Blacksmithing Hammers

Рік тому

Taking a look at some of my hammers with discussion on some new additions to the shop.
Blacksmith Supply: www.blacksmithsupply.com/
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Use code "Blackbear10" for a discount on your next order
Anvil provided by; Fontanini Anvil
www.stevefontaniniblacksmith.com
Precut blanks for forging available from:
www.blacksmithingblanks.com
use coupon code John at checkout.
My blacksmiths apron
www.Forge-Aprons.com use code BBF
Music sourced through Epidemic sound
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Some of my most used gear*
Canon EOS R6 Mirrorless Camera - adorama.rfvk.net/b3yZ7v
Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera - adorama.rfvk.net/J50gq
Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Lens - adorama.rfvk.net/6bb7yV
Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L Lens - adorama.rfvk.net/rneRoG
Sony ZV1 point and shoot camera - adorama.rfvk.net/BXKMkJ
Rode Wireless Go microphone - adorama.rfvk.net/YggLRm
Deity V Mic D3 pro - adorama.rfvk.net/mxO51
Insta360 One X2 - www.insta360.com/sal/one_x2?i...
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*Links include affiliate links
Mailing address:
Black Bear Forge
P.O. Box 4
Beulah, CO 81023
Below you will find useful links that will help you in your journey as a blacksmith.
To find more information in blacksmithing in the US or to search for your local ABANA affiliate group visit.
www.abana.org/
Blacksmithing tools and supplies
Self contained air hammers - www.saymakhammers.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.oleoacresfarriersupply.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.piehtoolco.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.centaurforge.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.blacksmithsdepot.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.blacksmithsupply.com/
Square head bolts and lags - www.blacksmithbolt.com/
New anvils - www.oldworldanvils.com/
New anvils - www.nimbaanvils.com/
New anvils -
Industrial supplier - www.mcmaster.com
Tong blanks and tools - kensironstore.com/
Fire brick and refractory - refwest.com
Blacksmithing and related activities can be hazardous. These videos are not a substitute for competent professional instruction. Your safety is your sole responsibility. Always use appropriate safety equipment including eye and ear protection when working in the shop. Follow manufactures safety guidelines for the use of all equipment. In the event something shown in one of these videos seems unsafe, it is up to you to make the appropriate changes to protect yourself.t yourself.

КОМЕНТАРІ: 87

@garstang097 Рік тому

as a smith myself i reckon this man might be the best blacksmiths blacksmith youtuber, him and Rowan Taylor. no slow-motion power hammer shots with unlicensed generic rock over it. just a man who knows his stuff and is happy to share.

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

I must confess, I do like a good slow motion power hammer shot.

@garstang097 Рік тому

@@BlackBearForge they are the icing. the cake is what matters. you make good cake.

@beans1557 Рік тому

@@garstang097 Damn, well said. I agree in totality.

@mathiasschumacher7321 Рік тому

Have to figure out Rowan Taylor, but let us not forget Mark Aspery, his tutorials are also splendid.

@FartOnPinecones Рік тому

Your anvil is a thing of legend.

@ChristCenteredIronworks Рік тому

Great showing of hammers John 👍👍 always love the advice you give!

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

Glad you enjoyed it

@Swaffles870 Рік тому

I'll never grow tired of this. You sir, are awesome

@AtholIronworks Рік тому

I ordered a Bailey doming hammer a month ago can't wait for it to get here.

@chrispolley9487 Рік тому

I found an old beat up cross pein this past summer at a yard sale. Rusted, the face mushroomed and dented and it had a piece of broom stick for a handle. Refaced it, new custom handle and cleaned just the righ amout of rust off it, now is my go-to favorite hammer.

@johnearhart8811 Рік тому

Absolutely love all my Brent Bailey hammers. Awesome feel and balance.

@danbailey5503 Рік тому

John at Old Hickory Forge makes an amazing hammer. You should check out one of his. I have several of them.

@HisWayHomestead Рік тому

Nice cliff hanger John... I'll be waiting to see what is in the box!!!

