Warrington Hammers, Size & Weights

[custard]

Does anyone know what are the weights of the different "sizes" (i.e. number 1, number 2 etc) of warrington hammer? And was that sizing system consistent across most manufacturers?

Incidentally, if anyone has a nice, old 10 oz Brades or similar I'd be happy to pay a fair price!

Thanks

 

[Mr_P]

1938 I.Sorby Catalogue

Edit
1971/72 Buck and Hickman, same sytem as above but not the same range of sizes but they have added a 3 1/2 oz

Stanley range
3.5 oz , 6,8,10,12,14,16oz

Toga range
6,8,10,12,14,16,20,25 oz

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Type 'Vintage Brades Hammer' into Ebay UK search, and quite a decent selection comes up. Should be easy to find something that suits.

(Well, it was easy until everybody read this....)

Edit to add - Cornelius Whitehouse was another well-respected Midlands maker, and as Mr P has indicated above, there were any number of Sheffield brands, too.

 

[iNewbie]

One on ebay Custard.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hammer-Cross- ... Sw8gVX3Bd7

 

[bugbear]

Type 'Vintage Brades Hammer' into Ebay UK search, and quite a decent selection comes up. Should be easy to find something that suits.

(Well, it was easy until everybody read this....)

Edit to add - Cornelius Whitehouse was another well-respected Midlands maker, and as Mr P has indicated above, there were any number of Sheffield brands, too.

Some of the old hammers are lovely - beautiful tapering, sweeping filed bevels, a bit like Lancashire dividers.

BugBear

 

[custard]

Thanks for the answers, much appreciated.

 

[RogerP]

I have Brades cross pein stamped 1739 0 and it weighs (with handle) 10 3/4 oz.

 

[John15]

Custard,

I've just had a look at my 50 year old Warrington hammer. It's a Sestmore No.1 and weighs 12oz with the handle.

John

 

[custard]

Roger & John, thanks for your answers. I guess your hammers both fit with Mr P's chart, so I need to look for a number 1 Warrington. For years I've had both a smaller and a larger Warrington, but for 90% of jobs one's too small and the other's too big. So I thought if I could meet in the middle then it's a chance to replace two tools with one, which to my "non collectors" mind is always a good thing!

 

[ED65]

Since we're on the subject of Warringtons, I've always thought of them as pin hammers: for driving small pins where space is tight. Do the larger sizes have a different purpose?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Some thoughts on 'cabinetmaker's hammers' here - http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodw ... usefulness - though I'm inclined to think calling a cross-pien hammer a 'cabinetmaker's hammer' is a bit of a misnomer, since many other branches of the wood trades have need of smaller pins and nails at times.

One use for cross-pein (pein? pien? pane?) hammers he doesn't mention is as a small veneering hammer when installing cross-banding, stringing and the like (that one is mostly a cabinetmaker's use!).

 

[ED65]

Ta for that, hadn't seen that before.

...I'm inclined to think calling a cross-pien hammer a 'cabinetmaker's hammer' is a bit of a misnomer, since many other branches of the wood trades have need of smaller pins and nails at times.

Agreed.

The "telephone hammer" name would support that these are multi-use hammers as the same size of Warrington would presumably be widely used in picture framing.

 

[custard]

The peen end of a Warrington, if it's really well polished up with absolutely no sharp edges, is a good tool for pressing inlay stringing into grooves. If you do a lot of inlaying you're better off making something similar out of brass or Lignum Vitae, but for the odd bit of stringing it gets the job done.

 

[Sam R]

The Stanley 10oz Warrington pattern I picked up on Sat (for £1 ) has 'W1' stamped to the left of the weight which I assume means Warrington 1 as per the chart which may help answer your second Q.

 

[Mr_P]

You were robbed :wink: the stanley W.1. 10 oz. only cost 81p brand new and the Toga no.1 was only 68 pence.

 

[Jelly]

Some thoughts on 'cabinetmaker's hammers' here - http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodw ... usefulness - though I'm inclined to think calling a cross-pien hammer a 'cabinetmaker's hammer' is a bit of a misnomer, since many other branches of the wood trades have need of smaller pins and nails at times.

One use for cross-pein (pein? pien? pane?) hammers he doesn't mention is as a small veneering hammer when installing cross-banding, stringing and the like (that one is mostly a cabinetmaker's use!).

Are Warrington pattern and continental joiners hammers "Cross Pein Hammer" though, or just specialist hammers with a cross pein...

I've always associated "Cross Pein Hammers" with metalworking and smithing, where the head is materially simmilar to either an engineer's hammer (like a ball pein) or sledge hammer (like a stereotypical smith's hammer), with the pein taking the form of a roughly equilateral triangular prism, with the striking edge rounded off.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Given the context of the conversation being about woodworkers' hammers, I'd rather made my comments within that context. No offence intended to non-wood trades.

All the sledge-type hammers you mention as used by blacksmiths - at least the hammers I've seen and used - were straight peen, which suits the blacksmith's way of working better. That's not to say that sledge-type (or heavy one-handed) cross-peen hammers don't exist - I'm sure they do - but not as commonly as straight peen, I suspect. Using such a hammer to reduce metal thickness is easier with the work held in the off-hand on the anvil, and the hammer in the dominant hand, so it's easier to work with the hammer across the job rather than in line with it, as you would be with a cross-peen. Likewise when a striker is assisting the smith, it's easier for each to stand on opposite sides of the anvil, so straight peen would be more appropriate than cross-peen.

Any blacksmiths care to confirm or correct me?

That said, some trades do use cross-peen hammers. I have a teeny watchmaker's hammer (1oz head) which has a cross-peen. Not much use in woodworking, that one - even for veneer pins. I don't think watchmakers use them that often, either. Not sure about the metal-shaping trades (tinsmiths, silversmiths etc) - I suspect they have generally more use for various shapes and sizes of ball peen or flat(ish) face peen.

 

[Jelly]

Given the context of the conversation being about woodworkers' hammers, I'd rather made my comments within that context. No offence intended to non-wood trades.

I hope I didn't seem like I was having a dig!

It's more I'm curious as to how and when the woodworkers cross-pein became distinct, as the two types of hammer are pretty different animals, and the woodworkers pattern is probably more important (certainly these days) than the metalworking variant.

All the sledge-type hammers you mention as used by blacksmiths - at least the hammers I've seen and used - were straight peen, which suits the blacksmith's way of working better. That's not to say that sledge-type (or heavy one-handed) cross-peen hammers don't exist - I'm sure they do - but not as commonly as straight peen, I suspect. Using such a hammer to reduce metal thickness is easier with the work held in the off-hand on the anvil, and the hammer in the dominant hand, so it's easier to work with the hammer across the job rather than in line with it, as you would be with a cross-peen. Likewise when a striker is assisting the smith, it's easier for each to stand on opposite sides of the anvil, so straight peen would be more appropriate than cross-peen.

Any blacksmiths care to confirm or correct me?

The impression I've been given, is that preferences are oft set by either what was available when learning, or the preferences of the person teaching... Such that the three people who have taught me basic smithing skills, all had different preferences, one straight pein, one cross pein and one a diagonal peen (left top to right bottom)... Of the three the diagonal peen makes most sense ergonomically, but is also the rarest by a country mile.