Another valuable resource for our youth that helps replace part of the training they would have received in the shop and vocational courses which were removed from the public school system. Thanks Mr. Pete!
I'm 55 and I learned these kinds of things long ago as a teenager working at a hardware store. The old timers loved to share their experience with me. And I am grateful.
I had a metal shop teacher in middle school taught me skills I use today. The most basic things I do on the lathe amazes some of the younger workers. Makes me sad where the country is going BUT I always refer them to your videos. Wish I had you as a teacher also
thank you for the nice video, mr. peterson! hope you would not mind my two pennies. an old man of 80 at the time of my apprenticeship showed me a hammer that he inherited from his master instructor -- that puts that hammer in the 200-year-old league. the hammer was well used, but the handle was tight and solid. here's what my mentor has said: the wood (some sort of birch) was dug out of the river where it was lying as the dead-wood for MANY years; the wedge was smeared with wax on the narrow sides only, and the wider sides were covered by some turpentine or drying oil; the cross wedge was of tool steel. "and the most important, he said, was that the wood grain being seen at the handle end, was oriented along the plane of the swing " needless to say, i have only one or two such "kosher"hammers... -toly
I put a little drop of yellow wood clue on wedges. It is funny i grew up around loggers and it is funny how they had many ways to rehandle their axes. I am sure they all worked but it was certainly entertaining as a kid listening to some heated arguments over it.
Fellow hammer hoarder here! I have some interesting hammer wedges made of some kind of alloy that are designed to expand in both directions at the same time, they are shaped kind of like the cross of Lorainne. Work quite well and very easy to use.
where were you 40 years ago when I needed a good mentor. I've stood on shoulders of some excellent mentors in other trades, but I consider you one of those. Very helpful videos.
thank you sir very well explained as always.. i have myself repaired many hammers the same way some people just throw it away and buy a new one.. if they only knew how simple it is to repair.. thanks again sir...
Nice job, I always learn something new from your videos and believe it or not I have never put a handle on a hammer and I did not realize you use both a wood wedge and a metal one. Finally, I had to look up what a Sloyd Knife was too, I'll have to get one they look handy. Thanks, Tom
Idea for future video: Perhaps you could go through the different files and their proper uses some day. I had to scour the internet to learn which files to use for each particular application and as I found, the info is becoming dated. It was only through 1950s era instructions provided by Nicholson that I found the information I needed. ie. first cut, second cut, finishing... I also realized that the files being made today are poor quality compared to the files of 40 years ago so I try to buy any and all new old stock Nicholson files I can get my hands on. Thanks again for a great channel.
Thank you for another excellent video. These are skills that most people are not being taught any more (but should). Now I also know what a Sloyd Knife is. I'm adding that to my tool want list. I have a spare machinist hammer handle but no steel wedge for it. Per haps it's something i can make as well.
Very nice to see correct filing technique. Files cut in one direction, and if there is a return stroke with the file still in contact, sometimes convenient, and to be seen used in this video, the sound should indicate there is no pressure on the backstroke. It's wonderful to see such skill.
I like to soak the end of the handle after it is together with linseed oil. That really locks the handle on. I'll also mark the head, and handle on matching sides, so I do not inadvertently flip them around, while I am fitting them together. Because hammer eyes are rarely, if ever symmetrical. I keep a leather tongue I cut out of an old boot by my bench vise so I can wrap items in it to protect them from vise jaw marks.
That octagon handle looks just like the handles on a couple older Bluegrass carpenter hammers that I have (not really all that old, most likely from the early 1970s). My favorite for cabinet work being a Bluegrass 13oz.
Your right there is something sbout the proportions of handle to head that a good mechanic can spot right away if not right. You made mention about the "dirt nap", well we all have to meet our maker someday but its the guy with the most tools who wins, or something like that???
Another excellent video, sir. Yours was the first channel I bookmarked and the first to which I subscribed, and I have never regretted either action I may be mistaken, but I recall reading (perhaps in Bealer's *Art of Blacksmithing*) that "adze-eye" refers to the neck on the underside of a claw-pein hammer head.
