While it is not necessary to have a polished face since we will most likely grind away the surface of the worked piece, it does help the finish on some projects. You might consider the hammer face as being on par with the anvil face. If you have a new polished anvil I think it would be appropriate to have a hammer that's similar.

All of this said, hammer control and technique must be at a high standard or it might be putting lipstick on a pig. This is why I seem to always encourage bladesmiths to take a few blacksmith classes. That's where hammer control and technique are emphasized. It will open many doors of possibilities that otherwise may never open.

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While it is not necessary to have a polished face since we will most likely grind away the surface of the worked piece, it does help the finish on some projects. You might consider the hammer face as being on par with the anvil face. If you have a new polished anvil I think it would be appropriate to have a hammer that's similar.

All of this said, hammer control and technique must be at a high standard or it might be putting lipstick on a pig. This is why I seem to always encourage bladesmiths to take a few blacksmith classes. That's where hammer control and technique are emphasized. It will open many doors of possibilities that otherwise may never open.

I plan to this fall. Thanks Mr. Lin

One thing I have noticed Seth is that the hammers you get from a lot of places are not faced properly. They have a truncated cone shape with sharp edges, if that makes sense. Usually these hammers need to be faced in order not to get big deep dings in your forged surface. A nice slightly convexed face will do. I use my grinder to do it and go to a 220 grit finish. I will echo Lin's statement about taking a beginning blacksmith course. Learning basic forging techniques can help immensely.

Brion

Personally, I'm kinda fanatical about the faces on my hammers. As has been mentioned, both hammer technique and the shape of a hammer's face has much to do with how well, or how poorly things go. I generally mirror polish the faces on my hammers, and in combination with the shape of the face, and hammer technique, it just makes forging easier, and the work pieces come out smoother/better finished.

As with most, I have a huge array of forging hammers, the vary in weight, design, and most importantly, they each have a varying degree of convex on the face... each works differently, in different forging situations.

I would never use a "store purchased" hammer without reshaping/refinishing the face. Years ago I started forging/building my own "Angle Peen" forging hammers....simply because traditional straight and Cross peen hammers were so awkward to use.

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Personally, I'm kinda fanatical about the faces on my hammers. As has been mentioned, both hammer technique and the shape of a hammer's face has much to do with how well, or how poorly things go. I generally mirror polish the faces on my hammers, and in combination with the shape of the face, and hammer technique, it just makes forging easier, and the work pieces come out smoother/better finished.

As with most, I have a huge array of forging hammers, the vary in weight, design, and most importantly, they each have a varying degree of convex on the face... each works differently, in different forging situations.

I would never use a "store purchased" hammer without reshaping/refinishing the face. Years ago I started forging/building my own "Angle Peen" forging hammers....simply because traditional straight and Cross peen hammers were so awkward to use.

Those are nice hammers Ed. Did you make them yourself?

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Brian:

Yes, I do make them myself. Many years ago I was at a Blacksmith gathering in Missouri, and one of the demonstrators made a similar hammer. Afterward I asked him if he minded if I tried to make a few, and he said "Sure! Go for it!".... been doing it ever since.<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

They are forged from 1 1/2" square stock (4140), and heat treated to Rc 52-54, which is slightly softer then most anvils. The idea being that if you make a "miss blow", you ding the hammer (which is very easy to repair), versus putting a ding in the anvil face (which is a royal pain to repair). The angle peen is far easier to use then a straight or cross peen hammer. Because the peen is at a 45 degree angle, it's much more user friendly, and natural in use.

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Brian:

Yes, I do make them myself. Many years ago I was at a Blacksmith gathering in Missouri, and one of the demonstrators made a similar hammer. Afterward I asked him if he minded if I tried to make a few, and he said "Sure! Go for it!".... been doing it ever since.<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

They are forged from 1 1/2" square stock (4140), and heat treated to Rc 52-54, which is slightly softer then most anvils. The idea being that if you make a "miss blow", you ding the hammer (which is very easy to repair), versus putting a ding in the anvil face (which is a royal pain to repair). The angle peen is far easier to use then a straight or cross peen hammer. Because the peen is at a 45 degree angle, it's much more user friendly, and natural in use.

Do you sell them? I want one of the angled cross peens. I going to this ABS school in Sept. I would love to own one.