Using Your Rawhide Mallet and Why You Should Bin it!

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cbilton.creator-spring.com Regular viewers to the Diamond Mounter channel may already be aware that Im no fan of the rawhide mallet.
My distaste for them started while I was still an apprentice and doing lots of jewellery repairs. I noticed a couple of times after reshaping single stone rings using only the rawhide mallet that the back hole was very slightly oval after getting the ring round again. It took many months possibly even a year to figure out what was going on and that it was using the mallet that was causing it to happen!
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[@kevinsimmonds7082]

Ive never had a problem with mine, even on thick rings, perhaps like anything in this trade, its down to being trained to use it!

[@sezstamorae9004]

What’s the best way to condition and use it!

[@mariadesa4162]

I thought it was me, I've been trying for years to get along with mine. Despite trying to soften it over the years, (since it's dead hard when you first buy it) it still imparts marks onto my silver and it's driven me mad. I've kept persevering with it though. I don't think I'll be bothering any more. Thanks for that !

[@alvinadesir5801]

Oh my goodness 😂😂😂… why haven’t I come to that conclusion, it’s true, it has no oompth… totally buying one of those nylon ones now !! ❤😂

[@haidafella8651]

Wouldn’t be as much work if you weren’t choked up so high on the handle... should take two or three good hits with a rawhide mallet to reform a silver ring. Also brace your mandrel. Tip on a stump.. seriously, fewer, more deliberate blows.. more weight does help..

[@sSHAPZz]

I'm kinda laughing along with you on this. I reached for my big trusty doggie mallet recently & my boss went ballistic saying, "No, you need to get yourself one of these!", holding up a mini nylon hammer. I was surprised at that & after watching this vid & thinking about how much time & effort it usually takes to move the smallest amount of metal, I think I'll be picking one up very soon. Thanks for the tip!

[@DiamondMounter]

Yess! I like your boss

[@carlosvdd1]

I dont understand why you hold the ring mandrel freely and let every strike lose hammering force with both hammers? I always hold the bottom and have the top resting in to a groove on my peg so it doesnt move with every strike. It makes the tougher hammering jobs so fast, even a rawhide mallet with its rubbish spongey head is much more effective. (I only use a rawhide when the missus and kids are in bed and I'm working at home, the sound doesnt ring around the house like metal on metal) Barring that, I actually really appreciate your videos, you have a lot of great knowledge others would be saying "Become a member of my online training school for £100 a month and i will teach you poor techniques" I appreciate the time and effort you put in to these videos. Keep up the good work!

[@shadowynne]

How very strange! I have never marked a piece or struggled to shape a piece with rawhide! I really appreciate your experiment, very well done. Really interesting to see other people's experiences with tools and work. You have yourself a new sub! Also... I hate nylon hammers! Always marks my work! 😂

[@DiamondMounter]

haha opposite! Its fun tho how different tools and techniques work differently for other people

[@cheekyj4794]

I agree, I used a raw hide mallet once when I was learning to work with metals. Quickly swaped to the nylon versions, much better. Also, don't give a dog rawhide it's not good for their bellies, a bin is a much better place. Good joke at the end, lol.

[@pepsigalpt]

Interestingly on my degree course we got taught that the rawhide was essential and was softer to stop the marking of the metal (I always took that to be like slowly and gently moving the metal as well) and the steel hammers were for forming and adding texture, however having said that it’s one of those tools that I rarely reach for as it’s not fast enough! Think I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for a good nylon hammer next to replace it! Awesome video thanks for sharing!

[@DiamondMounter]

Great. I was still an apprentice when I started to realize the rawhide wasn't very good. When I got a job in London all the other jewellers said the same thing about them so thats why I confidently say they're no good to people now. However many jewellers love them and swear they're essential but I cant understand why

[@jonathonalsum9063]

Smacking the algorithms. Thanks again! 🎉

[@griggauk5834]

Never had an issue with rawhide, depends if you’re in a rush I guess. Or use your bench hole to support.

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Good luck with the channel, you're really good at it.

