While the head of the hammer was indeed a ball-peen design the similarities stop there. It was small with a black rubber grip and a fiberglass handle, right? You probably saw a Ball-Peen hammer in your dad’s toolbox when you were a kid. Traditionally, most blacksmiths used Ball-Peen hammers as their daily-driver, but nowadays if you watch smiths on YouTube or on the popular television series Forged in Fire, you will notice that Cross-Peen hammers and Rounding Hammers have risen in popularity. If you are lucky, there is a Blacksmith near you who makes them, otherwise, your best bet may be to purchase one online. The Rounding Hammer is harder to come by compared to the other hammers in this article. The radius is larger than that of the Ball-Peen hammer with a gentle arc from center to edge, and while not absolutely necessary for the shop, once mastered the Rounding Hammer just may become your goto implement. The rounding hammer can be used to flatten and spread the metal like a multi-directional fuller, and when angled, the edge of the hammer performs like a cross or straight-peen moving the metal in the direction of your choosing. The flat side is typical of other flat blacksmithing hammers, but the magic happens on the other side. Made popular by blacksmith and YouTube superstar Alec Steele, the rounding hammer is a two-sided (one round – one flat) do-everything hammer. The hammer is an extension of your will to move the metal where you want it to go, and using the correct hammer will help you move it more quickly and accurately. In blacksmithing, the hammer hits the steel and the anvil hits it back. W hile the tools present in every shop differ, I bet if you look hard enough you will find these. Since then, I saved up for and purchased an anvil, bought a few hammers, and made my own tools In fact, the ability to make my own tools is what drew me to the trade. This setup worked in the beginning, and over time I acquired new tools and forged others that I either wanted or needed. I had a small forge, a framing hammer, and a pair of vice grips. When it comes to Blacksmithing, the saying “There’s a right tool for every job” absolutely applies, but when I started, I didn’t even own an anvil. As I have continued to learn the art of blacksmithing by reading, watching YouTube videos, and simply doing it, I have noticed that there are 11 hand-tools that most blacksmiths use.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |