Ball Peen
This common type (also known as a Jobbing hammer) has two faces: one flat circular face, and one hemispherical face used for spreading or 'peening' large rivet heads or removing dents. The flat face can be used for light forging, surface hardening, or striking tools such as punches and stamps.
Cross Peen
Unlike the ball peen hammer, this hammer has a wedge shaped. The end face forces the metal to stretch in one direction, so it can either taper or flatten a hammered surface. This hammer is used in fold forming, synclastic and anticlastic raising. Like the ball peen hammer, the cross peen is also useful as a general purpose jeweller’s hammer.
Riveting
The wedge shaped face is used to spread the heads of rivets. The flat face can be either round or square and is useful for refining the final shape of rivet heads.
Goldsmith’s
The head of this hammer is very similar in shape to that of a riveting hammer, with both a flat face and a cross peen face. A goldsmith’s hammer should be lightweight and well balanced, with a handle that tapers to a slender neck. The flexibility in the handle will reduce strain when using this hammer for prolonged periods. This useful hammer can be used for many kinds of light forging and riveting.
Planishing
A planishing hammer is used to remove hammer marks that are created during forming processes such as sinking or raising. These irregularities can be smoothed out by hammering with a planishing hammer against a stake. Because the shape of the stake must match the curvature of the article being worked on, it is useful to have a collection of stakes in varying shapes and sizes. As this is an important stage in the finishing process, the surfaces of both the hammer and the stake must be kept highly polished and without any sharp edges. The face of the hammer can be either round or square, and is either flat or slightly convex so that the metal is moved uniformly in all directions. A planishing hammer can also be used to flatten wire or metal sheet, leaving no marks.
Chasing
Chasing hammers have a large main face; this makes it easy to repeatedly hit the end of a chasing tool without missing. When in use, all attention should be focused on the working end of the chasing punch, rather than on the hammer itself. The smaller ball peen face can be used for simple chasing designs or for setting tube rivets. The head should feel very heavy in relation to the handle; the shaft should be very slender, acting rather like a spring, thereby reducing muscle fatigue. The pistol grip style handle has a bulbous end. On a good quality hammer it should be oval in cross section; this will help to keep the hammer correctly facing forwards. Likewise, the hole in the head that the shaft fits into should also be oval; this will prevent the head from spinning around. Other hammers rely on a strong, rigid handle that can deliver force directly from the arm muscles into the hammer blow. With a chasing hammer, the force comes from the weight of the head springing backwards and forwards as it is driven by a succession of light, rapid strokes. The springiness of the handle is the key to success, without this the user would rapidly start to suffer from muscle fatigue. When choosing a chasing hammer it is best to inspect the hammer in person, also look for the following additional attributes:
- Handle made of light, springy wood.
- Sufficiently long slender section to provide springiness.
- Smooth transitions to and from the slender section to reduce stress points.
- Heavy head made from forged steel, affixed with good quality wedges.
Raising
Both rectangular faces have a slightly curved surface; this ensures that the edges of the face do not leave linear scars on the hammered surface. A raising hammer is used on the outside surface to form sheet into hollow forms such as bowls or dishes by hammering it against a stake.
Blocking
Also known as a Doming or Forming hammer, this tool is used on the inside surface of hollow forms to create the initial shape or to refine the surface. In order to avoid scarring the metal, the faces are curved to approximately match the curve of the object being formed. The object is commonly hammered against a wooden stump to reduce the amount that the metal is stretched by; although this will also limit the depth of form that can be achieved.
Embossing
Similar in profile to a blocking hammer, this hammer is smaller with 2 highly domed faces. Similar to repoussé, it is used to work the material from the back in order to create raised areas.
Creasing
Used to form radial creases in a metal disc in the early stages of raising. It can also be used as a Bordering hammer, a tool used to form a thickened lip on the rim of a dish or bowl.
Texturing
This hammer is ideal for producing textured surfaces on softer non-ferrous metals. Sheet metal is placed on a steel bench block or anvil and then struck sharply and repeatedly. The textured surface of the hammer face will impart a unique pattern upon the surface. Textured hammers can be either bought with a pre-defined pattern or custom made from other existing hammers to create a bespoke pattern.