@ArmySoldier1972 Рік тому

John, Thanks for the hammer run down. Good informwtion. Army SE Oregon

@SchysCraftCo. Рік тому

I have a fat boy forge hammer for my daily driver. It’s a 2.5 pound rounder and flat. Absolutely love it. John love your videos. Can’t wait to see more videos soon. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work John. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Making. God bless.

@k.c.meaders4811 Рік тому

I found that reforging Harbor Freight "engineer's Hammers" is a quick way to get a variety of useful hammers; cross pien, straight pied, diagonal...etc. AND as the handles are too long, so they can be sawn off the hammer and then reused on the new one. Maybe not the best, but one 2# hammer cost less than 2# of 4140 and already has an eye!

@TalRohan Рік тому

I also have a thing about sharp pointy objects ....axes billhooks etc for working with and love being able to make my own custom patterns ...great to hear about your favourite hammers..at present I use I think 3 for forging ...all different weights and patterns.

@olddawgdreaming5715 Рік тому

Good info about differences in hammers and the things they cause John. Totally agree about the handle fitting your hand. Keep up the great videos and I'll be watching for your Sunday video. Fred.

@liam_culb Рік тому

Thanks for the rundown John, always good to get your perspective

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

Glad you enjoyed it

@patshes1951 Рік тому

Cool hammers and the info thank you sir.

@vedamaritabullockashley2770 Рік тому

Yep, right with you on the "weakness". Caved in at the NWBA Swaptoberfest and picked up a wonderful diagonal peen from Portland. Iron Works. Didn't need it, just love it!

@shortfuse43 Рік тому

John, among my most used hammers is an old Craftsman cross pein exactly like the one you showcased here. Great, well balanced hammer. My daily driver is a 2 1/2 lb. rounding hammer made by Dave Custer.

@BevinEG Рік тому

Ooooh now I got to know what's in the box!

@ericcartrette6118 Рік тому

My main hammer is a Peddinghouse 1000g cross pein. I recently replaced the handle. I like their hammers, but they give you a tree trunk for a handle! I thought it was working out until my hand started throbbing every night after I had been in the forge. I noticed that I was holding the hammer with a death grip while forging. I thinned down the handle. Now I hold it much more loosely when forging and most of the pain has gone away. I may still thin it down a little more, but I'm not sure yet. So, yeah, pay attention to how tightly you are holding your hammer. It is a good indication that you may need to thin the handle down some.

@waylandforge8704 Рік тому

I have a wardrobe full of jackets and shirts with a burn hole in exactly the same place. It's nice to have something in common 👍😂🇦🇺

@thewaylonandjoeshow9540 Рік тому

John, check out the hammers from Old Hickory Forge. He makes awesome hammers and tooling.

@maxtrehus602 Рік тому

Great video John! Im about to make myself a diagonal peen hammer from a hunk of polish rod (piston steel they call it, its 1045) i scrapped from an old pumping unit.

@howardrichburg2398 Рік тому

My main hammer us a HF 2 lb hammer I dressed up to be a flat/rounding hammer. Modified the handle to fit my hands. Been good for about 4 yrs now.

@stevemoore5053 Рік тому

Very good!

@markmcmeen287 Рік тому

Always benefit from your videos. Thanks for your comments on some of those "designer" hammers. Any comments of comparison with the Hofi hammer? Thank you

@dadegroot Рік тому

My main hammer is a 2.1lb Hofi-style crosspein by Seth Wood. I have a french style 3lb one from him too, and an almost 2ln rounding cross-pein I made myself (wrought iron with 1040 forge welded faces).

@victorfiori105 Рік тому

My favorite hammer is my 3lb czech style with a hofi style handle from Jackpine forge. It's a truly beautiful hammer. I recently bought a Picard hammer because it was cheap just to try out.

@BurntMushroomBlacksmithing Рік тому

Good stuff. I'm used to using the average cross peens, and home modded drilling hammers. I'm curious about big blue hammers, the Picard smithing hammer, and the French style cross peens. That, and those popular Alec Steele style rounding hammers. 🍻

@swblacksmith.7445 Рік тому

Hi John, Hammers would be one of my favourite subjects. I have more hammer in the rack than whats practical but sometimes having a wide selection is handy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, of the hammers you had in your video I'm partial to the Brent Bailey cross peen. I find a weighted back hammer a joy to use as long as the diameter of the face isn't too large. kind regards. Seth.

@TheFoleyForge Рік тому

My favorite blacksmith and blacksmith youtuber!

@Bangalangs Рік тому

Another excellent video sir. The hammer collection is growing in my shop. How about a hammer storage system for a future video?

@erotdaman 10 місяців тому

I have one thing that i never heard someone mention. Thats the radius ground on the hammer face in relationship to the center point of gravity. The best way to test this is with the hammer head loose from the handle and try balancing it on its face. If it have balance all the way to the edges the radius should be right. With that in mind a longer hammer should have a bigger, flatter radius and shorter more stubby hammer should have a smaler more round radius. That gives the hammer less strange recoils after every hit. Any reflections about that?

@erotdaman 10 місяців тому

@blackbearforge

@erotdaman 10 місяців тому

The advantages of this face shape is less vibrations to the handle and easier to keep the aim between strikes.

@markmoreno7295 Рік тому

I don’t have too many hammers yet, but I am still collecting. I love hammers. I have a few favorites but my most recent addition is a 2 lb rounding hammer. What I like best about this one is the large handle and eye. It just feels good. I did have to shave it down some but I prefer beefy handles over skinny spindly ones. This hammer is made by Brandon Lee Dearing over at HandAndHammers. Will it become my daily driver? Not sure yet. I have another hammer made in the Elmer Roush style but by Ethan Harty. It is also a very nice hammer. David Custer at Firey Furnace Forge also made me a couple of hammers. Both are very useful. One is a 3.5 lb one and the other a 2.25lb one. I use the lighter one much more often. The big one is for stubborn stuff. I also have a double diagonal peen hammer made by Elijah Williams. Beautifully rustic in its appearance I hope I find projects where it may come in handy. Each hammer is a work of art.

@Moondog-wc4vm Рік тому

I'm guessing that a smith's favourite hammer is just like Trigger's broom. Multiple heads and multiple handles. It's still the same tool though. Works just like it should do.

@JarlSeamus Рік тому

I have a half dozen styles in another half dozen weights. I really wanted to love the swedish pattern hammers but they are very unwieldy with the distance from face to eye being so long. I've found German pattern's fit me better, but a French hammer is my go-to now. The face is very close to the eye and I can use a heavier head for longer due to this, with more control. Ironically, my second most used hammer is an old yard sale find 32 oz Ball Peen.... The handle just "fit" my hand and the balance was perfect for me.

@glencrandall7051 Рік тому

My goodness, there is way more to the hammer than one would have thought. And John is just talking blacksmith hammers. What about carpenters hammers, metalsmiths hammers, etc.There is no end to it.🙂🙂

@jackdawg4579 Рік тому

I really dont like a lot of the custom hammers blacksmiths make these days. I do like a lot of vintage hammers. I am currently using some larger examples of vintage cobblers hammers as my go to hammers, I like them a lot.

@wayneheitz8390 Рік тому

Great video and some intrigue. 🤣👏👏

@MASI_forging 5 місяців тому

Incredible 😊😊

@brianpartribge5175 Рік тому

My first and last hammer was an estwing from home depot, the rubber handle turned gummy and sticky.

@aaronkokesch3593 Рік тому

Have you ever tried doing a leather wrapped handle or dimpling the handle with a drill bit for extra grip? For about 2 years after I broke my thumb I was having issues with pain and a lack if strength due to the injury. I tried the dimpling technique after seeing Tom Silva on this old house do it to his framing hammers for grip in wet conditions. I got sold on the idea and find it really comfortable now and makes swinging my heavier hammers a bit easier. My hatchets I do a leather wrap in natural veg tan and that works wonderfully to fatten the handle for my large hands as well.

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

I have used tape like you might tape a hockey stick. But haven't tried leather. That might be a good way to add mass to the thin handle.

