Polish Cobbler's Hammer?

[MtlBiker]

14 minutes ago, dans79 said:

This is why I haven't purchased anything from Osborne. They charge top tier prices, but what they sell has bottom tier fit and finish.  

I modified a ball pein to use as a cobblers hammer, maybe the info will help you make the Osborne usable.

 

That's terrific!  I wish I'd seen that before spending money on yet another Osborne product that is inferior quality.

I've already polished out the little scratches and smoothed the sharp transition, and then with a buffing attachment on my dremel, and some polishing paste, I ALMOST got a mirror finish.  It's certainly very usable now, but when I have time I'm going to continue and try to get the mirror finish.

Just now, chuck123wapati said:

it would be an easy job with the tools i have i have belts to 1000 grit and polishing wheels after that. But so far I haven't found the need for a mirror polished hammer or the want to. lol.

I know it's not needed, but for some crazy reason it's something I feel is very cool.  And I'll continue making my Osborne better... it's almost at the mirror finish stage already.

 

[dikman]

I've been toying with the idea of finding a (cheap) hammer and re-forging it to a wide/flat cobbler's hammer. I'm not sure how successful it would be, but it's an idea.

[MtlBiker]

25 minutes ago, dikman said:

I've been toying with the idea of finding a (cheap) hammer and re-forging it to a wide/flat cobbler's hammer. I'm not sure how successful it would be, but it's an idea.

Why would you go through the trouble of re-forging a cheap hammer?  Did you see what @dans79 said above?  He took a $10.49 hammer and made it into a work of art, without re-forging.  I think his result is really gorgeous.  Can you get a "cheap" hammer for less cost than that one?

 

[fredk]

26 minutes ago, MtlBiker said:

. . .   Can you get a "cheap" hammer for less cost than that one?

yes, I've bought, actually 16 of them for a project,  at £0.95 each. = $1.17 approx. Another shop has them at £1 each, = $1.23 approx

Yes they are decent hammers, light weight, about 10 oz

[dans79]

2 hours ago, dikman said:

I've been toying with the idea of finding a (cheap) hammer and re-forging it to a wide/flat cobbler's hammer. I'm not sure how successful it would be, but it's an idea.

Personally I wouldn't risk it, unless you can get your hands on a hammer that you know is 30 to 40+ years old.  If you have the tools for forging, you would probably be better off starting with a piece of bar stock of a known grade of steel. God knows what random cheap steel they use to make hammers now. 


 

[jrdunn]

6 hours ago, dans79 said:

This is why I haven't purchased anything from Osborne. They charge top tier prices, but what they sell has bottom tier fit and finish.  

I modified a ball pein to use as a cobblers hammer, maybe the info will help you make the Osborne usable.

This has been my experience with them recently as well.

[dikman]

12 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

Why would you go through the trouble of re-forging a cheap hammer?  Did you see what @dans79 said above?  He took a $10.49 hammer and made it into a work of art, without re-forging.  I think his result is really gorgeous.  Can you get a "cheap" hammer for less cost than that one?

 

As to the question "Why would I bother?", two answers - 1. because I can  and 2. to get a bigger flat area, ball pein/claw hammers have smaller heads, as you know.

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, dikman said:

As to the question "Why would I bother?", two answers - 1. because I can  and 2. to get a bigger flat area, ball pein/claw hammers have smaller heads, as you know.

plus playing with the dragons breath is always super fun!!!

[chuck123wapati]

14 hours ago, fredk said:

yes, I've bought, actually 16 of them for a project,  at £0.95 each. = $1.17 approx. Another shop has them at £1 each, = $1.23 approx

Yes they are decent hammers, light weight, about 10 oz

i can get hammer heads by the buckets at garage sales seems like. To re-handle a head costs more than the cheapo china junk so people just don't do it anymore. plus there is an old guy, like me lol, that has an ongoing yard sale so the old timers get him to clean out their garages and man he has some cool stuff sometimes.

[dans79]

2 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

i can get hammer heads by the buckets at garage sales seems like. To re-handle a head costs more than the cheapo china junk so people just don't do it anymore.

It can be worth it, but it needs to be like a 40+ year old hammer, preferably even older if you can find it. My brother has one of my grandfathers hammers from the 1920' or 30's, that is a real jem. Hard enough that it won't

mar, but soft enough that it won't chip.