Soft Faced Hammer

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Soft Faced Hammer

This topic has 27 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated 25 October 2015 at 09:55 by Richard Marks.

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15 July 2011 at 23:47 #71881
Dave Tointon
Participant
@davetointon92281
G’Day Gentlemen,

What is the best material for making soft faced hammer replacable faces. I am thinking nylon or some other plastic stuff.

Thank You and Regards

Dave Tointon
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15 July 2011 at 23:47 #29440
Dave Tointon
Participant
@davetointon92281
16 July 2011 at 00:02 #71883
Gray62
Participant
@gray62
It all depends on what you are hitting with the ommer and what results you intend to achieve.

My ‘Soft’ faces have a variety of heads, all produced in the workshop, which vay from lead (very soft), thru copper, brass, Delrin, Nylon, etc.

It all depends on what you want your ommer to achieve

A little more info on what you are using the ommer for will assist in advising suitable materiels.

regards

CB
16 July 2011 at 00:42 #71885
Dave Tointon
Participant
@davetointon92281
G’Day Coalburner,

The normal type of thing, giving say a casting a whack in the 4 jaw chuck to set it up, loosen a camlock chuck on the lathe. The face needs to be soft enough not to mark mild steel but robust enough to tolerate some abuse.

Regards

Dave
16 July 2011 at 04:30 #71889
Bogstandard
Participant
@bogstandard
Dave,

Not really replaceable faces.

For many years now I have used nothing but a lead hammer, held by the head, not the handle. They are made from the very soft lead flashing used for roofing.

I find that anything else tends to ‘bruise’ soft materials, even nylon and some rubbers will damage soft surfaces. Plus the ‘dead blow’ effect is perfect for setting any material down onto parallels.

Just remelt and recast in a simple mould when the ends of the head look like mushrooms.
16 July 2011 at 06:36 #71891
ady
Participant
@ady
A bit of beachcombing can produce some big lumps of very hard plastic which have various uses in the fishing and boat industry.

They can make very handy drifts and hammers when cut up, machine easily, and don’t even seem to bother aluminium.
16 July 2011 at 07:26 #71893
Richard Parsons
Participant
@richardparsons61721
Get your self a Raw Hide mallet. You can make them by soaking the rawhide and rolling it up into mallet head. Clamp it with a few hose clips and some nails. Then let it dry.
16 July 2011 at 09:54 #71900
Dave Tointon
Participant
@davetointon92281
Thank You gentlemen. As always, a wealth of ideas and info. I think perhaps I’ll go for a lead job.

Regards

Dave
16 July 2011 at 12:03 #71906
Ian S C
Participant
@iansc
One of the best things I’v got for thumping things is a bronze pin from an Eaton dif. Next is an aluminium alloy push rod out of a Pratt & Whitney R 1830 from a DC 3, back in the 60’s when I was doing my apprenticeship, the engines were being changed over to steel push rods, so we all got one. Ian S C
16 July 2011 at 17:10 #71928
Mike
Participant
@mike89748
Lead doesn’t have to be very soft. If you want something a bit harder than pure lead, try melted down and cast shotgun shot, which contains a small percentage of antimony. I believe lead wheel balancing weights are even harder.
16 July 2011 at 19:59 #71941
Sub Mandrel
Participant
@submandrel
Use your head…

I use either a big rubber mallet, a small nylon faced hammer or a bit of wood, alone or with a hammer.

The Aged P. has a very nice copper-faced Thor hammer.

Neil
16 July 2011 at 20:34 #71944
NJH
Participant
@njh
Hi Guys

My “Persuaders” are :- Thor No. 2 – Copper one end, hide the other. I bought it 40+ years ago and I use this one the most. Nowhere near needing a new insert at either end. Rubber headed mallet and a Boxwood mallet with a cane handle – occasional use, mostly around the house on D.I.Y. projects or, in the case of the boxwod one, thin sheet metal.

In my experience, in the workshop, a light tap with a heavyish mallet is to be prefered to belting the daylights out with a light one! ( Although on D.I.Y projects which go wrong there is something to be said for the satisfaction gained through letting off a little steam!)

Norman
16 July 2011 at 20:36 #71945
Gordon W
Participant
@gordonw
Don’t use a hide mallet, they break up, get bits all over the place. My lump of choice is a length of brass bar, with a key -way down , was once a prop shaft for a boat, no use for anything else now. Have toyed with the idea of making a lump of lead, will do one day. The point of this is that you don’t really need a hammer, just something suitably heavy.
23 October 2015 at 21:53 #209028
Chris Denton
Participant
@chrisdenton53037
I know it's an old thread, but what is the rubber material used on the cheap rubber mallets?

Would it be suitable for drilling and taping a thread to insert M12 studding?
23 October 2015 at 22:03 #209030
Johnboy25
Participant
@johnboy25
Rubber? 😋
23 October 2015 at 22:05 #209032
Johnboy25
Participant
@johnboy25
Well I'm still laughing – must be the Friday night bottle of wine 😜

Edited By Johnboy25 on 23/10/2015 22:05:23
23 October 2015 at 22:10 #209033
Johnboy25
Participant
@johnboy25
Sorry Chris 😳
24 October 2015 at 00:14 #209050
Chris Denton
Participant
@chrisdenton53037
It seems more plasticky than rubber though?
24 October 2015 at 10:23 #209074
Bazyle
Participant
@bazyle
I doubt it would hold for long. They have a very coarse male thread and take the impact force on a shoulder as plastic just isn't tough enough to take blows. When it fails you might recover it by making the end of your screw flat, the bottom of the hole flat, and fixing it with a rubbery glue.
24 October 2015 at 13:05 #209093
Richard Marks
Participant
@richardmarks80868
Does anybody have any experience regarding the removal of the copper head in a Thor copper and rawhide hammer, the copper end is getting short so if I can remove it a new one can be fitted bringing it back to life.

Many Thanks
24 October 2015 at 13:29 #209097
Chris Denton
Participant
@chrisdenton53037
What it's for is I'm making my own hammer with replaceable heads in a variety of materials.

It's probably easiest to just buy a cheap rubber mallet and use the material from that to make the insert. I assume it'll machine ok if it threads ok? The studding that I'd put into it would be glued anyway so it should be ok?
24 October 2015 at 19:35 #209122
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by Richard Marks on 24/10/2015 13:05:08:

Does anybody have any experience regarding the removal of the copper head in a Thor copper and rawhide hammer, the copper end is getting short so if I can remove it a new one can be fitted bringing it back to life.

Many Thanks

If there's enough left, clamp the copper up really hard in the vice and pull the handle round.
24 October 2015 at 20:01 #209127
Chris Gunn
Participant
@chrisgunn36534
Richard, I guess your copper head hammer has mushroomed over so you cannot grip it and twist it out. My method is to smooth the face off, and mark it out and drill a series of 1/8" holes at 1/4" pitch, then open them out to 1/4", and then chimble the bits out.

Chris Gunn
24 October 2015 at 21:43 #209132
Alex Collins
Participant
@alexcollins55045
Drill the copper for M6 or M8. Tap It ( yes I know copper is far from easy to tap ) And screw it out using a bolt.

If that fails keep drilling until you can break it up.
25 October 2015 at 01:09 #209138
Richard Marks
Participant
@richardmarks80868
Many thanks for your replies, tried the vice thing but felt the handle might break before it twists, anybody know the thread size that holds it in, thought maybe drill close to the size then try twisting again.

Regards
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