Hammers, Mallets And Mauls

[RunningRoan]

I have some fatigue in my right hand/wrist from using my little rawhide mallet too much. I have to strike most of my tools 2+ times with it to get the job done. I think it's time I invest in something heavier. I have a Snap-On deadblow hammer that I use for striking my plastic maker's stamp. The head of the deadblow hammer isn't metal, so I've tried it on my metal tools and I don't really like it for that task. I seem to get too much bounce with it on metal. I use my little rawhide mallet for striking punches (hole punches and end punches), striking spot setters...those things require the most/hardest swings. I also use it for striking my stamping tools, and have to strike hard several times if I'm trying to get a deep impression (such as with my barbwire stamps). Hard to keep the depth consistent along the whole design when I have to stike the tool that many times for each impression.

So tell me your favorite heavier hammers, mallets and mauls and what weights they are.

[dirtclod]

i use a 22 ounce maul for my stamping, rivet setting and hole hole punching i generally give the stamps two licks one to set it and another to finish it up. I have a 2 pound maul but i don't care for it. I want to get a 14 ounce maul for tooling.

Edited August 30, 2010 by dirtclod

[mischief]

I use a 1& 1/16 dia copper rod.

Edited August 30, 2010 by mischief

[King's X]

I use a 14oz custom maul by Bearman for my all around stamping. I use my 2lb maul for Basket or geometric stamping and my 3lb for my large maker stamp placement.

[Tina]

I'm also using Mauls from "BearMan" for the tooling, one 16oz for the overall tooling and one 9oz for all the intricate details (plus it's a joy to work with functional and beautiful tools *S*).

I also have a huge wood-root maul I found online from some old cobblers place. The wood maul is somewheere between 3-4 pounds in weight and great for hole punches, 3D stamps and Makers Mark stamp.

I'm just adding a picture of the "BearMan" mauls :-)

Edited August 30, 2010 by Tina

[BarryS]

I use a 16 oz Barry King maul for all of my general tooling and I use a 20 oz. for all of my heavier tooling, such as basket stamping and setting my makers stamp. These seem to work really well for me. I am in the process of getting a Bearman maul in his brown head material, been hearing a bunch of good things about it. I think that if you went to a maul your arm would get much less fatigued though. Hope this helped and have a great day

[azrider]

I have a 14 oz maul I use very rarely, and a 20 oz maul I use most of the time. Both were made by bearman. I also have rawhide and poly mallets, and a deadblow hammer. I have some bounce from my tooling surface, so I like the dead blow for my maker's mark. The mallets come out some times, but mostly its the 20oz maul.

[hidepounder]

I use a 16 oz maul for 90% of my tooling. I sometimes use a 20 oz maul. I have a series of mauls up to 56 oz however they don't get used a lot. In my opinion there is not much that can't be done with a 20 oz maul. Hope this helps...

Bobby

[RunningRoan]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I've been wanting to try a maul as opposed to another hammer or mallet. Sounds like a 20oz would be a good one to start with and go from there.

[gtwister09]

I have compiled some information from many different users on weight of maul/mallet that they use (238 respondents) on regular tooling and basketweave/geometric stamping (225 respondents - not as many as the regular tooling).

As you can see the 16 oz is the most common one for regular tooling and 24 oz is the most common one for basketweave/geometric stamping. Of course there are others listed as well.

See Below

Regards,

Ben

[hidepounder]

That's pretty interesting, Ben. As I said I use the 16 oz maul the most. But I prefer to use the 24 oz maul for most of my basket stamping which is right in line with what your study showed. My first maul was a 20 oz which I got along with just fine until I acquired the other sizes. So if circumstances dictate the purchase of only one maul, a 20 oz would be my choice.

[gtwister09]

Bob makes an excellent point about the acquisition of tools and making do with your first purchase if you only can purchase one. Everyone is different in making a decision based on what type of tooling you do most or you can meet in the middle like Bob said.

Regards,

Ben

[bruce johnson]

To throw another iron in the fire here, total weight is not the only consideration in an maul. Balance is also a factor. For instance I have mauls from three makers. To compare between two 16 oz mauls, my Barry King is more neutrally weighted and my Wayne Jueshcke feels more heavy to the head. I use them both but prefer the BK on most tools and the WJ for small geometrics and baskets or larger surface area tools like thumbprints. I use some larger mauls too and match them to the size of the stamp.

[abn]

Another vote for 16 oz. as a good all-around weight, but I've always preferred a mallet. Fascinating topic... It's interesting to learn what everyone else is using.