One thing that you need to think about but is rarely if ever thought of when hanging a new handle is the grain direction of the handle. For a striking instrument like a hammer the grain needs to be parallel or (in the same direction) that the hammer will strike a surface. If the grain is perpendicular to the striking surface then the handle is more likely to break the head off when you use the hammer. You can somewhat see what I'm talking about at the 10:10 mark when MrPete taps the head off you can see the grain going in the wrong direction. That handle is a junk handle for a hammer.
Just today I put a new handle on my framing hammer. Eleven dollars I had to give for the handle and farm and fleet. But it did come with both wood and metal wedges.
you can sharpen a file by allowing it to rust for a few days out on the lawn, then cleaning with a wire wheel or brush, file card , etc. Try it on an old worn toss away one to see the difference.
I believe, Putting the head on an axe or hammer is called hanging the head. Sometimes, like in your video, it takes a few tries to and test fits "Get the hang of it..." The origin of the saying. I have 2 hammers i inherited from my grandfather, and the heads were upside down. When i went to turn them over and rehang them, i noticed that the handle holes tapered the wrong way and the hammer wedged better upside down. Obviously gramps noticed this as well. Upside down was the best way to install them for function, Though it looks wrong. Both are old bluepoint hammers, not cheap junk btw.
That a Boy !! For a min. there I thought we were going to the Hardware store for a handle. A plus job!! No one wants to take the time to put handles on any more, It's to bad Thanks
Good video! Far as holding oddball shaped stuff in the vise... I have a couple lengths of 5/8" automotive heater hose scrap cut to the width of my vise jaws & slit the long way. Slipped over the jaws they hold stuff like the handles amazingly well. Depending on the individual vise, 1/2" or 3/4" hose might be more appropriate... also, on rare occasion one runs across Beryllium copper hammers (and other tools). If/when working with this material, it's NOT a good idea file or sand it... as it's extremely toxic. (I'm no safety nazi either, but it really is nasty stuff. Beryllium copper tools are intended for use in hazardous locations where sparks would be catastrophic... explosive atmospheres, oil fields, around liquid oxygen etc.)
I agree. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis many years ago and it went away. Now I think I had beryllium poisoning, which had the same symptoms. Another source of beryllium is magnetrons from old microwave ovens, certain kinds of springs in relays. Anybody who melts unknown copper and bronze alloys should be careful. I was melting scrap silver when I think I poisoned myself. I consider myself knowledgable about such things and it got me.
Good video, the only further thing I would suggest is remove the sticky label from the shaft and any remaining glue or varnish (with prolonged use these can cause a blister) and rub the whole handle with boiled linseed oil until it stops being absorbed. Remove any excess with a cotton cloth.
Nice job on the hammer. I don't have any empty hammer heads lying around. I did have a hoe that needed a handle but then I can buy a new one for the tiniest bit more than the price of the hoe handle, sometimes for less so I just throw that sort of stuff out. Thanks for the video.
+mrpete222 ,By offsetting the turning about 1/8" to 3/8" you can turn an oval handle . I have turned a number of them. I have written instructions. I will send you a copy.
As a recent descovery of mine I have enjoyed many hours binge watching your priceless advice. But would like to know if you have any experience you feel you missed out on as a younger man by living a responsible life with career maped and a teacher as ur old man. Unless you did let your hair down an had a rebellious stage of life. I ask because when given the opportunity to become foreman of the garage I was doing my apprenticeship in after only 3 years training I found the responsibility overwhelming.
When you are cranking screws into wood by hand you soon learn the value of a little soap or wax and pre-drilling the holes. With the arrival of portable drills and drill guns its easy to skip that step, unless you break a screw.
Just my thought when i do get have some files i will have one's for wood and one's for metal so my wood files can last longer and my metal can be scrapped i ......................I learned something new..........