[@bettybho2168]

Thanks for the rant

[@BillyBlaze7]

I use rawhide hammers for leather work because it doesnt mushroom the top of my metal tools, theres a tool for every job just gotta find the right one for the work you do

[@arabiclearner711]

Thanks again brother , switched my rawhide up with a dead blow with nylon on one side and solid rubber in the other ( I think that’s what it is) it was cheap from harbor freight and I always avoided it, now I am so happy I got it and am suprised how well it is suited for jewelry . I was sick of the rawhide and even started using the little gold smith hammer , 😂 that left way more marks but was way faster .

[@DiamondMounter]

Yeah Nylon is so much better! People get stuck in their ways and continue to use rawhide.

[@yuietakho4398]

What if we want to shape round wire rings? and dont want the flat finish the metal hammer would leave? thanks

[@johnbday4764]

Interesting, thanks. I would worry that metal on metal could mark thie ring

[@DiamondMounter]

It does. There will be a flat spot to remove but its far less work than re sizing the ring back down after half an hour of banging it with a useless mallet

[@ro-romack8223]

Need to give those much more welly, control can suffer... I think that type you have are far too light, i hated using them. I got one of those Thor ones and the weighting is amazing. I love using it. Game changer for heavier work, you'd like em👍

[@DiamondMounter]

Thanks yes I've since learned about lead filled mallets and they work much more effectively.

[@flyingcheff]

Wouldn't the steel hammer ding the outer surface? I still agree!

[@g.m.5412]

I agree!! Really enjoying your vids, thank you :)

[@olegpetelevitch4443]

I use the white nylon one instead ! I agree i used one in my apprenticeship and hated it !

[@anthonyharris955]

I bought a nylon hammer years back. I hit a ring twice and the end broke off. 🤣 Must have been the way it was constructed, and I perhaps should have sent it back, but I ended up sawing off the handle and coating the end with setters wax to hold pieces. I haven't made many rings of late, and just recently noticed that my 'dog treat' hammer has started to unravel. Perhaps its time to retry that nylon!

[@thomasbeckett1245]

I’ve used rawhide mallets, for leather crafts.. they won’t hurt the punches. Have decent weight, and are affordable. But to compare a flattener hammer is uncommon. More it’s important to understand why you use a mallet or hammer.

[@jerkerpersson8578]

Hi, I totally agree but have not heard anyone else make that remark. Not only does it have to be quite big to have any weight but further when Getting worn it is marring newly annealed silver. I am going to change to a smallish dead blow hammer with exchangeable nylon heads. Those heads can also be changed to polyurethane heads marring even less and conforming slightly to hollow ware or larger synclastic bangles etc.

[@Shukarr]

What material are you using s your cach? I just built my first bench and née to make a catch but wasn’t sure what too use. Love your vids thank you

[@DiamondMounter]

Its nothing special. I bought it online. Search for fire proof faux leather cloth

[@insederec]

I use them to be gentle with potentially paper thin hollow areas. Repair jewelry is funny. The light weight I take as insurance for not completely ruining a cheap, worn out ring. If I need more power I switch to a brass/nylon combo hammer.

[@insederec]

Also, the ONLY time I've ever not been able to round something with just 5 swings of a rawhide was 10k white. Everything else just moves into place with very gentle taps. No swings. Could be that I bought a heavier rawhide than some other people got. They sell them up to like 10oz I think.

[@DiamondMounter]

@@insederec Those low carat white metals are really springy sometimes! My rawhide weighs nothing but Ive been told some have lead inside to add weight

[@sipthewater]

Rawhide hammers are the BEST for jewelry smithing. Must always be conditioned and there are many ways to treat them. A jeweler with a rawhide mallet in the bin and who moves to another country must make videos to try to keep eating.

[@Trapezius8oblique]

Hi, new to your channel and enjoying them. I just purchased a raw hide last week. Up to now I’ve used nylon for years. But all worn tools need replacing at some stage. So I understand your point. But Just a question.... the side of your rawhide was naturally so worn, and ineffective because of all the times you used it, in the past. Could you tell me if the other side of the rawhide was unraveling as well from the wear and tear.? Thank you.

[@DiamondMounter]

No I just used to only use one side on purpose. No reason for doing so just Im weird like that. They start to wear out and change shape immediately and jewellers become fond of the wear and tear that shows. I just see it as conformation that the mallet is useless. The jewellery is forming the mallet but its meant to be the mallet forming the jewellery lol

[@crazy-qo8pz]

My dog ate mine a few years ago

[@StrykerTV]

Always used a Nylon hammer ever since I started. I never even liked the idea of a rawhide hammer.

