The Second of my New Ball Peens
A plain Amazon hammer gets a traditional hickory handle, a little Cherry Red paint, and far more attention than strictly necessary.
The Second Ball-Peen Hammer
Remember last week when I posted about my stubby workbench hammer and I mentioned that I got two ball peen hammers off Amazon? Well, this is about that second hammer. With that stubby hammer I had a plan, with this hammer it took me a few days to come up with the inspiration. Then I found it...
Inspiration from Scoutcrafter
I've mentioned a few times this YouTube channel called Scoutcrafter. John restores old tools, machinery, and just about anything else that catches his interest, and his work played a large part in getting me interested in tool restoration. That hobby turned out to be especially valuable during the pandemic. Work had a way of following me home even when I was already home, and slipping downstairs for an hour to clean, repair, or refinish an old tool gave my mind somewhere else to go.
The projects did not need to be complicated. In fact, the simplest ones were often the most relaxing.
The photograph below is John’s finished hammer. Consider the red handle a fairly substantial hint.
One of John’s projects was a restored a Proto ball peen hammer with a two-tone handle. The moment I saw it, I knew I had finally found the direction for my second Amazon hammer.
Removing the Factory Handle
Just like with the workbench ball peen hammer, I decided not to use the handle that the hammer came on. So, I went through the process of drilling out the handle, and this time I had to actually saw the handle off before I could get it loose enough in the eye to remove it.
Flattening the Hammer Face
I also noticed the hammer face had a big dip in the center of it.
It was not catastrophic, but once I noticed it, I knew it would bother me forever. A striking face should be reasonably flat, and this one had a visible low area right in the middle.
I covered the face with a black Sharpie before filing it. The marker acted as a guide: each pass of the file removed ink from the high spots while leaving the low area dark. That made it easy to see where I was actually removing metal instead of simply filing and hoping for the best.
A Little Cherry-Red Fancifying
I really wanted this hammer to be different, and I had seen ol' Scoutcrafter paint the cheeks and necks of some hammers before, and I had done it once with a tubular steel-handled hammer, so I figured - why not?
Choosing a Traditional Hickory Handle
Unlike with the workbench ball peen, I didn't go with one of the handles that came with my Amazon order. Instead, I spent about $7 on a hickory handle with that classic ball peen hammer handle shape. I also had another little surprise, although if you noticed the hint earlier, you can probably guess!
I wanted the hammer to have a longer, traditional-looking handle, but the replacement I bought was a little too ambitious for the size of the head. With the full-length handle installed, the hammer looked less like a balanced striking tool and more like a small head that had accidentally climbed onto a walking stick.
I took about five inches off the bottom, then reshaped and rounded the new end on the sander. That small adjustment made a surprising difference. The head and handle suddenly looked as though they belonged together, and the hammer felt much more controllable in the hand.
Hanging the Hammer Head
After the paint dried for a couple days, it was time to hang the hammer head. I'll go into a little detail here. The first thing I did was drill a hole along the bottom of the wedge kerf, this helps to prevent the handle from splitting when the wedges are driven in.
Then, in went the poplar wedge, and let me tell ya - that wedge is in tight!
After I trimmed the excess handle and wedge above the eye, I drove in the metal wedge although I'm not sure it was really necessary.
Shortening the Handle
The next step was adjusting the length of the handle. I wanted this hammer to have a long handle, but the one I picked up at the hardware store was a bit too long for the size of the head making the hammer look and feel a bit awkward. So I cut off about five inches and rounded off the bottom of the newly adjusted handle to give it a bit of a finished look...
Stain, Red Wash, and Shellac
The first thing I did was stain the whole handle. I wanted the handle to have a certain hue to it, although I couldn't define it. So I went with the general house stain I use here at 173 to match the interior trim, a mix of two stains... 2 parts General Finishes Antique Walnut to 1 part Georgian Cherry.
Shhhhhh. If we're real quiet, we might get a look at her in her natural habitat. Why, look Jim - there she is!
But I wasn't done! I also wanted to imitate Scoutcrafter's Proto hammer handle. I wanted part of the handle to be painted red, but not a solid red. So I made a stain from about 60% mineral spirits to roughly 40% enamel paint.
If you look close here, you can see the wood grain showing through...
At first I was a little concerned that the red wasn't translucent enough, but after "baking" it under my shop light:
It lightened perfectly, so it looks like a good stain rather than a coat of paint!
