Rawhide hammers

[jgedde]

I've been searching for a good non-marring hammer for a while. While on business last week in Naples, Florida, I stopped in at Wholesale Tool in Tampa on the way to a customer visit in Orlando. They had MANY types of non-marring hammers in many sizes, including brass, rawhide, plastic, even lead (which I bought, and are unavailable in NY). In short, the largest selection of non-nailing hammers I've seen anywhere.

I also bought a US made rawhide hammer. My question is this... Do they need to be seasoned or broken in? I remember the rawhide hammer in Gramp's toolbox had a sort of fluffy head but was still rather firm. The one I bought is hard as a rock with unbroken edges. I tried beating it a brick for a bit, but it didn't help.

By the way, Naples is a gorgeous place! Why am I living in NY?

John

 

[HSS]

Hi John,
I have a rawhide hammer that I use as is. Use your's long enough and it to will become fluffy. Don't worry about it, it is just supposed to be non-marring. I also have a rubber mallet and a lead hammer I made out of 1 1/8 copper that I filled with melted lead. I probably use the rawhide the most.

Patrick

 

[Frank Ford]

To each his own, I guess, but I like the rawhide mallet better when the head is still solid. In fact, I soak in a bit of thin cyanoacrylate to toughen mine when it gets fuzzy. I also use rubber, soft and hard plastic, brass and each have their specialties.