[@Vgudorf]

Huh. I literally just received the rawhide hammer I ordered two days ago. Haven’t even had a chance to “condition it” (AKA, smash the heck out of it against a concrete surface) yet. I’m new to all this jewelry making stuff, and as you’ve already pointed out, the prevailing wisdom had been that rawhide hammers are essential to making rings. I’ve been eyeing one of those expensive urethane hammers by Bonny Don, though, and wondered if it might be a good tool for shaping rings on the steel mandrel. Have you ever tried urethane hammers, and if so, would you recommend them?

[@DiamondMounter]

No harm in trying to get on with your rawhide for a while. They're not as effective as other mallets though. So you'll have to hit the ring a lot harder and lots more times than with a nylon mallet. This is what causes the size to go up. I may do another video on using the rawhide soon

[@full7379]

Maybe somebody mentioned it already. But rawhide Malletts come filled with lead. I think most professionals stick with those.

[@lanehartwell]

Hi Chris, can you tell me what the metal hammer you used on the ring is? Or suggest a similar one? Thanks!

[@DiamondMounter]

Its just a usual jeweller hammer. Available at any jewellery making tool shops. One side is flat and the other is slightly domed

[@CecilXzandu]

Its called a planishing hammer

[@Ty-ri7dy]

Thank you sir! I've been about to buy a rawhide mallet, but I don't think I will now. Possibly a small one for specific jobs, but I appreciate this video for teaching me common sense. I've been using metal hammers for everything since I started 2 years ago. There's a lot of tools that are used and even considered "must have" by jewelers that you can actually do without. But since I'm a beginner, I'm willing to learn and make up my own rules AFTER I've learned the correct way. Thanks for your videos.

[@DiamondMounter]

Yes absolutely. There is a whole industry based on inventing tools to be sold to the jewellery trade that are nonsense really. It my be an idea for a future video where I point out silly tools in a trade catalogue and explain why you dont them

[@kontrajewellery]

To be honest I never used Mallet hammer but always nylon one .

[@jeanpauldiaz2125]

I have a general question for the comment have any of you guys heard of a rawhide mallet made of platypus? Some guy at work is attesting that is leather used on the hammer. I can’t say otherwise since I have never heard of a rawhide mallet until today.

[@APZANATTA]

Perfeito

[@Byuthi]

I don’t like the rawhide mallets because 1. they mark your metal 2. it’s a dead animal on a stick. Yuck. Love my recoil free nylon hammer with added weight in it.

[@XVRickXV]

Good to know. Don't have a doggy mallet. I was thinking of making one. Now its going straight to the bottom of the list.

[@DiamondMounter]

Doggy mallet haha I like that

[@marienicolebijoux]

Thanks for this!

[@juliekirk2777]

Do you ever use your ring sizer to round your rings?

[@DiamondMounter]

Yes! But not often. and never on anything stone set. The ring compressor cones can be useful to get wedding bands perfectly round and ready to solder with a tight join

[@cheesesteakable]

Doing it wrong with both hammer buddy.

[@calebwiggins3042]

Should have re annealed the rings you work hardened the metal by bending it

[@JavenarchX]

Your rawhide hammer is too big for the job. I havent had any problems with mine. And metal hammers dent

[@cheesesteakable]

You need to rest the mandrell on your bench. You are losing all the force.

[@elainebates6967]

This example is rather bad. If you had used the opposite side of the mallet, it may have worked better.

[@YarHarFD]

You barely used any force on the rawhide and then started hitting it down the mandrel. Maybe don't choke up on a 3 oz hammer? Silly demo

[@capnspicy5565]

20 years, can't work the hammer, moves to Japan, hammer still doesn't work, nor do you, good job

[@bigmotter001]

WOW, I hope he found a new country or another occupation. He purposely made the raw hide hammer to look like it wasn't working. I think he is only looking to get a lot of views on KZbin to make money! Creating wrong ideas is not beneficial for beginners in jewelry making or helping their understanding of proper tool use!

[@xNecromancerxxx]

I’m more interested in what problems you have living in Japan but not speaking Japanese…