That was the moment the whole project came together for me. A few days earlier, this had been one of two inexpensive hammers ordered from Amazon. It worked perfectly well, but there was nothing about it that felt particularly mine. Now the proportions, the color, and the finish had all been chosen in the workshop, one small decision at a time.
I suppose that’s what I enjoy about projects like this. A tool doesn’t have to be rare, valuable, or a hundred years old to deserve a little attention. Sometimes the satisfaction comes from taking something completely ordinary and giving it a story it didn’t have before.
After coating the entire handle with two coats of clear shellac, you can't feel the transition between the two colors at all. And here's another look at the final product!
The Hammer in Its Natural Habitat
Remember that great show back in the 70's called Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom? Man - that was one of the best shows ever. The narrator, Marlin Perkins, would voice over video of our intrepid explorer, Jim Fowler, as he engaged all kinds of animals around the world. I remember it airing on Sunday Nights right before The Wonderful World of Disney.
The format of the show often featured Perkins narrating off-camera, describing Fowler's on-camera work with the wild animals. This was commonly parodied as Perkins saying "I'll wait here [someplace safe] while Jim [does something or other with the dangerous animal]". However, according to a 1997 interview with Fowler, Perkins never said any such thing: according to Fowler, "Johnny Carson started the jokes about me and Marlin in his monologues"
Shhhhhh. If we're real quiet, we might get a look at her in her natural habitat. Why, look Jim - there she is!
Was any of this necessary?
Not particularly.
The hammer would have driven pins and shaped metal perfectly well with the factory handle and no Cherry Red paint whatsoever. But necessity isn’t the only reason to spend time in a workshop. Sometimes a project is worth doing simply because the process is enjoyable and the finished tool makes you smile when you open the drawer.
This one does exactly that.
Thanks for stopping by!
I'll admit it, I started this post thinking, "It's a hammer...how much can there be to say about a hammer?"
Turns out...quite a bit.
What I liked most is that you weren't trying to turn a cheap hammer into an expensive one. You were just making it your hammer. The new handle, the Cherry Red cheeks, and that stained grip all give it a personality without making it look too fancy to actually use.
I also got a chuckle out of the "natural habitat" ending. By the time I reached it, I half expected Marlin Perkins to show up while Jim Fowler wrestled the hammer away from a wild bench vise.
Now I'm looking at a couple of perfectly good tools in my own shop wondering if they deserve a little "fancifying." Thanks for that...I think. - The Guy Who'd Borrow It
Frequently Asked Questions
Why replace the handle on a brand-new hammer?
A factory handle may be perfectly usable but still lack the shape, balance, length, or appearance the owner prefers. Replacing it with a traditional hickory handle can make an inexpensive hammer feel more comfortable and personal.
Why mark a hammer face with a Sharpie before filing it?
The marker acts as a simple guide coat. As the file passes across the face, ink disappears from the high areas while remaining in low spots. That makes it easier to see whether the surface is becoming flat and even.
Why drill a small hole at the bottom of the handle kerf?
The hole can help stop the kerf from splitting farther down the handle when the wooden wedge is driven into place. It provides a rounded termination point rather than leaving a sharp-ended saw cut.
Does a hammer handle need both a wooden wedge and a metal wedge?
A properly fitted wooden wedge may provide enough expansion on its own. A metal wedge adds expansion in another direction and can offer extra security, although it may not always be necessary when the fit is already extremely tight.
Why shorten a replacement hammer handle?
A handle that is too long for the weight and size of the hammer head may feel awkward or poorly balanced. Shortening it can improve control and make the tool look more proportionate.
Can paint be thinned to create a translucent wood finish?
Yes. A heavily thinned enamel or paint wash can add color while allowing the wood grain to remain visible. The mixture should be tested first because different woods and paints absorb and cover differently.
Is shellac suitable for a hammer handle?
Shellac provides a smooth, attractive finish and seals stain or color washes well. Some users prefer a less slick finish on heavily used striking tools, so the final choice depends on how the hammer will be used and how the handle feels in the hand.
Keywords
ball-peen hammer, custom hammer handle, hanging a hammer head, hickory hammer handle, Scoutcrafter, hammer restoration, Cherry Red Krylon, tool handle stain, vintage-style tools, workshop projects, House 173