# I killed my favorite hammer today



## Darren (Apr 17, 2021)

My dad gave me this hammer, many years ago (30ish):












So i will need a new one. I'll find the same one eventually, but in the meantime, I built a quick and dirty soft hammer in about 15 mins tonight. Here's some pics:






This is a tow hook from a Kia. They are to be disposed of when doing the PDI on a new car. They are some type of chromo for sure. I dispose of them right into my stock bin for future projects. I have made a bunch of chuck keys, hammers, bushings and fittings out of them.






Took a quick skim cut, left some remnants of the thread for grip. Remember, this was quick and dirty.










Flipped her around and power tapped the other end. Always trying to preserve some length, i inserted a 2" chunk of grade 8 3/8-16 ready rod slathered in loctite.







If you go to: https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=71&acctid=20111 . you'll see this same chunk of aluminium sitting on top of my lathe way back in ohio. I drove 48 hours for this chunk of metal, so i'm keeping it forever!






Quick drill n tap, counterbore











More loctite, cranked it as tight as i could, and she's done. Quick and easy, but not the prettiest girl at the prom, but she'll get the job done.


----------



## YotaBota (Apr 17, 2021)

Looks good.


dfloen said:


> They are to be disposed of when doing the PDI on a new car.


If I'd known that there would have been about six of them in my junk pile.


----------



## Darren (Apr 17, 2021)

YotaBota said:


> Looks good.
> 
> If I'd known that there would have been about six of them in my junk pile.



Some days we do 6 pdi's each, so you could end up with 30 in the scrap pile. I bet i still have 500lbs of them


----------



## YYCHM (Apr 17, 2021)

What's a PDI?


----------



## Darren (Apr 17, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> What's a PDI?



pre delivery inspection


----------



## CalgaryPT (Apr 17, 2021)

Nice work. I get the sentimental aspect of older tools from parents. I have a few hand-me-downs I kept. I normally don't use them for fear of destroying them, but one screwdriver that meant a lot to me I did ruin. However, I cut off the remaining shaft and used it to make a rivet in a old shovel of my dad's that was failing. So I was able to reuse the material to fix another old tool of his in the end.  

I smile everytime I use the shovel.


----------



## Darren (Apr 17, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> Nice work. I get the sentimental aspect of older tools from parents. I have a few hand-me-downs I kept. I normally don't use them for fear of destroying them, but one screwdriver that meant a lot to me I did ruin. However, I cut off the remaining shaft and used it to make a rivet in a old shovel of my dad's that was failing. So I was able to reuse the material to fix another old tool of his in the end.
> 
> I smile everytime I use the shovel.



Good save on the shovel!

My dad passed in 93 when i was 18,  so i do cherish all the old tools I still have from him. I use them.  I'm figuring out how i can save this hammer. I may try recasting the head. Not only is it the sentimental value, but i really liked using it.


----------



## Darren (Apr 17, 2021)

I'm not real happy with how i left it, so i'm heading back out to the shop for some improvements. Stay tuned


----------



## CalgaryPT (Apr 17, 2021)

dfloen said:


> Good save on the shovel!
> 
> My dad passed in 93 when i was 18,  so i do cherish all the old tools I still have from him. I use them.  I'm figuring out how i can save this hammer. I may try recasting the head. Not only is it the sentimental value, but i really liked using it.


That's pretty young to lose your dad. When you get old and cranky like me, you'll look back on those old tools and smile. It helps.


----------



## Darren (Apr 17, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> That's pretty young to lose your dad. When you get old and cranky like me, you'll look back on those old tools and smile. It helps.



I have my Grampas tools too and i love using them. I'm an auto tech, and i have some at work, and i grab em before the new snapon stuff. Its that feeling....


----------



## Darren (Apr 17, 2021)

So, i was pretty happy that i made a hammer just in time to read my son his bedtime story. But after he was sawing logs and i looked at the pics that I posted, i decided i could make a few improvements.  The balance was off and the proportions were off and the finish was bad. I fixed some of it, but im now considering this to be the first run prototype. I'm not normally this bored but covid lockdowns...

here's some pics. Everyone still loves pics, right?






Weight reduction







This is all she's getting for indexing tonight







Instantly killed a hss 1/2" endmill. Solid carbide was good to go. Yup its chromo. Took 040 off each side. D shaped handle now.







More super precision indexing.






0.100 off each side of the head, matches D shaped handle






I was going to checker the handle with the shaper (like my old handle) while i relax with a beer but that won't work. This stuff is a HSS axe murderer. Im going to have to tilt the head...someday,,,,

so i gave er the ol hot oil treatment


----------



## Darren (Apr 17, 2021)

Oh yea, i was going to bore the head on my lathe for some faces, but that aint happenin... back to the mill


----------



## Chicken lights (Apr 18, 2021)

dfloen said:


> I have my Grampas tools too and i love using them. I'm an auto tech, and i have some at work, and i grab em before the new snapon stuff. Its that feeling....


I get that and I don’t at the same time. I had a snap on wooden handle hammer for close to 20 years and I gave it away to a friend. Replaced with the newer style snap on rubber grip one. I hate the new soft grip snap on screwdrivers but love the hard handle ones. I’ll never buy a snap on ratchet with a hard or soft handle either, I prefer the classic look and feel of no handles

I guess we’re all different that way in what we like to use


----------



## Darren (Apr 19, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I get that and I don’t at the same time. I had a snap on wooden handle hammer for close to 20 years and I gave it away to a friend. Replaced with the newer style snap on rubber grip one. I hate the new soft grip snap on screwdrivers but love the hard handle ones. I’ll never buy a snap on ratchet with a hard or soft handle either, I prefer the classic look and feel of no handles
> 
> I guess we’re all different that way in what we like to use



Most of my hand tools are Snap On, I make my living with them. I'm with you on the screwdrivers, but I have a bunch of Snap On ratchets with and without handles, and I like them both to be honest.  Mostly have the handles on the longer ratchets. All the new ratchets that i buy now have no handles because I don't want my son having to hunt down handles in 30 years from now.

The comment about using the old tools at work from my dad and my grampa mainly is about a select few tools where I've tried to find comparable new tools to replace them and can't. My Grampas T&B wire strippers/crimpers that are probably 60 years old are one example. I have 3-4 different SO, Mac, etc in my box at work, and I always grab the old Thomas and Betts first. They work and feel better. Like the hammer in my first post. I ordered a few different one's on Ebay. I doubt they will be any good though.

I put some faces on the new hammer today. They have a 1" dia, 0.750 long spigot pressed and glued into the head. Never coming out.


----------



## Darren (May 4, 2021)

I've been using my new hammer a lot at the mill. I like it. But its a bit too heavy for a mill. I'll make another, mostly for vise tramming, with a plastic face, and drawbar tapping with a bronze or lead face.

In the meantime:

Bought 3 of these for $5 usd each. got them today. they look good!

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/363354647807

and this:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/353437509238

Its decent too


----------

