Blacksmith hammers have been a critical tool for any forging practices. This guide will cover some of the differences, pros, and cons, of the most popular styles. I will look at rounding hammers, cross peen, straight peen, as well as brass hammers, and rawhide mallets.
A hammer in the blacksmith shop is a tool that is coveted. I would bet that many blacksmiths could show their collections, and tell you where each one came from. Possibly even recalling the price they paid for it. Some are reserved for special tasks, while others are beat up old work horses that are heavily used.
Rounding Hammers
Cross Peen Hammers
Straight Peen Hammers
Brass Hammers
Rawhide mallets
Blacksmith Hammers
Rounding hammer
My personal blacksmith hammer collection consists of about 20 different hammers. Some of them I have found at flea markets that didn’t even have a handle. Those ones that you have customized or put in the extra effort to make useful, are the ones that are extra special. Without the extra work that you put in, the hammer head could easily be lost in some scrap bucket. One of my favorite blacksmith hammers that I bought was completely painted silver. Handle and all. The head had the shape of a classic rounding hammer with a short handle. I new right then she was coming home with me. I sanded all the paint off, and gave the handle a few coats of linseed oil. This hammer is now my #1 choice when I use my letter stamps in hot steel when working on the anvil. The short handle is perfect because you don’t need a huge swing for the task.
Blacksmith Rounding Hammers
Rounding hammers are a standard in the horseshoeing trade. They have one side that is flat, and the opposite side is round. When your rhythm is right you can flip from the round side, to the flat side in mid-swing. The purpose of the round side is that it moves more material than the flat. It concentrates the energy of the blow in a smaller area, therefore spreading the hot steel faster. This can easily go out of control if your not paying attention to your blacksmith hammer. A quick spin, and you are back to the flat side of the hammer to straighten out and deformities.
Blacksmith Cross Peen and Straight peen Hammers
Cross peen and straight peen hammers concentrate the blow in an even smaller area that the round face hammer. They work great if you are forging a leaf, and are trying to widen the material as much as possible. With each blow the steel will get wider and wider, however it is easily distorted because of the small surface area on a cross peen hammer. Fortunately, these also have a flat face on the opposite side. A quick flip of your blacksmith hammers, and your back on track. The flat face is great for flattening out any wrinkles in your steel.
Brass Hammers
Brass hammers have a special place in the blacksmith shop. In my experience of 20 years, I have used a brass hammer for only one critical thing. That is cutting off steel with your hot cut, or hardy tools. The soft quality of the brass won’t damage your hot cut the way that a hardened steel hammer would. Even if you swing to hard and the red hot tip of the steel goes flying. Brass is much softer that steel, preserving your sharp edge. You can read about some of my other projects here.
Rawhide Mallets
Rawhide mallets also have a unique place in the blacksmith shop. They are for gently flattening or tweaking steel without deforming the fine details you have worked to hard to create. Imagine you have a tight twist in a piece of square bar, but the bar is not straight. A rawhide mallet would be the go to tool for fixing the piece without smashing the fine edges of your twist. Or another place you might use a rawhide mallet would be if you were forging a leaf keychain with great detail in the veins. You don’t want your blacksmiths hammer marks to damage all your hard work.
Hammer Handles
The handle of the hammer might be the most important thing on your blacksmith hammer. The shape must fit your hand correctly, and the finish needs to not be slippery. I have found that a hammer handle that is too long just gets in the way. When I buy a store bought hammer handle, I generally cut off about 3 or 4 inches. Then right to the belt sander to remove that glossy shine. It may look nice, but a slippery hammer handle has no place in a blacksmith shop. While I am at the belt sander, I often re shape the roundness of the handle shank, and give it more of a square shape. This square shape helps you index the handle in your hand without looking at it. A round hammer shank makes it harder to feel which way the head of the hammer is pointing, disrupting the rhythm of your swing. After a few minutes at the belt sander your handle will be a perfect extension of your arm. However you will have a raw bright wood finish. I suggest firing up the small propane or map gas torch, and giving your new handle a light fire char. The darkened wood will look nice. The torch heat will expand the grain of the wood giving you even more grip. Linseed oil is the only finish I use. It soaks into the wood and gives it a natural look that lasts for a long time. Do your own research on the correct way to dispose of the rags that have been soaked in linseed oil, as they are flammable.
I would say the best hammer for beginners would have these important qualities:
2-5 lb. rounding hammer
Shorter Handle
Easy To Control ( handle shape)
Versatile for most beginner projects
Rough, non varnished wood finish
If you’re just starting out, a 2-2.5 pound rounding hammer would be my choice. With a Shorter reshaped handle, I think it’s the best all around hammer. As your equipment list grows, you can slowly add different styles, like cross peen, straight peen, brass, and rawhide hammers. Before you know it you will need a new rack for all of them.
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