D2G Report post Posted September 23, 2017 Hola!! I have questions for maul, why that big price difference? You can see in some webs a maul for $ 40 or 50, seeking see others for about $125. I understand will a marketing o other owned decision but, exist a real difference with the material that is make it to justify the diference? If yes and you know please explain it. I wanna get off my doubts to buy one. Thank you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted September 23, 2017 (edited) Custom makers will always cost more for better quality. Import stuff is generally worth what you pay. Tandy stuff is priced high for the quality. I bent a Craftool camo stamp last weekend using a yellow poly mallet. Not hit hard either. Don Gonzolas has a video on his youtube on mauls mallets and hammers that is worth watching before you spend any money. Barry King tools are great just wish i could talk wife into letting me get some. Handled them at Sheridan and tbey are QUALITY TOOLS. Edited September 23, 2017 by Mattsbagger Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted September 23, 2017 (edited) The "heads" ( the part which strikes the stamp tool ) of "cheap mauls" is made from nylon, and the shafts are made from steel with either a wooden or a plastic handle. The heads of the "expensive" mauls are made from "Deldrin" ( which is a much harder wearing polycarbonate than nylon ), and even the basic "bar stock" of Deldrin costs 3 or 4 times the equivalent "bar stock" size or diameter in nylon..and the shafts of the more expensive mauls are made from stainless steel ( inox) and the handles are frequently made from compressed leather ( which is a little gentler* on the hands from a transmission of repeated impacts as the tool is struck many many time per hour, point of view ) and the heads of the "expensive mauls" are "angled" ( the diameter reduces by around 10% to 15 % as it gets nearer the handle )so you don't have to lift your elbow so high ( higher you lift, the worse' for your back and shoulders after even just a few minutes ) to get a "good strike" on the stamps. * "gentler" can be achieved by wearing a soft leather glove on your "handle hand" or wrapping the cheap handle securely in soft leather. You can also alter the head "angle" of a cheaper maul yourself by careful sanding, or take it apart and reduce the diameter gradually towards the "handle end" and then reassemble it .. You can make a pretty good maul by using a 23 cm piece of threaded 10mm steel ( or inox ) bar , getting 3 nylon or Deldrin caster wheels and drilling them out to fit very snugly against each other on the bar, sanding them to the correct profile once they are all tight agajnst each other, buying a wooden handle for a file or a chisel and drilling it out to accept your 10 mm bar and then assembling it all with a few nuts ate each end to lock it all up hard and tight, I've made a few this way as the cost for a maul from anywhere to France ( plus the taxes ) would cost me more in shipping ( because even a 400 - 500 gm mauls are heavy and expensive to send via post or DHL etc ) than the cost of the maul bought from anywhere ( be it a Tandy or a Bear or Barry )..access to a lathe and or Deldrin bar stock at 50mm diameter makes it much easier to make one.. I might take one of my 3 nylon caster wheels ones apart sometime and make photo "step by step" to show how to get a serviceable maul for those on a budget or who don't want to pay more for the shipping than they do for the maul.Takes about €25.00 of ( parts , and you have a lot of threaded bar left over ), and around 30 minutes to an hour, to make a maul that is a lot better than the Tandy ones. Edited September 23, 2017 by mikesc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alpha2 Report post Posted September 23, 2017 mikesc, I'd like to see that step by step thing! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingsCountyLeather Report post Posted September 23, 2017 I second that!!! I would love to see how to make a maul. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted September 24, 2017 you can make a maul out of old [uk] milk jugs, ie hdpe its easy; one of my 'winter' projects Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plinkercases Report post Posted September 24, 2017 HDPE rod head with homemade stacked leather handle...brass fender washers...acorn nuts and threaded rod.... marble rolling pin section to add weight... this is off now as I made a larger heavier one. Not fancy but works great and was not expensive and just fun to know I made it myself. I have the parts for one almost ready to go that will be filled with bird shot to try and create a dead blow maul. And then I will try tapering the head on the belt sander... There are other great posts where folks have made much more polished (literally sometimes) mauls but in the end they do the job. