i am usually forging approximately 8mm diameter rods or 5mm thick ingots
I am looking for a new forging hammer for a present for myself!
i have a 2.5lb ebay hand forged hammer that is similar in shape to the below Thor hammer, and i really like it, except it is a bit heavy for me at 2.5lbs, and the handle is narrow and round which doesn’t help…so the hammer rotates in my hand and the head is hard to control for a straight blow…i am planning to send it off to TRForge to get a new handle…
so…i have been coveting the below Thor hammer in 2lbs…
but!…then i noticed the below japanese ingot forging hammer, and like the 650gram/ 1.4lb cross pein option…but i am wondering if i wouldnt prefer heavier…but the shape is interesting…i am wondering how it performs…does anyone have experience with this sort of hammer head?
because…i already have a 1.6lb fretz sledge hammer, but i find the cross pein to be too thin…so i dont use that face much…and sometimes think it is a bit on the light side in terms of moving the metal (when using the rounded face, as compared either face on the 2.5lb ebay hammer…although i love the shape/ size of the handle…
or, i can find a 2lb hammer somewhere and shape and polish the faces myself…but i would end up first shopping for belt sanders again!!
and! i still havent pulled the trigger on the first SC hammer i have been wanting! the japanese kinko chasing hammer!…(because i want it, but dont need it…!)
Julie,
Nice selection of Hammers! I’m sure that you know, but for those who don’t, you should not use a Kinko Hammer or a Chasing Hammer to Forge, they are only meant to Strike the Striking End of Tagane (Japanese Chisels & Uchidashi Tools - essentially “Moving Metal”) and Chasing Tools (used for Repousse work) respectively…
Dog’s Head Hammers are fun to use and are somewhat easier to control, since the weight of the hammer is pretty much all on one side, but they too have their issues and if you already have trouble with a 2-1/2lb. hammer, you may want to try a few different hammers out before committing to spending your hard-earned dollars on an expensive hammer…
Like you, I have been dreaming about Saign Charlestein’s Kinko Hammers, they are truly wonderful! Their price is what is holding me back, but you do have to pay for quality and the quality is definitely there! I will probably just break down and just buy the full set of them one of these days!
Good luck with your Hammer Quest, I hope that you find just the right hammer that you’ve been looking for!
Jonathan
Look at Peddinghaus forging hammers. They work well and are fairly inexpensive. My go to is a 500 gram forging hammer. It has a nice handle. I got along well for almost 30 years with a large ball peen hammer that I paid $1 for at a yard sale. It’s all in the handle and way that you shape the striking face and keep it polished…Rob
so here are the cross peen hammers that i currently have to work with…
the far right is the 2.6lb ebay hammer with the lovely stubby peen, and terrible handle
(i am trying to find a similar 2lb hammer with a well shaped handle)
to the left of that is the 1.6lb fretz hammer with the sharper thin peen and the lovely handle
and in the center is a fabulous vintage 1lb hammer i picked up from a prop maker that has a fabulously shaped peen and works as a nice large goldsmiths hammer, but is a bit light for forging rods…
(i like a broader peen, versus a sharper peen i guess…)
the two on the left are my dads (auto body) hammers…nice, but a bit light for forging rods…
ah! i got a reply back from SC Studios regarding the Japanese ingot forging hammer…”the canted head mixed with the cross peen face will make it more aggressive and move the metal faster than another hammer of a similar weight”…
ok, excellent! so the lighter weight should not be an issue…but rather a benefit!
Julie,
I’ve meant to ask and keep forgetting. What hammer did you choose? The Japanese forging hammer?
One of my favorite hammers is a lightweight Japanese chasing hammer that a friend of mine gave me. I’m not sure why it feels so good in my hand, but it does.
i havent ordered them yet…i got side-tracked by some tahitian pearls!
but, i will be buying the japanese ingot forging hammer first…
i gotta decide if i want the cross peen…or square forming pillowed…
saigne’s japanese kinko hammer head is not hardened…perhaps yours is not either(?)…i am imagining a deader blow with less recoil…(?)…also, being smaller and lighter than a typical heavier chasing hammer might be what you like as well…my little red stanley hammer weighs 4oz total…
saigne’s japanese kinko chasing hammer 1” diameter face (4oz head) weighs approx 6.5oz including handle…so, i think i am going with the 3/4” diameter face (2.5oz head)
the 1” face has a much bigger handle, so i am not sure what the total weight of the 3/4” face is…but i doubt the handle us the same 2.5oz…so hopefully it will total out around 4oz +-
I don’t know anything about the history of this hammer, except that my friend bought it at a tool auction. It has a thin and short handle. 9" long and 1/2" by 1/4".
A while back ago I had a conversation with Liza Nechamkin. Liza is a chasing/repousee master who worked at Tiffany’s. Now she designs, makes and sells chasing supplies, tools and hammers. Liza said that with a chasing hammer, the most important part is the handle. It needs to be strong, but also flexible as the hammer head needs to kind of bounce with each blow. Liza’s chasing hammers have a thick pistol grip, but are very thin as they lead up to the hammer head.
I think that’s what I like so much about my little hammer, because the handle is so thin, it kind of bounces with each blow.
I think that’s the opposite of how forging hammers handles are supposed to be. As far as I know, forging hammers are supposed to have stout wooden handles.
Have fun with those pearls and send us a picture of whatever hammer that you get!
