Rercommendation For Harness Hammer

[judgebc]

I want to buy a good hammer for my hand stitching.

So far I have been looking at Blanchard, Osborne and Jeremiah Watt,

What are your recommendations?

[TinkerTailor]

Its a hammer. Are you buying it to show off or to beat on stuff? Forget about brand names, and find one that fits YOUR hand, at a comfortable weight, and a suitable face.. I use an old bluepoint autobody hammer that i polished the face on for both double cap rivets and seam hammering. It has a warped crooked handle that is just right......Its just a hunk of metal on a stick after all. Its not like it needs to hold an edge.

Unless the only reason you are getting it is to say, "I use a Watt hammer", then knock yourself out.

[DavidL]

I like a good looking tool, nothing wrong about that.

[judgebc]

DavidL,

My dad was a farm laborer.

When I was a boy we went to find a knife for cutting Lettuce for me.

He chose the most expensive one, I said why dad?

He said son this knife will last you forever.

We took it home and I filed it to shape.

Yes, I still have that knife 50 years later.

I see complaints on this forum about buying poor quality tools they have bought.

I do not see very many complaints about those who have bought good quality tools.

Thanks, DavidL

[TinkerTailor]

Oh, I agree, and Jeremiahs hammer looks the best esthetically to me, out of your list, I just prefer the look of an old tool. I get alot of satisfaction knowing i made it look good and function again.

I may have a thing for hammers in general. I have close to a dozen around my bench. Several I found an old hammer with a nice quality head and replaced the beat up handle.

On the topic of hammers, I searched all over for a small ballpeen with a short handle, Leather places, woodworking, hardware, automotive, swap meets, craigslist to no avail. I went into a quilting store (no idea why, just had a feeling. I hate those stores), and for $2.99 I just picked up a ball peen i call my "Little Devil". It is 6oz, 6" long and has a 0.666" wide ball head hence the name.

I use it for setting little copper rivets, and for tight places. I got it because i can't see the rivet around the head of my other hammers.

Here it is along with a tester rivet I did with it, gonna refinish the crappy varnish on the handle and polish the head however:

Edited December 14, 2015 by TinkerTailor

[DavidL]

Judgebc my dad was the same way, keep an item as long as you can.

Tinkertailor I get what you are saying. You dont have to spend a lot for otherwise common tools like hammers and dividers, they do the job well.

Theres is also nothing wrong with having a functional tool or precise tool like a japanese leather knife, it depends on what you want personally. Stores are after your cash and dont some mind selling you low quality tools. Leathercrafttools.com, Springfieldleather.com I find are fair companies for functional tools, tandy is not. They even took the website name leathercrafttool.com to reroute to tandy. The way they conduct business is predatorial in a market that has few to none brick and mortar competitors.

After I was into the craft I decided to buy good tools (functional, precise, beautiful or a combination) to last my lifetime because that is how long I plan to be working with leather. There is something about buying nicer tools that make you want to create better quality goods, thats my opinion. Something about pure functional heavy duty tools that inspire confidence. Buy tools made for a professional so that you have something to aim for. Beginner tools in my opinion after you are intermediate inspire mediocrity.

Edited December 14, 2015 by DavidL

[TinkerTailor]

That is why i look at old tools, i can find nice, high quality tools that you can not find any more. I make my own edgers, creasers and awls. I like tools that have already lasted a lifetime and will last another still. I am fully aware of tandys practices, as such i have never bought a tool there. I do own several vintage craftools, including some of my setters and stamps. I also own several rampart tools who i believe made tools for tandy in the 50s and then were bought by them. I have an adjustable stitch groover that has a pat.pend, made in USA rampart tools label. Tandy still sells the same one but not rampart branded, and no patent info. It is also made in asia now.

[Art]

I have one I bought it new hammer, oops, two. One is a cross pein I use for delicate work. and the other is a big (well, 2lb) Chinese brass mover that I bought for $4, must have been Harbor Freight or something.

The rest are 40, 50, 60+ year olds that have come down the line as far back as grandpa that I know of. A lot are just heads that don't have handles, but I won't throw them away, and they are easier to store without handles.

In my hammer drawer (the ones I use) and a couple of closing hammers, a dead blow hammer, and a bunch of shoemaker's hammers. Maybe one of the French style, but none as nice looking as a Jeremiah Watt. I've polished the heads on about half of them and the rest get the hard duty. These are real useable hammers for leatherwork and are very reasonable prices on eBay. For under $25 including shipping you can pick up a decent hammer. Get one with a punched face (for hitting nails etc) and polish up one for hitting leather. If you do much banging leather to harden it, get a bigger hammer for that.

You'll get to love them and end-up with a drawer full.

Art

[judgebc]

TinkerTailor, Nice work on the Ball Peen Hammer.

Reminds me of when my buddies and I built a 1927 roadster.

I took a air drill and polished the aluminum transmission of a close ratio four speed to a mirror polish.

It took me months, oh but to be young again at sixteen.

I do enjoy tools and I am always looking for good used tools.

[judgebc]

Art,

I came home one day(30 Years ago) and saw my wife and son were cleaning my Automotive tool box.

They cleaned all the parts and labeled all the drawers and moved all my tools where they thought they should be !!!!!!!!

To this day I still don't know where my tools are, grin......

A old time machinist told me never put your hands in another mans toolbox.

A month later, I come in the house and asked my wife, where they put my special tools that I had modified they were in a box.

I said some were bent, cut, twisted so I could reach into difficult places.

I needed a tool to take her carburetor off her car to rebuild it.

She started crying and said she threw them away because they were not shiny and looked like junk.

Yeah, I still love my wife,

Not sure she likes me, she still cleans up my garage..... grin.

I am always looking for old tools, as they always seem to be better made.

Sorry for the rambling Art thanks for replying.

[TinkerTailor]

TinkerTailor, Nice work on the Ball Peen Hammer.

Reminds me of when my buddies and I built a 1927 roadster.

I took a air drill and polished the aluminum transmission of a close ratio four speed to a mirror polish.

It took me months, oh but to be young again at sixteen.

I do enjoy tools and I am always looking for good used tools.

No credit to take here, that is as purchased new. It is the only new hammer i have ever owned and i got it in a quilting store, of all irony.

I was saying i am going to refinish the handle because i much prefer a natural finish, beeswax or linseed oil. At that time i will polish the head proper. In the pic, it is not proper yet.

I should post the guys that make hickory replacement handles for most hammers in the USA if anyone wants to know:

http://www.tennesseehickoryproducts.com/