Fig. 6.—Hand Hammers.
A, ball peen hammer; B, cross peen hammer; C, straight peen hammer.
6. The ball peen hammer (A, [Fig. 6]), sometimes called a machinist’s hammer, is very conveniently shaped for forging, as the ball end is handy for drawing out points of scarfs or smoothing concave surfaces. A suitable weight of this kind of hammer is one and a half pounds, but lighter ones can be used to good advantage for fastening small rivets.
7. The cross peen hammer (B, [Fig. 6]) is one of the older styles and is mostly employed in rough, heavy work or for spreading metal.
8. The straight peen hammer (C, [Fig. 6]) is shaped similarly to the ball peen hammer, except that the peen is flattened straight with the eye. It is convenient for drawing metal lengthwise rapidly.
9. The sledges (A, B, and C, [Fig. 7]) are used for striking on cutters, swages, fullers, or other top tools; when they are used by the helper, the blacksmith can be assisted in rapidly drawing out metal. The only difference between these two sledges is in the peen—one is crosswise with the eye and the other lengthwise. The double-faced sledge C is sometimes called a swing sledge, because it is used mostly for a full swing blow.
Fig. 7.—The Sledges.
10. The Tongs.—There is an old saying that “a good mechanic can do good work with poor tools,” which may be true; but every mechanic surely should have good tools, on which he can rely and thereby have more confidence in himself. Among the good tools that are essential for acceptable smith work are the tongs.
Very few shops have a sufficient variety of tongs to meet all requirements, and it is often necessary to fit a pair to the work to be handled. Sometimes quite serious accidents happen because the tongs are not properly fitted. They should always hold the iron securely and, if necessary, a link should be slipped over the handles as shown in B, [Fig. 8]. The workman is thus relieved from gripping the tongs tightly and is allowed considerable freedom in handling his work.