[TheForge] A maker of $100 hammers weighs in

Mon May 19 16:58:00 2003

Most of the cheap chinese tools I have bought,  had very poor fit and 
finish.  A lot of times, this is not an issue, since I treat them more 
as a kit than a final product, reworking them to my liking by hand.   
The problem is, the metallurgy is very poor.  More often than not, items 
that should be forged are cast, and with unhealthy inclusions.   Hammers 
have had very rough faces with evidence of bellt grinder marks heaviliy 
scoring them.  The handle holes have not been centered or in line with 
the axis.   Handles have been warped and loose, not having been wedged, 
but poorly epoxied instead.    All in all, the overall impression is an 
object that really closely resembles the tool you wanted, but not 
actually usable.     Mind you I have a lot of chinese tools, and varying 
degrees of satisfaction. In general, I will admit that I at least got 
what I paid for.

Regarding the difference between forged and cast, it is a strange venue 
for that question, or maybe not.    Forged parts are generally stronger 
and lighter than cast items, due to the fact that they can be designed 
to  take advantage of the grain of the metal and the forging process 
actually increases the density of the material.   A good overview of 
the  effects that different manufacturing process can have is at:  
www.utm.edu/departments/engin/lemaster/ Machine%20Design/Notes%202.pdf

Charles B Vincent

[email protected] wrote:

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> Are these guys' hammers forged? I wonder if they know the difference between cast and forge?. 
>
>[email protected]
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>Reynolds
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>I don't know the difference. Maybe you could explain the difference? Most of the new anvils are cast. As far as I know the only forged anvil is the Peddinghouse? for twice the price of others. Can anyone tell the difference? 
>
>Is there a metalurgist in the house?
>
>Bob Schade
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