Description
This hammer is a copy of my favorite bladesmithing hammer.
Im not a hammernogemous kind of guy, I tend to use quite a few diferent hammers in my work. but I do have a favorite hammer , it is a forged in london saw doctors hammer made around 100 years ago, just under 2.5lb weight and with a thinned slender handle…its just perfect. These hammers are a copy of that “perfect” hammer . The heads are forged by James wood on his mechanical massey power hammer and the handles are hand shaped to give a slender profile in the hand before being flame blackned.
These bladesmithing hammers are individually hand forged from carbon steel and each one is differentially hardened and tempered to have a resilient face and shock absorbing body.
I have been using and making weight forward hammers for some time now and find that they have real advantages over ordinary blacksmithing hammers when used for bladesmithing.
I would use these hammers on a higher than normal anvil and find that the self aligning offset head aids in attaining consistent ding free bevels. I also find forging with these hammers is easier on my body and feels less fatiguing than forging with a standard blacksmiths’ hammer.
These are job specific hammers and not suited for the general tasks of turning decorative work, they do however excel at the singular task of forging blades.
Although this type of hammer is now almost extinct in the modern world they were very prevalent across many cultures and crafts, they are referred to as dogs head hammers or cutlers’ hammers and were used in antiquity by swordsmiths, cutlers, bladesmiths, saw doctors and file makers the world over.
My hammers come lightly crowned so as to minimize marking, however if you really want to perfect your forged blade bevels I would recommend “tuning” your forging hammer to your own personal hammering technique.
Tuning your hammer involves observing the marks you leave when you are forging bevels, you then gently remove the area on the hammer face that is leaving marks with a belt sander….gently! Repeat this process of observing your hammer marks and tuning your hammer until you are leaving a ding free surface when you forge bevels in.
By tuning your hammer to you individual forging style you make it into a very personal tool. DO NOT LET ANYBODY ELSE FORGE WITH IT !!
These hammers are hand forged by toolmaker James Wood and are marked with his flower.
All weights are nominal and vary a little as the hammers are hand forged . Hammers come fitted with a hand shaped ash handles and are soaked in linseed oil for long life. I am also happy to supply just hammer heads, with no handle.
If you are interested in a different weight or type of hammer, I am happy to take commissions.