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D2G Report post Posted September 24, 2017 (edited) Hi again!! Thanks to all. ok, my doubts are less, if it is cheap as I suspect it is made of worse materials, now my problem is that I live in Spain and obviouly I have to add the cost of shipping and pay customs at the price of a barry king for example, (and that in the South in Andalucia there is a Tandy ..) there I will ask for many things but not a maul at those prices, so I think of looking at amazon Spain some that I have seen, I will share it if you want to help me he Let me know if you are so kind. Thank you. Edit to attach link: this one. Maul Edited September 24, 2017 by D2G attach url Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted September 24, 2017 (edited) D2G..The one you linked to would be fine for you if you didn't want to make your own..the price is good, the weight is good, and the quality will be good..Shipping cost ? ( it says "free shipping" but that may be only within the USA ) to Spain , I have no idea, the page says does not ship to France, ( but maybe they ship to Spain, in which case expect to pay shipping on top of the $80.00 price that you see, you'll have to ask them what shipping would cost ) , bear in mind that you may also have to pay VAT* ( here it is 20% ) on the total price of the item+ the shipping. So if shipping was say $30.00 you'd pay ( $80.00+$30.00 ) x120% = $144.00 plus whatever your bank or paypal charge you for converting the € to $ ( usually only around a €1 or €2 "conversion charge" ) ..This kind of "total price" when ordering from the USA to EU is why I thought about making my own, and as plinkercases says, it is more satisfying to make your own tools when you can, if I could find the small ball bearing sets** at a reasonable price here, I'd make my own swivel knives. * If you are VAT registered of course you'll be able to claim it back. **Model shops do sell them, the nearest model shops that sell them to me are on the other side of France near the German border, and the shipping fro them to send me a couple of sets is more than the cost of the bearing sets themselves. :( Nice maul there plinkercases, prettier than mine.. Our milk doesn't come in HDPE, and all the useful poly's and plastics are 3 times the UK or the German price. "Pallet Truck Nylon Wheel" here, only in sets of 2, cheapest anywhere is €56.00 per set + shipping. Edited September 24, 2017 by mikesc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chain Report post Posted September 24, 2017 51 minutes ago, mikesc said: "Pallet Truck Nylon Wheel" here, only in sets of 2, cheapest anywhere is €56.00 per set + shipping. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Replacement-78mm-Diameter-69mm-Length-Pallet-Truck-Nylon-Wheel-/351937454271?epid=1638223360&hash=item51f11b60bf:g:IS4AAOSwGJlZFYUv $AU14.26 and free postage Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted September 24, 2017 https://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageStudioShop These seem well made and have good reviews. I have found Esty has good shipping rates. We jave shipped stuff to Spain,Austria,and Italy through etsy cheaper than across the US when not using Etsy shipping. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted September 24, 2017 (edited) Added..I just noticed that I made a typo further up..my computer system on this machine ( it is in French ) flags all English words as typos, so everything I type is a mass of red underlining :(. Deldrin is incorrect..that should read Delrin ( only one D ) Since reading plinkercases's post I re-researched nylon bar , pallet truck wheels and Delrin bar here, and also HDPE ( which here is PEHD ), and found better , cheaper suppliers..Just ordered various items to play with and discovered that at least one bottled water company whose mineral water we buy uses HDPE in their bottle caps, so, going to melt some down and see. thanks chain ..when I go to that link it says postage $2.50 at flat rate from Hong Kong, which means "takes upto 6 weeks to get here"..and that is if it ever gets here, but I appreciate the thought Meanwhile I did find on Amazon a company that sells them for just under €11.00 with free shipping to me ( maybe the same people ) , they don't say where they are seller is called "sourcingmap" , sounds like a "China sourcer" , I'll order and see. Mattsbagger, thanks I've never used etsy for anything, only visited it maybe 10 times if that, I've no idea of their shipping rates to the EU from the USA, but the mauls that you link to are from Russia, the page says taxes included, but in the details the seller says taxes are not included, and the shipping to France would be €16.00 for the lightest maul ( it shows €38.00 to me for the maul without shipping )..But the guy says that he ships in two ways ( and does not specify which one costs €16.00 ) one way is standard post ( which will have no tracking ) and the other is EMS ( which normally has tracking )..EMS normally costs at least double if not triple the standard post rate..EMS to here from Japan ( leathercrafttools.com ) takes around 4 to 7 days, never more than 10 days..He says EMS 10 to 15 days. total cost would be with tax at 20% €64.80 and which shipping method used ( tracked or untracked ) at €16.00 is unclear. They look great, and there is a lot of detail about the wood used, but I'd be more interested in what the head is made from, he says "polyamide 6"..which actually means nylon..not Delrin..Nylon is what the pallet truck wheels are made from..Delrin ( much better ) is about €20.00 inc VAT + another €15.00 shipping from the UK to me, enough to make 5 "heads" from. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylon_6 Nylon 6 in 60mm diameter I can get for around €20.00 per metre here POM ( which is what Delrin is ) in 60mm diameter is at €8.00 per 50mm length here..I suspect that they buy it from the UK. Edited September 24, 2017 by mikesc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D2G Report post Posted September 24, 2017 I am grateful for so much good information and answers. I will read your advices carefully and I will reply later. For me who do not understand English very well this is already a job. I've see a lot of video of leather artist like Gonzales, Chaeny, Atkinson, Fischer (with out critical scale) and ha ha I'm limited to watch, because understand what I hear is rather little Like Bruce Dickinson say, dive dive dive , ha ha... Go to dive internet Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D2G Report post Posted September 24, 2017 Ok ok, I finished dive. I can't do one because I don't have the turner machine. In any case I think if I purchase one of medium quality to beginning is not to bad. What you think? Really love it do it my own things but ever the problem is many time I don't have the machines or own tools that is needed to make it. So for at moment I think the best idea is buy a down or medium class, do it some works, make money and buy an Rolls Royce maul, ha ha ha. Now. Speak me about the weight, how is it, is forward? I never take one maul in my hand but you know that... I'm Jazz drummer and youll imagine, I'm crazy sometimes with the weight of sticks if is 3 or 5 grms more than others... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted September 24, 2017 1lbs is good for tooling. Some prefer. 2lbs. Punching stuff you will want 3lbs. IMHO. There are many that still use a light weight poly mallet. It's all in what you learn with and is comfortable for you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted September 24, 2017 If you are buying for tooling and stamping designs..then around 400 to 500 gms will be good..If you are wanting to be able to stamp makers marks, then heavier is better. Btw what you call "turner machine" is a "lathe". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plinkercases Report post Posted September 24, 2017 (edited) For tooling I use 1lb (or sometimes my slightly lighter one depending on the work) - for makers marks and lettering (i.e. everything imprinted other than tooling) I use a 1.5lb framer's dead blow hammer which eliminates any bounce and has worked great for years. For punching I use a 2 pound maul or mallet which ever is close at hand. Edited September 24, 2017 by plinkercases Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oltoot Report post Posted September 25, 2017 1 lb rawhide maul and assortment of progressively lighter mallets for most tooling, 3 lb rawhide maul for geometrics and makers mark and 8 lb rawhide maul for punching Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D2G Report post Posted September 26, 2017 On 24/9/2017 at 6:06 PM, mikesc said: Btw what you call "turner machine" is a "lathe". Hello again and thank you all for responding. Yes mikesc, this is it, the translator tells me Turner, you know ... Ok so 1lb, (here in Spain the usage scale is Kg, 1lb is 453.5 grms) so I keep this information for purchase. I in make my list of tools (long list) to try to save money, compare webs and this tipical things, is crazy ha ha, if I have some questions I'll back ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted September 26, 2017 30 minutes ago, D2G said: Hello again and thank you all for responding. Yes mikesc, this is it, the translator tells me Turner, you know ... Ok so 1lb, (here in Spain the usage scale is Kg, 1lb is 453.5 grms) so I keep this information for purchase. I in make my list of tools (long list) to try to save money, compare webs and this tipical things, is crazy ha ha, if I have some questions I'll back ... 500gr seems to be a common EU weight for mails. Round numbers are easier.lol Here they would be 17 oz or 1 lbs 1 oz. I prefer metric for measuring as opposed to imperial even though I'm in the US. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kulafarmer Report post Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) On 9/23/2017 at 1:56 AM, D2G said: Hola!! I have questions for maul, why that big price difference? You can see in some webs a maul for $ 40 or 50, seeking see others for about $125. I understand will a marketing o other owned decision but, exist a real difference with the material that is make it to justify the diference? If yes and you know please explain it. I wanna get off my doubts to buy one. Thank you. I personally would rather pay 1000$ to BK and be able to talk to an actual person on the phone than 30$ for something made by the chinese etc,,,, Edited December 21, 2018 by Kulafarmer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted December 21, 2018 3 hours ago, Kulafarmer said: I personally would rather pay 1000$ to BK and be able to talk to an actual person on the phone than 30$ for something made by the chinese etc,,,, There is an old saying about penny wise and pound foolish! Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted December 21, 2018 WE have another one "A fool is easy parted with there money" Trouble with expensive tools is you want to believe they are the best , which makes it very hard to judge if they are the best or just a talked up value Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted December 21, 2018 Yes, and with $1000 compared to $30, the choice is easy unless it is going to save you a few hundred hours work or produce an item that is 30 times more valuable and will still be saleable. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
