Question For Somebody

[terrymac]

I have been tooling leather for probably 50 years, only problem I kept the tools in the closet for close to 40 of them, only getting them out when someone would talk me into making something. Last year and a half I discovered I really do enjoying tooling, and have been getting back into, and trying to learn Sheridan style. Sometime during my break, mauls came into popularity. Will somebody please explain to me what a maul is supposed to do better than an old fashioned rawhide mallet. I have got light and medium weight rawhide mallets I got from Tandy's years ago, and I just have not been able to figure out what the maul will do better. Please, somebody explain. If I am missing out on something worthwhile, I don't want to pass something valuable that could help me.

Thanks,

Terry

[bentley]

I don't have the answer but I am just as curious. I think they are supposed to be more balanced for ease of use and less fatigue on your wrist, unlike a mallet that has all the weight on one end?

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

I don't claim to know the answer, however; the reason that I like the maul over the mallet is, 1) you don't have to hit a maul onto the the tool dead center of the head to get a good impression, so you can concentrate more on what the tool is doing , 2) when you hit a mallet off center it twists in your hand causing fatigue, 3) I personally find better balance, since my hands are rather large and the handle of the maul allows me to hold the maul loosely and still have control without bounce back, and finally simply put" tap, tap, tap, / thump, thump, thump, I like Thump!

Like I said, I am not the last word here, just why I like the maul. Perhaps some of the real artists like Bob Park, or Troy West, or the many others who's work is shown here can chime in.

Bondo Bob

[hidepounder]

Bob pretty well covered the highlights of the maul over the mallet....here's a little background...

I do not think the norm was ever to use a mallet to tool with. As a youngster growing up I saw toolers in saddles shops using mauls and stamping sticks. Osborne has sold mauls in various sizes for many, many years. I believe that the mallet came around because Tandy needed an in expensive and readily reproducable striking tool to sell to crafters and enthusiasts.

Most pros use mauls.....maybe not all of them.....but I'll bet a drink that it's well over 95%. A maul is just easier for most toolers to use. More power with less effort. Stamping sticks were very popular also but I don't think anyone was successful in manufacturing them...they were nearly all home made. The rawhide surface wears out fairly quickly and it is a nuisance to replace it...barring that they are real nice to use. I did see a photo recently of a stamping stick that was manufactured but I do not recall whose it was or when they were made.

The crafter who learned leatherwork through Tandy was introduced to wooden as well as rawhide mallets to use and naturally assumed that the mallet was the striking tool of choice, when in reality it never was, within the professional community.

All that said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using a mallet if that is what you are more comfortable with. I would encourage anyone to try a maul....they are so readily available and fairly affordable now....but if a mallet works better for you...use it!

That's my take anyway.....

Bobby

[wildrose]

Terry, I'll chime in on encouraging you to try a maul. I'dve sworn there was NO WAY I was gonna switch. I'd used a mallet from Tandy for years, and got a nice Barry King one when I went to my first IFoLG show (Denver). I was perfectly happy. Why the heck would anyone want to hit on a round surface? Well, I'm a believer now, let me tell you. I bought a Barry King maul, and I still have the mallet. In fact, I have a variety of other mallets I used for kids' classes. But the maul is what I use for tooling. I use the mallet for hole punching and 3D stamps usually.

[BarryS]

I also do not know everything, but to add to the following posts you do not have to hit a maul as hard as you do a mallet to make an impression. I have found that instead of using my arm to swing the mallet I am able to use my pinky finger to move the maul head up and down. The actual weight of the maul does most of the work, not you. I have found that this allows me to stamp longer and I do not get as tired.

[TroyWest]

I think both Bob's covered it well. I like the maul as the weight and balance allow me to simply twist my wrist while beveling and backgrounding and have enough force to make a suitable impression. The mallet seems to require a little more effort. That being said as Bob stated it largely becomes what you grow used to and if you like it use it.

A number of years ago a company asked me to go to Mexico as a consultant to help their saddle company improve the quality of their saddles. One of the things we did was take a number of nice new tooling mauls with poly heads. We gave them to each of the toolers. They were using 2"x2" oak sticks about 12" long for their stamping sticks. They called the tooling room the telegraph office 'cause when you went by there you could really hear the tap-tap-tap of the wood against their stamps. All 4 sides of these wooden sticks would be well worn with deep indentations on both ends until it was so worn they would toss it in the corner. There was a huge pile of these worn sticks in the corner. We thought they would be very happy with their new Hi-tech mauls. They used them for a few days, tossed 'em in the corner and went back to their oak sticks.