[gtwister09]

Bruce,

Balance is a HUGE deal for me as well. The handle design contributes to this as well as the head materials and head weights. Ed and I have had some long conversations about maul designs, balance and materials. How people use the maul as well impact this as well.

Regards,

Ben

[BearMan]

Hi Everybody,

It looks like you are getting some very good advice here! Everybody is right, weight is a important factor, just as balance is,,, but another very important factor, is the head material. After making mauls for a few years using a type of white head material, I knew there had to be something that works, a bit better. With the much appreciated help from Ben & Bobby, "I've seen the light",,, that Bob Beard knew several years ago about the material I use now.

The weights, I make most often fall pretty much right in line with the charts that Ben posted, with one exception, I make a lot of 18oz mauls. I don't get into the heavier weight above 24oz. A well balanced maul will make your tooling a lot less painful on your arm. From what I understand, my mauls, as far as balance, fall right in between Wayne's & Barry's. I haven't used any of Wayne's mauls, so I'm just going from what I've heard.

Personally, I use a 17oz, for most everything, a 20oz, for the "heavy" stuff, a 14oz, for bargrounders & backgrounds, a 10oz for very delicate things, & a special very soft 26oz that doesn't bounce, for makers mark.

When asked what size to start with, I usually suggest a 16oz, if you mostly do "Sheridan" or intricate types of tooling,,, or if you do heavier stuff, that uses larger stamps,,, possably like the "Porter" saddle designs,,, I'd suggest a 20oz. I hope this helps some,,, there are some very good mauls makers out there. Who ever you go with, I'm sure you'll see things getting a lot easier on your arm.

Ed the"BearMan"

[hidepounder]

Bruce & Ben you're both so right. Balance is everything. The tough part is trying them out to determine which maker's style you prefer. Going to a show is about the only way I know to compare them.

As Ben mentioned there ae a variety of different style heads and handles and they both impact the feel of a maul. I use Beard mauls almost exclusively because I like them. However I have a 16 oz BK maul with a tapered head that I am crazy about also. I'm on my second head on that maul. I really like the taper on the maul, but I have a tendency to be lazy with my elbow because the taper allows me to lower my arm so much. I see a lot of WJ mauls out there with tapered heads also. I have never used a maul with the head turned like a mallet. I guess maybe they are mallets at that point. Anyway maybe someone can comment about those styles. They don't appeal to me because I don't care for the feel of a mallet but I think WJ and BK sell quite a few of them.

The type of handle certainly impacts the feel of a maul. The traditional leather handles like BK and WJ make are hard to beat. I like the handle shape on my Beard mauls alot but some people don't care for them. It is easier to choke up on a handle shaped liked BK makes than it is on a Beard. I love the look of the hardwood handles that Ed is making. They almost look like trophies. And Ed is offering different head materials and handle shapes which is something new. We haven't had a lot of those choices in the past. I might also mention that Casey Jordon is now engraving the hardware on BK mauls for the tooler who has everything!

I suppose no discussion about tooling mauls would be complete without mentioning stamping sticks. I don't use them anymore, but sure prefer them over mallets. There is probably an opportunity for someone to make a buck by re-introducing them. They have kind of been forgotten over the years. They were mostly home made and were commonly seen with single and double heads. The double headed sticks were pretty fast to tool with. I just always thought they were a nusance to recover, but with some of the new materials available now, stamping sticks could make a comeback.

[TroyWest]

This is an interesting topic. I'm another fan of 16oz. BK maul. That is what I use the most for general tooling.It has a straight head on it. I have a heavier Gore maul I use for Basket stamping. I have a Beard 32oz.. I love the material but its much too head heavy for me. I only use it for drive punches. When I used to use the big poly maul for tooling I would occasionally shoot a tool off to one side. Using the little BK I never do. It is also very well balanced. I bought a tapered head BK maul last year but when I got home the handle on it was turned down a little thinner than the others and I found I actually had to squeeze a little to hold it and it was a little more tiring to tool with it. It still looks brand new. I think I'm going to trade it back in for one with a little fatter handle.

At our other shop we had a 56 oz. Beard maul that was great for large drive punches and firm stamps.

Bob, I think your double headed stick idea sounds good.

Edited September 1, 2010 by TroyWest

[David Genadek]

I have a lot of trouble with the bolts breaking on all of them. One of my John Bianchi just had all the threads strip out while stamping. I had similer issue with my Barry King maul. This seems to happen with all wieghts and I have had big issue with heads working loose.

David Genadek