I'm going to Kayne and Sons next week since I'm attending the Smokey Mountain Hammer In.  And I'm gonna buy something. Probably a hammer... maybe some tongs.   So... if you were to only have one hammer... what would it be?  I have a 2 lb cross peen that I've redressed... and of course a ball peen.  But else? How many folks use straight peens?

What about those bladesmith tongs?

I like a 2 lb straight pien. Lin

Any particular brand Lin? I need my first hammer.I've been using a borrowed one.I want a good hammer that doesn't cost too much.

Moss
Please forgive me for horning in.

no problem... I'd love to know.  What about face shape?  Round versus rectangular?

Actually I reshaped a 2 lb ball pien to suit me and put a a piece of sledge hammer handle in it. I like it better than any of the others.  I have a really nice 2 lb Tom Clark cross pien too that I use when I can. But, it's pretty expensive and I watch it close to make sure nothing happens to it. Here is the reshaped ball pien. Lin
 

man I need to get a crate of ball peens and start making stuff. Hatchets, hawks, and straight peens. Why not a diagonal peen?

Well shoot. Maybe I'll just get some tongs then.  I made some flat jaws out of rebar the other day... and they are good for reaching far into my forge and grabbing stuff... but a little weak for forging.

Scott, Here is the one I want!

http://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/Templates/cart_templates/cart-detail.php?theLocation=/Resources/Products/Hammers/Swedish_Hammer

The Swedish pattern 1000g (2.2 lb.) Peddinghaus Brand   $ 35.00
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And I got this one for forging flaired fingerguards,  I like it!



Steve
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Potomac Forge
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IN GOD WE TRUST

Top one is an attempt at making a sort of Japanes style from a ball peen.  
Bottom one was given to me by mother-in-law who inhereted it from her father.

have you tried the different styles...french vs. german vs. swedish? the feel and control is different.

Making your own tongs is very good practice... just a thought.  Visit the iforge sections of anvilfire.com for a bunch of different methods to make tongs... and go to Don Fogg's page and search through all his stuff to find a pic of some cool tongs.  I could post the pic, but you get lots of info going through Don's site!  

Yeah Jeremy... I used anvil fire to make the ones I managed to forge.  I just need more practice!   I will check out Fogg's site again. I don't remember his tongs....

And no... I haven't tried any other style than my hardware store variety 2lb cross peen. That's why I'm pretty stoked about actually going to Kayne's place to get some of these suckers in my hand.

That pic of Lin's straight peen... that looks like a nice way to draw out a blade...  Thanks for posting that Lin.

a 3lb. James Joyce "English" style, only hammer I used for 5 years.  Still about the only one I use with rare exception.

The most used tongs I have are a set of wolf jaw "Tom Tongs".

I'm with Lin,
I get old hammers and reshape them.I have a 4 pounder that was a drilling hammer thar is a huge radius cross peen an old ball pein thats a hot punch and one thats a hot cut(and one thats a tomahawk)...sorry if you guys have been wondering where all the ballpeins were going    
  Robert

I need to make a hot punch out of one. So what is the story on the quality of steel in the newer ball peens?  My father-in-law has several I can have with fiberglass handles. For some reason I am distrustful of the steel in a ball peen with a fiberglass handle.

I cant say anything about the fact one might have a fiberglass handle, but I wont try to forge any of them unless it is made in the US. The name brand hammer makers generally used a steel that is shock resistant and would work well for a forging hammer. I look for Vaughn, True Temper, Stanley, Plumb, etc.

If you reshape one, be prepared to make any corrections to the hole by having a drift handy. Lin

Thanks for the heads up Lin.  I do have a tomahawk drift now... so I suppose I can just reshape the hole to that shape???

I use a 2# Hofi style hammer for 90% of my forging...tippit

 

Jeff,
My Tom Clark 2 lb looks just like that one. It's a good one. Lin

Is that the Blacksmith Depot brand?  If so... that is the one I was thinking about... the Czech/Hofi

my next hammer will be a diagnial pein.  but the one i use most now is a sweddish 3lb cross pein and a 6lb slegde