It always amazes me how people keep copying the unnecessary metal wedge. It surely came from metalheads doing the hanging, certainly not woodworkers :)
At th-cam.com/video/CuS5hfVK4H4/w-d-xo.html you say slojdknife , it must be from Swedish , in Sweden we say slöjdkniv. The word slöjd is widely used for amateur homecraft , and derives from the word slugt , meaning cunning , crafty handy. It was when they wanted that every son of the nation would be selfsufficent and handy , not in the hands of the guilds and its greedy craftsmen PS. Will you adopt me , I dont eat much , work hard and a fastlearner
Very nice to see correct filing technique. Files cut in one direction, and if there is a return stroke with the file still in contact, sometimes convenient, and to be seen used in this video, the sound should indicate there is no pressure on the backstroke. It's wonderful to see such skill.
Another valuable resource for our youth that helps replace part of the training they would have received in the shop and vocational courses which were removed from the public school system. Thanks Mr. Pete!
+Jeffrey Vastine Thanks for watching.
I'm 55 and I learned these kinds of things long ago as a teenager working at a hardware store. The old timers loved to share their experience with me. And I am grateful.
+mikekj1 I worked 2 yrs at a hardware store--learned as much there as I did school
I had a metal shop teacher in middle school taught me skills I use today. The most basic things I do on the lathe amazes some of the younger workers. Makes me sad where the country is going BUT I always refer them to your videos. Wish I had you as a teacher also
+cort blanton Those closed shops sadden me.
Good change of pace. Installing handles correctly is an art. Back in the day I knew guys that did a beautiful job and then there was me.
Cheers
+Lee Waterman Thanks for watching-requires practice
thank you for the nice video, mr. peterson!
hope you would not mind my two pennies.
an old man of 80 at the time of my apprenticeship showed me a hammer that he inherited from his master instructor -- that puts that hammer in the 200-year-old league.
the hammer was well used, but the handle was tight and solid.
here's what my mentor has said: the wood (some sort of birch) was dug out of the river where it was lying as the dead-wood for MANY years; the wedge was smeared with wax on the narrow sides only, and the wider sides were covered by some turpentine or drying oil; the cross wedge was of tool steel. "and the most important, he said, was that the wood grain being seen at the handle end, was oriented along the plane of the swing "
needless to say, i have only one or two such "kosher"hammers...
-toly
+Toly Dukhovny Thats a good story toly
I put a little drop of yellow wood clue on wedges. It is funny i grew up around loggers and it is funny how they had many ways to rehandle their axes. I am sure they all worked but it was certainly entertaining as a kid listening to some heated arguments over it.
Looks just like a handle fitted to a new hammer, very nice job. Thank you.
Fellow hammer hoarder here! I have some interesting hammer wedges made of some kind of alloy that are designed to expand in both directions at the same time, they are shaped kind of like the cross of Lorainne. Work quite well and very easy to use.
+caskwith thanks for watching-I've seen those 2 wayers
+mrpete222 I'd happily send you some, I have a big bag but somehow I don't think you need them! haha.
I truly luv listening to your commentary on every video !!!!, I cant help but smile the whole time Thank you
+Rosario W Glad I make you smile
where were you 40 years ago when I needed a good mentor. I've stood on shoulders of some excellent mentors in other trades, but I consider you one of those. Very helpful videos.
+dlstanf2 Thank you very much
Thanks Mr. Pete. I do indeed have a likely candidate or two lying around. Also, you made me look up "Sloyd Knife."
+Rick Rose thanks for watching-glad you looked it up
thank you sir very well explained as always.. i have myself repaired many hammers the same way some people just throw it away and buy a new one.. if they only knew how simple it is to repair.. thanks again sir...
+Kevin Willis thanks for watching--everthing is throw away
Nice job, I always learn something new from your videos and believe it or not I have never put a handle on a hammer and I did not realize you use both a wood wedge and a metal one. Finally, I had to look up what a Sloyd Knife was too, I'll have to get one they look handy. Thanks, Tom
+Tom k2bew Thats why I did the video-I figured many have never done it
Great video for a simple task. I never get tired of watching and learning from you.
+indianxbullet thanks for watching
Another job well done,still teaching after all these years your a good man Mr. Pete !!!