@aaronkokesch3593 Рік тому

@@BlackBearForge it does work well for adding mass. Plus its great for using up rough, ugly leather... i mean... leather that has character that isn't suited for nicer projects. Seen some where people have put cordage or banding under the leather for added mass and grip. All I have really done so far is a single solid square piece to wrap and did a saddle stich on the front. Super basic. To finish I use a leather balm.

@CaptCorpMURICA Рік тому

Looks like he got the Christ Centered Iron Works Treadle Hammer.

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

Good eye

@Elderos5 Рік тому

Laminating the handle of your thin handled hammer would work but but could be messy. Might I suggest wrapping the handle with a leather thong. You can control the thickness of the thong, if you have a strap cutter and a piece of leather, if a standard off the shelf thong isn't the size you like. If the leather wears out before the handle does, just wrap it again. Good luck with that in any case.

@deryiousbarzee627 Рік тому

Good morning

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

Morning

@frankgaletzka8477 Рік тому

Hello John It is as always in German Es ist besser es zu haben als es zu brauchen und nicht zu haben. It is better to have it than try to use it and dont have it. The Hammer is a very personel thing . It is a very important tool . Thank you for the little overview. Take care Greetings yours Frank Galetzka

@smash5967 Рік тому

On the hammer with the thin handle, have you considered wrapping the handle with leather or a thin rope or something?

@colmortimer1066 Рік тому

I would have thought by now you would have progressed to the point you just make your own hammers, and prefer using those, as you can customize it how ever you wanted. But that might be more about just how good a very well made hammer can be, even if it is not perfectly what you would want.

@kenbultman8670 Рік тому

John you have a lot great ideas, but how about making something for the farmers like a bail hook.

@kenbultman8670 Рік тому

Could you get tee shirts with a pocket

@mymikeysbeefarm3606 3 місяці тому

You can wrap with leather

@multicoloredwiz Рік тому

Hah, he hit us with the TO BE CONTINUED...!

@mytwocoins Рік тому

I think I could easily fall down the “hammer hole” as anything made by hand attracts me. I’m not sure I qualify as a smith at this point, I’m working on my first project now which is going to be my fire rake made from a rail spike.

@hannesmoser2732 Рік тому

wrap it with a tennis rack handle wrap

@FamTech. Рік тому

I like your video's

@oldmanjimh3165 Рік тому

What hammers do you use when shaping and bending softer materials so not to cause unnecessary dinging.

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

I tend to use rawhide for that type of work.

@robbullis5025 Рік тому

I would do the laminate on that skinny hammer handle. Gorilla glue well keep it there for ever.

@AnonYmous-ii4tc Рік тому

+1 to building up to a bigger hammer and fitting your handle properly. Tendinitis sucks…

@bandcshow11d6 11 місяців тому

Check out Michael Hoops hammers

@cdnmach-e Рік тому

Grrr youtube. Subscribed with bell on and this is the first video in my feed in months and months. Thought you maybe took time off or something. Guess i have some watching todo :)

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

It seems to be a glitchy system between UKposts, Cell carriers and individual device setting lots of them seem to get lost. But there has been nearly one per week for quite some time. Enjoy catching up 😉

@bunyanforgings7849 10 місяців тому

Hi John. Whatever happened to that rounding hammer Daniel Moss sent you? Cheers.

@BlackBearForge 10 місяців тому

Its still in the shop. I use it as a light striking hammer

@torchofkck4989 Рік тому

When ReDressing a hammer face, What would a legitimate reason for building up material with hardened welding rods ? Know a couple people who have some with & rest without... When I asked, they just said "personal preference for the job (at hand)." [Giving no real answer] What would be your insight on this ?

@BlackBearForge Рік тому

I have never had a hammer that I would be tempted to add material to. Simply grinding out any mushrooming or blemishes should keep a hammer in usable shape for years. But I also understand that personal preference is often arbitrary and can't be defined with a real reason.

@torchofkck4989 Рік тому

@@BlackBearForge , Thanks for the response. I'm trying to find out what their meaning behind their madness, If it is legit ? Thanks again.