Big Hammers

[scockram]

So I was amazed to see these today. At the Black Country Museum, well worth a trip for anyone interested in old times, industrial history or just lots and lots of wrought iron!

The smaller of these was 28lbs. The guy reckoned the behemoth was about 50lb. It was used by two men, hence the two handles. Must have been an amazing feat of coordination. Both hammers were in a chain making shop, and used as such. The big one was for really big stuff, 5" diameter stock for making anchor chains for the Titanic and suchlike apparently.

I've got a 16lb sledge hammer, I didn't think they came much bigger than that even. It's a beast to swing.

 

[Jake]

Need a few pints after a day of hammering with either.

 

[Sachakins]

That 28lb hammer was known as the Monday hammer when I was an apprentice in 78-82.
Because using it Monday and you were knackered for rest of the week.
I only used it once and gave up after just an hour, wrecked me for the next week

 

[--Tom--]

Big ole chain

 

[toolsntat]

Big ole chain
View attachment 178495

Tom, you absolute star.
If I haven't got the same pair of tongs the guy on the right is holding they come a very close second.
I was only looking at them again the other day and wondering why they were so big.
They were given to me a number of years ago seized solid and after much heat and derusting gubbins they now work again.
Must find a picture
Cheers, Andy

 

[pe2dave]

Looks like you need a moustache (and a beer paunch?) to swing one of those big ones.

 

[Phill05]

Great to see the old workshop.
That was a time long ago when men were real men.

 

[imageel]

This one is buried under Woolwich Arsenal as it was too large to move, however a smaller one can be seen at street level as per the colour photo
Steam Hammer

 

[scockram]

That 28lb hammer was known as the Monday hammer when I was an apprentice in 78-82.
Because using it Monday and you were knackered for rest of the week.
I only used it once and gave up after just an hour, wrecked me for the next week

Yes, he mentioned Monday hammers.

Big ole chain
View attachment 178495

Great picture, thank you. It makes me realise what that short cylinder is beside the smaller hammer in my picture; it's the center section in one of those big ole chain links. I'm sure they had a name for it.

 

[dannyr]

When I was working in eng - remember visiting a brass/bronze foundry in Huddersfield/Halifax area which also had a (steel) chain-making division - wonderful to watch the hand hammer welding of the links

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Reminds me of Blaster Bates (who had a very large posterior) saying “a big nail needs a large hammer!”.

 

[toolsntat]

Further to my comments above here's a picture of the tongs I have
Cheers, Andy

 

[scockram]

So it turned into an industrial history Easter weekend for us. Today we visited a water powered forge, Churchill Forge in Blakedown. Fascinating to see how things were made. The wheels were actually running and some of the machines and tools. Plus an awful lot more heavy, rusty, wrought iron lying around!
They specialised in agriculture tools.

Shovel dies and blanks.