+Yamadeal thanks for watching
Idea for future video: Perhaps you could go through the different files and their proper uses some day. I had to scour the internet to learn which files to use for each particular application and as I found, the info is becoming dated. It was only through 1950s era instructions provided by Nicholson that I found the information I needed. ie. first cut, second cut, finishing... I also realized that the files being made today are poor quality compared to the files of 40 years ago so I try to buy any and all new old stock Nicholson files I can get my hands on. Thanks again for a great channel.
Thanks for your great demonstration. In the late 1950's I watched my father do this and your video reminded me of that early lesson.
+08Maxwell1 Thanks for watching
i love your videos mr. pete , they keep getting better!
+m walton thanks for watching
Fascinating and useful lesson MR PETE, sorry it took me seven years to find it.
😀
Another great video, thank you.
+Clickspring Thanks for watching
Thank you for another excellent video. These are skills that most people are not being taught any more (but should). Now I also know what a Sloyd Knife is. I'm adding that to my tool want list. I have a spare machinist hammer handle but no steel wedge for it. Per haps it's something i can make as well.
+bendavanza thanks for watching--yes, get a sloyd-if they still make them
Excellent video! I have a claw hammer that has needed a new handle for some time. After watching the video, I think I will take care of that today!
+Monte Hyler Thanks for watching
Very nice to see correct filing technique. Files cut in one direction, and if there is a return stroke with the file still in contact, sometimes convenient, and to be seen used in this video, the sound should indicate there is no pressure on the backstroke. It's wonderful to see such skill.
+Paul Mcnulty thanks for watching
I like to soak the end of the handle after it is together with linseed oil. That really locks the handle on. I'll also mark the head, and handle on matching sides, so I do not inadvertently flip them around, while I am fitting them together. Because hammer eyes are rarely, if ever symmetrical. I keep a leather tongue I cut out of an old boot by my bench vise so I can wrap items in it to protect them from vise jaw marks.
+Paul Frederick Good ideas-thanks for watching
where would we be without the old hammers ,good vid, cheers mr pete.
+james morleyjmor thanks for watching
Thank you for the demonstration of what is now, a lost art.
+StepCorn Grumbleteats Thanks for watching
Nice! I've got a hammer I need to fix. Thanks for the motivation to go get it done...
+5955trey5955 do it-thanks for watching
great information I didn't know, esp the bees wax. in fact I have my own bucket of heads that need handles. thank you Lyle
+Edward Thompson Thanks for watching
That octagon handle looks just like the handles on a couple older Bluegrass carpenter hammers that I have (not really all that old, most likely from the early 1970s). My favorite for cabinet work being a Bluegrass 13oz.
+Jack Hoying I liked those bluegrass tools
Boy that looks great!
+Ernie Noa thanks ernie
Your right there is something sbout the proportions of handle to head that a good mechanic can spot right away if not right. You made mention about the "dirt nap", well we all have to meet our maker someday but its the guy with the most tools who wins, or something like that???
+gary smith Then I might win--thanks for watching
Nicely explained
Great work. Occasionally I would use the belt sander at my old job when installing handles (instead of a rasp)
+Jeff Moss I use it when the handle is way oversize
Good video Lyle------------ Thanks
+Tom Bellus Thanks for watching
Another excellent video, sir. Yours was the first channel I bookmarked and the first to which I subscribed, and I have never regretted either action
I may be mistaken, but I recall reading (perhaps in Bealer's *Art of Blacksmithing*) that "adze-eye" refers to the neck on the underside of a claw-pein hammer head.
+Darwin von Corax Thanks for watching
One thing that you need to think about but is rarely if ever thought of when hanging a new handle is the grain direction of the handle. For a striking instrument like a hammer the grain needs to be parallel or (in the same direction) that the hammer will strike a surface. If the grain is perpendicular to the striking surface then the handle is more likely to break the head off when you use the hammer. You can somewhat see what I'm talking about at the 10:10 mark when MrPete taps the head off you can see the grain going in the wrong direction. That handle is a junk handle for a hammer.
+garygsp3 Like holding a ball bat with trademark up
+mrpete222 Exactly, sadly though most kids use aluminum bats so they likely don't know what you're referencing.
Farm and Fleet tag takes me back. I shopped at the one in Sycamore often.
+Joepopa12 Been there!!
