revere Academy,
http://www.revereacademy.com.

Revere Academy
https://www.ganoksin.com/resources/detail-revere_academ_of_jewelry_arts-1676.html

Assist others in searching for the right school. If you are looking
to expand your vocabulary in art, or the proper way to sharpen a
graver, we welcome your education experience.

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–Noel

9

NLS : “bounceless mallet”

Try searching for “dead blow” mallet – my Dad uses them, he’s a
rock mason of 30 years. He has some that are huge and one that would
be the perfect size for bench work. Wonder if he’d let me raid his
shop?

Dawn in Texas

10

I have several dead blows, they are also called Inertia Hammers, from
2 ounces to 3 pounds. They are filled carbide or some metal in pellet
form. They work very well for jewelry making, you find them from
place like Harbor Freight to specialty tool stores.

Jerry

11

Otto Frei has Deadblow Mallets - albeit according to this listing
they are out of stock, but will surely have more.

K

12

Try looking for dead-blow mallets. you have to look around, but you
can get them in weighs less than two pounds, down to 12 ounces I
think.

Hope this helps,

Frank A. Finley
In NW Montana where unfortunately the snow is almost gone from the
mountains… But the tourists are starting to arrive!

13

If you have a Harbor Freight in your town check out their deadblow
hammers. Quality is OK and price is dirt cheap.

Rick Copeland
Silversmith and Lapidary Artisan
Colorado Springs, Colorado
http://home.covad.net/~rcopeland/

14

Those mallets are also sold at Machine Shop retailers and Sears and
Roebuck, Lowes, Home Depot and just about any hardware store. Just
depends on whether you just want to order from a specialty store.

15

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I was having trouble finding deadblow hammers or bounceless mallets
smaller than 2 lbs at the Home Depot/Lowe’s/Ace store here. I’ve
looked at the book (Professional Goldsmithing) again and the Otto
Frei polypropylene mallet looks just like the mallet shown in the
photographs- But I’m going to be cheap and try the Stanley brand
slimline from Enco, dimensions seem to be the same and since I own a
couple of other Stanley hammers and they fit my hand I’m hoping this
one will also fit.

Nora
noraligia_AT_earthlink.net

16

My favorite dead blow mallets are made by Lixie they have either an
aluminum or iron head casting with steel shot inside the casting and
wooden handles. The ends of the head casting have threaded holes
that urethane rubber hammer faces screw into. You can get 4
different hardness of urethane inserts and the hammers come in
weights from .6 lbs to 4.1 lbs and 1" diameter face to 2.5"
diameter face depending on weight. Because you can change the faces
out it is easy to have one face for really rough use and keep one
clean and pristine for the times you need to hit a smooth polished
surface and not mar it. I only use the extra hard and medium face
materials. The same company also makes dead blow sledge hammers
that have long handles and weigh from 6-11 lbs.

You can get any of them from McMaster Carr or Small Parts has a
couple of sizes

Jim Binnion

James Binnion Metal Arts
Phone (360) 756-6550
Toll Free (877) 408 7287
Fax (360) 756-2160

@James_Binnion
Member of the Better Business Bureau

17

For moving metal without marring it, mallets are preferred over
steel hammers. Mallets can be made of leather, wood, plastic, horn,
rubber and even paper.

The ones in my books and videos are “dead blow” also called
“recoilless” or “bounceless” mallets. I find them far more superior
to the more common rawhide mallets, which leave marks and are
difficult to aim because they bounce back so forcefully. Try a dead
blow and you will see what I mean. The shot in the head floats as
the mallet comes down and then lands, preventing recoil. The head
stays were you slam it (no matter how hard you come down) and does
not budge, making your work much easier.

There are two basic types of dead blow mallets that I have found.
“Compothane” mallets are completely covered in some sort of black or
green rubber-like plastic, with shot in the business end. These are
also used for auto body work and come in a large range of weights.
They work fine.

However, I prefer the Swiss-made dead blow with a wooden handle and
two nylon tips on a metal head, also filled with shot. They leave no
mark and do not bounce back.

Keep the goldsmith’s adage in mind when deciding on tool purchases:
“The right tool is half the job”

Here is the info from OttoFrei.com:

  Deadblow Mallet Swiss #2 25 mm Head-12 Oz #6069 
  Part Number: 137.892 
  Unique nylon faced Swiss-made mallets have steel shot
  contained inside the head that minimizes hammer bounce. Allows
  for precise striking. They come in five sizes and weights, and
  are made with quality hardwood handles. Style# 2, face
  diameter 25 mm, head length 107 mm, overall length 305 mm,
  weight 12 oz Price: $34.95

Alan

Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, Inc.
760 Market Street
Suite 900
San Francisco, California 94102
USA
tel: 415-391-4179
fax: 415-391-7570

alanrevere@aol.com
alan@revereacademy.com

18

Check out Harbor Freight; they always have a bunch of dead blow
hammers –

Margaret