Forging Hammers

Good high quality hammer heads are made with high quality United States carbon steel. A good, high quality handle is important as well. The better hammers usually have hickory handles because of the high strength of the wood. Hammers are made for specific jobs and can vary as to size and shape. There is a huge selection of hammers available for any type of work.

The actual manufacturing of hammers can vary from company to company. The standard method of making a hammer is called hot forging. A length of high carbon steel rod is heated and while red hot, is cut into short lengths called blanks. The red hot blanks are then fed into a forge called a die. One side of the die is stationary and the other side of the die is driven by a hydraulic ram. The red hot blank is pressed under high pressure and the red hot blank assumes the shape of the die. The process is repeated several times using different shaped dies until the blank is properly shaped. This process helps align the internal grain structure of the steel. This makes the hammer head much stronger.

The hammer is then placed into a hammer head trimmer to remove the excess steel that squeezes out during forging. The hammer head is then heat treated to give it added strength. The head is then blasted clean with small steel particles. This prepares the surface for painting. Depending on the intended hammer use, a wood, steel or graphite fiber core handle is then attached.