Overheard a farrier say his hammer balance felt off, made me think

I was at a swap meet Saturday and this old farrier was complaining his 3lb rounding hammer felt unbalanced after he reground the face. Made me realize I never pay enough attention to the balance of my own tools. I've got a 2.5lb german pattern that always felt weird in my hand, maybe I should check the weight distribution. Anyone else ever drill a handle to balance a hammer better?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenixb662d ago

Drilling into a perfectly good handle sounds like a great way to turn an annoying hammer into a broken one. If the balance really bugs you, just take it to a grinder and remove some metal from the poll end instead.

the_sandra2d ago

Interesting you bring this up. I was reading a piece in an old blacksmithing magazine a while back where a guy talked about doing exactly that to get the weight where he wanted it. He said it's all about feel, not just numbers on a scale. @phoenixb66 does have a point about being careful though, one slip and you've got a loose head waiting to happen. I'd practice on a scrap handle first before drilling into a good one. That's what the magazine recommended, start small with a 1/8 inch bit and test the swing after each hole.