[terrymac]

Thanks everybody for the feedback. I don't guess it is ever too late for an old horse to learn new tricks. It makes sense, think I will try one.

Thanks again,

Terry

[gtwister09]

Terry,

Suffice it to say that this is fairly well covered. It is certainly better from an ergonomics standpoint but there are many posts out there if you search on mauls and/or ergonomics.

Regards,

Ben

[WyomingSlick]

Well, actually, I think Bob is kicking on Tandy more than they deserve. Rawhide leather mallets were around and being used by leather toolers long before Tandy became dominant in the leather world. Take a look at F.O. Baird - he was using a mallet in the pics in his "Leather Secrets" book which predates Tandy. Same for Al Stohlman. On the other hand, you have guys like Lou Roth(inventor of Craftaids) and Ken Griffin using stamping sticks in the pre-Tandy era. If you look in the old issues of "The Craftsman, nearly all of the pics that show someone tooling; do so with a mallet. The older editions of most leathercraft manuals also show a mallet being used.

Tandy didn't really become a major force in the leather business until after it bought out Craftool in 1961, so I really don't think they had much if anything to do with the prevelance of mallet use.

All that being said, I think one of the problems with some folks when using a mallet is that too many use it like a hammer; that is they swing it in line with their arm to strike the stamp. What is better and more conductive to longer tooling sessions is to use it like a striking stick - that is to hold it with the hand near the middle of the handle and rotate the wrist to make the mallet strike the tool. The handle is at a nearly 90 degree angle to the forearm and your elbow rests on the table.

I would suspect that this method also works well with a maul. I wouldn't know, as I have and use many rawhide mallets; ranging from a 1" diameter head all the way up to a monster 3 incher. For the heavier work I have a couple Osbourne steel mallets with the rawhide faces. I am going to give a maul a try when I get around to making one since I too have been wondering what the buzzz was all about. I certainly am not going to pay the prices they are asking for them when I can make one for way less on my lathe.

Speaking of that matter; what do you all prefer for the head? Rawhide? Nylon? polymer? Where is the best place for the balence point?

[bruce johnson]

Slick,

I would have to agree with Bob's numbers now for most professional and semi-professional toolers using mauls. It seems like talking to some old guys, the sticks were pretty popular.

I use mauls mostly like you describe with the rocking wrist, but will use one sort of like hammer on bigger stamps and punches. I have mauls in wieghts from 14 oz to 3#. To compare between two makers, I have 1 and 3 pounders from both Wayne Jueschke and Barry King. Wayne's have more weight to the head end and drop heavier.I have a 1# from Bearman, and his is between the other two guys balance wise. On the bigger block stamps I was using the 2# and having to put more oomph behind it and sometimes two hits per impression. Last fall I got a 3# from Barry, and it makes a big difference - less double striking and overall less fatiguing. I just got a 3# from Wayne last week and it falls even heavier. Which maul I choose depends on stamp size and shape, and how cased the leather is for the effect I want.

As far as material, the rawhide wears and flakes. Barry and Ed use a white plastic material for the head. Barry grooves his and Ed doesn't. I have used the tar out of Barry's and the grooves wear flat. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference to me when they do. Wayne uses a tannish plastic for the heads on his. I have used his a ton too, and they don't seem to wear.

You will hear guys tell you that you need to grind the shank on the off the rack stamps to have square edges on top for the maul head to "grab" the stamp. I have several Tandy and modified stamps I use and haven't squared them. I don't see any difference with them staying in my hand.

[hidepounder]

Well, actually, I think Bob is kicking on Tandy more than they deserve.

I'm not "kicking" Tandy at all, Slick. I'm giving them credit for popularizing the mallet, not inventing it! It's just my opinion based on personal observations in the early/mid sixties. You're certanly not denying that Tandy included little wooden mallets in their tool kits are you?. Tandy didn't sell mauls in those days, probably because they were too expensive for the hobbyist/crafter. If you wanted to upgrade you bought a rawhide mallet. And to the best of my knowledge they never promoted stamping sticks, either...if they did it wasn't for long. Saddlemakers and shops bought their supplies and tools from private concerns, not Tandy and that is where mauls were sold.

I can tell you this...I will NEVER forget the ribbing I took the first time I showed up on the job as a tooler with a mallet! And it was always one of the first questions I was asked when applying for a tooling job...."whose swivel knife do you use?" and "do you use a maul or a mallet?" What's more, I doubt you will ever convince me that Al Stohlman or F.O. Baird in any way, ever represented the common working tooler of that day! Regardless, whether I'm right or wrong, my comment sure wasn't intended as criticism...sorry you took it that way.

