Straightening a bent metal (steel?) hammer handle?
- Thread starter Seb Palmer
- Start date
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Trevanion
Greatest Of All Time
I’d chuck it, it’s obviously not up to the job in the first place and straightening it will only work harden and weaken the shaft further which means it could snap in use in extreme circumstances.
Buy an Estwing, I can thoroughly recommend.
Buy an Estwing, I can thoroughly recommend.
Inspector
Nyuck, Nyuck, Nyuck!
Trevanion is right. I got my Estwing framing hammer when I was 18, 48 years ago and it is bulletproof. If you can bend it by driving in nails or pulling them out it is little better than a paperweight.
Pete
Pete
Steel hammer handles just transfer shock to your hand, regardless of a rubber grip.
Bin it.
I bought a yellow fibre reinforced handled hammer at least 30 years ago, dont remember where from, but it would have been a DIY store, no special name or make.
It has been beaten to death on many occasions, and still looks and performs well.
Bin it.
I bought a yellow fibre reinforced handled hammer at least 30 years ago, dont remember where from, but it would have been a DIY store, no special name or make.
It has been beaten to death on many occasions, and still looks and performs well.
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
My Estwing is so old it has "Patents Pending" on the handle.Inspector":1bxeyxwt said:
MikeG.
Established Member
Seb Palmer":1bflq6d0 said:
It's bent the wrong way to have happened whilst hitting (not that such a thing is possible anyway, I reckon)....well, either that or someone missed the object they were aiming at by 6 inches. It's bent the way it has because it has been used for levering. This of course is one of its designed purposes, so it should have been able to cope. The fact that it hasn't means the steel is of poor quality, and there is no hope for it. Wooden handled hammers are much more pleasant and comfortable to use, and can take an almighty amount of abuse. If they fail, you just stick in another handle. Chuck the steel one, and replace it with a wooden handled one.
Lons
Established Member
What Mike and the others said, I also am amazed you can bend that by just hitting, it's junk and could cause an accident, bin it.
What I don't agree with is a wood handled hammer, I haven't counted but have at least 20 to 30 hammers, some left over from my business where they were seriously abused by the lads and the 2 Estwings I kept are by miles the nicest to use imo, a 20 oz for general and 16 oz lighter work. Worth every penny and when things get back to normal the boot sales are the places to find them for just a few quid.
Both mine are well over 20 years old now and the 20 oz has been dropped from roofs, used as a delolition lever and knocked in 1000s of 4" nails.
What I don't agree with is a wood handled hammer, I haven't counted but have at least 20 to 30 hammers, some left over from my business where they were seriously abused by the lads and the 2 Estwings I kept are by miles the nicest to use imo, a 20 oz for general and 16 oz lighter work. Worth every penny and when things get back to normal the boot sales are the places to find them for just a few quid.
Both mine are well over 20 years old now and the 20 oz has been dropped from roofs, used as a delolition lever and knocked in 1000s of 4" nails.
AJB Temple
Finely figured
Agree. Bin.
Wooden handled hammers are the only thing for some jobs. All of my leather faced and copper faced hammers (the largest being a 10lb hammer) have wooden handles and they are very good.
My roof tiling guys left an Estwing hammer behind a few years ago - I told them but they never collected it - and it is superb for nailing and pulling. Expensive but worth it.
Most of my dad's engineering hammers, which I think go up to about 3 lb, have wooden handles. They seem to have lasted for 70 years or so and show no signs of failure 8)
Wooden handled hammers are the only thing for some jobs. All of my leather faced and copper faced hammers (the largest being a 10lb hammer) have wooden handles and they are very good.
My roof tiling guys left an Estwing hammer behind a few years ago - I told them but they never collected it - and it is superb for nailing and pulling. Expensive but worth it.
Most of my dad's engineering hammers, which I think go up to about 3 lb, have wooden handles. They seem to have lasted for 70 years or so and show no signs of failure 8)
novocaine
Established Member
A blacksmith uses a hammer day in and day out, every size you can imagine. what's the handle of his/her hammer's made from?
The_Yellow_Ardvark
Established Member
2 choices.
Bin it.
Simple.
Or repair it.
Warm it up and straighten it.
Then made a split wooden handle and fit with 2 pack glue and rivets.
Bin it.
Simple.
Or repair it.
Warm it up and straighten it.
Then made a split wooden handle and fit with 2 pack glue and rivets.
Richard_C
Established Member
Straightening any metal cold will result in weakness. It will never be 'as good as new' & trustworthy whatever you do.
A basic steel hammer might cost you all of £4 in Screwfix. Fibreglass handle ones from £8 to about £40.
Hardly worth thinking about or spending time on.
A basic steel hammer might cost you all of £4 in Screwfix. Fibreglass handle ones from £8 to about £40.
Hardly worth thinking about or spending time on.
Seb Palmer
Established Member
Ok, thanks folks.
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