zzmikeg

I've collected these hammers over the years, some for uses other than leather. I've tried them all when working with leather, but my favorite/go to hammer is the black one on the far left. It's a hard rubber mallet with an aluminum handle. I think it weighs about two pounds, maybe? It's heavier than it looks. The ends have pieces of hard veg tan on them because they've become chewed up. I'm still kind of newb at this so I haven't encountered every scenario, but I like this hammer because it's quiet yet hard and heavy enough for any tooling I've so far ever done. May love and passion be a part of everything you hammer.

Tugadude, To my chagrin I've seen but have never really known, or thought about, what a centering ruler really was until now. And holy crap, I'll be doing myself a HUGE favor by getting one. Thanks for that.

Thanks for all the great input.

Hello Leather People I keep thinking that a 2x3" inch or 3x4" inch (mini?) steel square would come in handy. I know it depends on what's being measured and all that, but I mean in general. Does anyone use one of these? Also - Now that I'm thinking about it, can we do a sort of "impromptu" poll on what folks use to measure out their projects? I'm still a newb and trying everything to see what works, or is most practical. So far I have a 6, 12, 18 inch ruler, combination square, square, tape measure, compass, but I keep wondering about one of those mini squares. Thanks in advance!

battlemunky that's a worthy word of caution. I think I'll play it safe and just smooth it out. It shouldn't take off that much. If I chicken out though I might give it a new face like Rockoboy said. I stopped short of doing that before cuz I was wondering if that would change the unique feel of that unique mallet. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Also I currently often use a very hard rubber mallet for tooling because it's more quiet than my other mallets. I live in a condo and respect my respectful neighbors. But I do use others when it's not too early or too late. And the sound that those Fox/Cow horns make is so pure and raw! I don't think any man made instrument can quite match a natural horn. There are some great horns out there but there's something missing from the man made ones.

Thanks, battlemunky, for asking me how it worked out. Your email helped me get back here to this post. I don't spend enough time navigating the site and I was having trouble finding my way back, so, thank you for that! I wouldn't have given up, just for the record. I'm big on contributing as much useful info as I can, no matter what forum or website I'm on. I've been the recipient of so many good tips, etc, that I feel obligated to contribute. I say this to anyone who doesn't contribute. You know who you are. : ) Here's where it sits right now. I was afraid of getting carried away so I didn't take it completely flat, but flat enough to make a difference. Plus I was using an angle grinder. A "burning flesh" smell lingered for hours afterward (I got burned once, and although the mallet is made of rawhide, the smell was similar to what I remember. A kind of sweet and sickening stench that you can almost taste. But I digress... ) The mallet came out just fine. After: and Before: Both ends were deformed similarly.

Hey guys Thank you kindly for the feedback. To the belt sander she goes. Mike

Hi Everybody, Does anybody know if this misshapen raw hide mallet can be repaired? I got it used so I don't know how it got so deformed. Can I file it? Heat it up? Soften it under water? Hit it with a stick? Thanks for any feedback and or ideas. Mike