Bob Park

Edited February 26, 2010 by hidepounder

[hidepounder]

A number of years ago a company asked me to go to Mexico as a consultant to help their saddle company improve the quality of their saddles. One of the things we did was take a number of nice new tooling mauls with poly heads. We gave them to each of the toolers. They were using 2"x2" oak sticks about 12" long for their stamping sticks. They called the tooling room the telegraph office 'cause when you went by there you could really hear the tap-tap-tap of the wood against their stamps. All 4 sides of these wooden sticks would be well worn with deep indentations on both ends until it was so worn they would toss it in the corner. There was a huge pile of these worn sticks in the corner. We thought they would be very happy with their new Hi-tech mauls. They used them for a few days, tossed 'em in the corner and went back to their oak sticks.

What a great story! I can imagine your surprise when the mauls hit the pile, LOL!

[BustedThumb]

As a woodcarver of many years, mauls have a bigger strike area, you can turn it any which way and it'll still hit true, and while it's heavier, it's still easier on the wrist than a mallet or hammer. I generally always used a pretty heavy 2.5 -3 lb maul, letting the weight of it drive through the finer cuts, and having more than enough oomph to take out the big stuff. With leatherworking you probably need just as much hit control and the occasional need to open up and wail on something, and a maul can give you that. The mallets that come in those kits are probably only 8 oz or so, rawhide mallets maybe topping a pound. Even though it sounds like a lot to be lifting and dropping a 2-3 lb maul all day, but you'll need to swing a lot harder, twisting your wrist and arm more, to get the same force with a lighter mallet.

[CitizenKate]

I've used both, and prefer a maul. For me, it just works better, and is easier on my arm, because of its heavier weight and balance.

Kate

[skipj]

I've had no luck using my maul. I seems to drive my stamps sideways when I use it. Perhaps I need to use it more but it's frustrating to use. If I try to stamp basket weave along a guide line, the stamp always seems to make it's impression off the line. I have assumed that this is caused by the maul hitting off center. Since the maul is tapered in one direction and curved in the other, it's hard to hit the stamp square. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. I can't believe they would be so popular if everyone had so much trouble.

SkipJ

[hidepounder]

I've had no luck using my maul. I seems to drive my stamps sideways when I use it. Perhaps I need to use it more but it's frustrating to use. If I try to stamp basket weave along a guide line, the stamp always seems to make it's impression off the line. I have assumed that this is caused by the maul hitting off center. Since the maul is tapered in one direction and curved in the other, it's hard to hit the stamp square. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. I can't believe they would be so popular if everyone had so much trouble.

SkipJ

Skip.....it sounds like maybe you aren't being consistant with your strike. Regardless, if you've given the maul a fair chance and it doesn't work for you don't think twice about going back to what you're comfortable with. I've heard several folks talk about modifying the ends of their tools but I've never found that necessary. What is important is that you use what gives you the most enjoyable and best result.

Hope this helps....

Bobby

[skipj]

Skip.....it sounds like maybe you aren't being consistant with your strike. Regardless, if you've given the maul a fair chance and it doesn't work for you don't think twice about going back to what you're comfortable with. I've heard several folks talk about modifying the ends of their tools but I've never found that necessary. What is important is that you use what gives you the most enjoyable and best result.

Hope this helps....

Bobby

Thanks I hate to give up. Perhaps I can find what I'm doing wrong and share. I wonder if any one else has had trouble using a maul?

SkipJ

[UKRay]

Thanks I hate to give up. Perhaps I can find what I'm doing wrong and share. I wonder if any one else has had trouble using a maul?

SkipJ

Skip, I had problems when I first invested in a maul because I wanted it to work like a rawhide mallet and it simply wouldn't do it. I felt sure that if I just kept on doing things the same way I would eventually beat it into submission... LOL

What solved the problem for me was when I realised that the maul had nothing to do with mallets and was an evolution of the craft. It had to be learned as a new tool and not picked up and used like an old one. I spent three days solid, beating every bit of scrap leather in my bin until I had a feel for the thing. I still managed to screw up a few times - mostly miss-hitting a stamp - but now I couldn't go back to a mallet. In fact, I haven't touched a mallet since I taught myself how to use a maul.

I worked with mallets for years, before I knew any better, but now I tend to regard them as hobbyists's tool. I'm not saying that amazing stuff is impossible with a mallet, but, when you teach yourself to use one, good leatherworking is a lot easier with a maul.

Slick - I use one of the standard Tandy Mauls but would love to try one made by one of the great US makers someday. Maybe some of their finesse would come with it!

Ray