Blacksmithing 101: How to Pimp Your Hammer

In this video I show how to take a cheap hammer from Harbor Freight and turn it into a beautiful, straight peen forging hammer.
Link to Vallorbe Files website:
www.ottofrei.c...
These files are also available on Amazon
Link for a shinto rasp:
www.amazon.com...
*I have no sponsorships, I am sharing these links because I personally recommend these products.

[@BLP-BrianLucasProject]

Late to post but glad I found your video. I just bought six old 2lb and 3lb sledge hammers, plus 2 large ball peens at an estate sale with 2 milk crates full of other old tools, dies, chisels and some scrap steel for $20. I need to dress all the hammer heads and replace most of the handles. Also, love the t-shirt. I'm a Fender guy as well. Thanks again and I subbed.

[@ImaLurkin]

The fact you did the work manually for the most part was awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[@BryantWalker-m6e]

I wouldn't call using a 2×72 grinder "manually". That would be ALL files and sander paper.

[@_BigLife_]

Very nice. You aren't kidding. Making content for KZbin is a craft / art all iys own. New subscriber

[@seralyncampbell4731]

Hey, I know I'm late to the party but just wanted to say thank you for making this video. I'm over here getting started in Lithuania and I learned a lot from your video!

[@ericsuiter7619]

Just finished watching this video in its entirety and enjoyed it for many reasons. I respect and appreciate craftspeople that share their gifts. I appreciate your straightforward explanations and examples. It's great seeing a needed tool come to life knowing it'll bring other projects to reality. Most of all, your attention to details that matter to you, the user, prove your love of the craft. Nice job, thank you for sharing.

[@christophercrahen9302]

Harmful Fright... that's wicked awesome. I just finished facing and dressing a 3.5 lb. cross peen I bought there for 9 dollars. Thanks for your help. I prefer your advice over Alex Steele's.

[@RogerVicki]

Love the improved hammer

[@jeffreycasey488]

That you share, as you learn, says volumes about you.

[@andymsmith]

You really helped me to see how you made your cuts and grind the steel hammer. I ground my hammer with hand grinder.

[@andymsmith]

Thank you for showing another way to make a rounding hammer.

[@alexsaling7132]

Can already tell if you keep making videos I’ll watch religiously

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@aprilnichols2806]

Red oak does fine as well as Ash. I wouldn’t make anything over 18 inches with it. And that shelf that you carved out for. It’s actually the top of the hammer. It’s so that it mushrooms out into it and lock it in.

[@mechanician7735]

I've got an AAS in Audiovisual Production from back when even movies were done with wet chemical processing. Get a couple of sheets of white poster board, and a couple of 100watt (or higher) equivalent 5000K LED flood lamps, and bounce the light off the poster board to light up the area where you're videoing. It will soften the shadows, and the highlights. Good reproduction of color, not too much contrast. And for lighting the shop itself, 5000K LED shop lights put out a tremendous amount of light. If you do that for the whole shop, you may not need the floods. Nice work on the hammer!

[@sybaird]

Really useful video thanks for your efforts!

[@hickorydragon8114]

Dude you talk better than it looks like you would. Take that as a double compliment! Thanks for making this.

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

Lol, ummm, thanks?

[@thegoat949]

Nice video I also like to make my own tools this way sometimes you can actually make them more functional than the original tools you base them on ,nice hammer though definitely gonna try and have a go at that

[@stevesilverwood9363]

Didn’t quite catch the name of the Swiss files. Loved the video.

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

Vallorbe Valtitan is the name of the files

[@stevesilverwood9363]

@@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582 thanks for the prompt reply. 👍

[@harleyadam4813]

I have a really nice WECO 3lb Japanese cross pein, but I also have a basic 3lb Hazard Fraught sledge. Thankfully, it came with a straight-grained handle that was REALLY tight. All I had to do was reprofile the faces. Better radii on the flat face and turned one side into a rounding face. Meanwhile, the WECO head was great, but the handle was WAAAAYYYYYY too thick. Had to use a draw knife to shave it down to a manageable size, burn it and oil it with boiled linseed oil. The end result? 2 *COMPLETELY* awesome blacksmith hammers.

[@chili5369]

I'm about to do a hammer reshape, for the tappered end. I make knives (well 2 knives) is a thinner end move the metal better or wider edge Of the tapered end

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

A wider face will move the metal a little more slowly but it will stop you from going too deep with the hammer marks.

[@willywantoknow2563]

Min 9:00 don't mean to mock. I'm a pro engineer.. try rocking your file from steep to level and you end up with a smoother round edge. 👍

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

That's how you finish the edge; sure, but it would take forever to establish an even curve that way.

[@willywantoknow2563]

@@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582 should give it a try! I admit it was a bit awkward at first when i was taught it, but you can achieve a near perfect symetrical round once mastered!

[@johnhodgson2548]

Great video! Thanks for sharing all of this, very informative. Have you ever had a problem with the tanins in red oak handles causing rust on your tools? I haven't wanted to use red oak even though everything else about it makes it good for tool handles.

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

I've never had that issue. I'm assuming because the epoxy separates the oak from the tang?

[@Nougification]

Ol Harmful fright

[@hermes_logios]

Beast!

[@nissaali2421]

Nice

[@tonymann4395]

What kind of rasp is that ? Couldn't hear

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

Shinto

[@blacktridentgoods]

Where do you purchase your wood for the handles?

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

I mill most of it myself. In the spring I'll drive around and find a house that has cut down a tree and grab a few chunks from the pile. The rest of it I get from a cabinetry shop that sells their cutoffs.

[@blacktridentgoods]

@@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582 Thank you for your reply!

[@dongorman6941]

Indian ....most likely railroad track ...so good metal...cheap yes

[@dongorman6941]

You bought an overseas product!

[@harleyadam4813]

Dude. You could have forged the pein and been closer to your preferred 3lb mass. Just saying.

[@BryantWalker-m6e]

You don't choke up for ANY reason you should be accurate with a full length handle grip at full swing as well as a full length handle grip tapping a weld set. Also keep that thumb OFF the spine of that handle.

[@willgara6351]

Nah man don’t use the word pimp bro

[@helmwoodshopandsmithy3582]

Pimp