[TheForge] Dewalt new hammer and sledges

[jerry Frost]

Hey Rob: Good to see traffic here, it's not usually very busy. Seems most
folk are migrating to FB and the like, it's the only place the Local club
meets online and being president I have to be subbed. About all the FB
selling personal info. What idiot puts personal info on public display then
complains about other people seeing it? 

I don't have nor have used a carbon composite hammer handle but will if one
shows up at a meeting. That'll be tomorrow 03/24/18 if you're in the
neighborhood. Not surprised the marketing hack put a glove on the model in
the ad, nor that the stock was approaching put it in the fire again temp. If
you want a laugh though, it looks like it's a RR spike ASO in the making!

IforgeIron is a really active smithing forum among many other topics. It's
where I usually hang under the handle, "Frosty The Lucky," for surviving a
near fatal encounter with a tree. 

The old Artmetal list is about as dead as political diatribes can make it.
The Sandbox is mostly FB. I haven't checked a BB in I don't know how many
years. 

The TBI left my vision pretty messed up so my depth perception is off, makes
smithing much harder and less productive so I mostly teach. Not that kids
want to take a second session when they discover they aren't apprentices and
learning the craft actually involves REAL sweat, achy muscles and burns. 

Oh yeah, hammer handles. I hate factory handles, actually prefer the old
Estwing integral steel and leather or rubber handles to what's on new
hammers. Since I started using slab handles I haven't thrown a hammer by
accident even once. I buy 5/4" straight grain clear hickory from a hardwood
supply guy and have a couple patterns I based on what Uri Hoffi  likes. I
taper them about 3/4" from head to the end, it makes them easy to hold
without gripping and if they start to slip at all your grip tightens.
They're eaasy to use for hours without tiring. I hold my hammer between the
first knuckle of my index finger and my thumb so it pivots giving me a 4th.
pivot point. Every pivot is a force multiplier so I can swing harder without
using as much energy. 

I prefer the fiberglass and plastic handle on my 8 lb. sledge to wooden.

Frosty

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Rob Fertner
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2018 5:25 PM
To: 'Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA'
Subject: [TheForge] Dewalt new hammer and sledges

Dewalt now has carbon fiber handled hammers. The 4 lb cross peen looks nice.

 

http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-carbon-fiber-sledge-hammers-axes-exocore/

 

By the way, I haven't seen anything from theforge lately. Is it still
active?

 

Rob

Wichita, KS

"Today was in the 70's and Tomorrow will be in the 80's. How's your
weather?"