Just today I put a new handle on my framing hammer. Eleven dollars I had to give for the handle and farm and fleet. But it did come with both wood and metal wedges.
+Albion Laster Thats a lot of money for a handle
I never knew how to do that. I've tried and failed. Well, I guess I learned something today. Thank you.
+fall22123 thanks for watching
Thumbs up, good advice.
+Robert Perrigo thanks for watching
you can sharpen a file by allowing it to rust for a few days out on the lawn, then cleaning with a wire wheel or brush, file card , etc. Try it on an old worn toss away one to see the difference.
+gene elliott I need to try that
I believe, Putting the head on an axe or hammer is called hanging the head. Sometimes, like in your video, it takes a few tries to and test fits "Get the hang of it..." The origin of the saying.
I have 2 hammers i inherited from my grandfather, and the heads were upside down. When i went to turn them over and rehang them, i noticed that the handle holes tapered the wrong way and the hammer wedged better upside down. Obviously gramps noticed this as well. Upside down was the best way to install them for function, Though it looks wrong.
Both are old bluepoint hammers, not cheap junk btw.
+Notso Fresh Very interesting
I think I might enjoy fitting handles a bit too much. I saw an idea once. You can blacken a hardwood handle with a torch for a nice look as well.
+Vantss good idea-thanks for watching
If you ever decide to sell some tools I hope you'll let us know. Nice video as always. I have a few hammers in need of new handles myself.
+TheDisorderly1 Yes-thanks for watching
That a Boy !! For a min. there I thought we were going to the Hardware store for a handle. A plus job!! No one wants to take the time to put handles on any more, It's to bad Thanks
+Jerry Andersen Thanks for watching
Good video! Far as holding oddball shaped stuff in the vise... I have a couple lengths of 5/8" automotive heater hose scrap cut to the width of my vise jaws & slit the long way. Slipped over the jaws they hold stuff like the handles amazingly well. Depending on the individual vise, 1/2" or 3/4" hose might be more appropriate... also, on rare occasion one runs across Beryllium copper hammers (and other tools). If/when working with this material, it's NOT a good idea file or sand it... as it's extremely toxic. (I'm no safety nazi either, but it really is nasty stuff. Beryllium copper tools are intended for use in hazardous locations where sparks would be catastrophic... explosive atmospheres, oil fields, around liquid oxygen etc.)
+rwbishop thanks for watching-good idea about the hose. Yes those non-spark hammers are dangerous
I agree. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis many years ago and it went away. Now I think I had beryllium poisoning, which had the same symptoms. Another source of beryllium is magnetrons from old microwave ovens, certain kinds of springs in relays. Anybody who melts unknown copper and bronze alloys should be careful. I was melting scrap silver when I think I poisoned myself. I consider myself knowledgable about such things and it got me.
my grandpa works with masonry and has a hammerhead from the early 1900 wich he had several times changed grip on.
+Alexander Tauriainen Thats an old hammer-thanks for watching
Good video, the only further thing I would suggest is remove the sticky label from the shaft and any remaining glue or varnish (with prolonged use these can cause a blister) and rub the whole handle with boiled linseed oil until it stops being absorbed. Remove any excess with a cotton cloth.
+Dan Whiteford good point -thanks for watching
Might have to give this a try, got an old hammer i broke years ago that it would be nice to fix.
+heavydiesel Thanks for watching-try it
Nice job on the hammer. I don't have any empty hammer heads lying around. I did have a hoe that needed a handle but then I can buy a new one for the tiniest bit more than the price of the hoe handle, sometimes for less so I just throw that sort of stuff out. Thanks for the video.
+cerberus The handles are over priced
+Englishman French good saying
Quality Farm & Fleet! Thats oldschool. Sad how so many companies have met their demise. Maybe the fleet is still around in some capacity?
+Jay Walt F & F is still alive & well near me--Thanks for watching
The only thing you haven't covered is how to turn a handle on a lathe. It is really very easy and they turn out very nice and look professional.
+Stephen Powell That would make it round instead of oval
+mrpete222 ,By offsetting the turning about 1/8" to 3/8" you can turn an oval handle . I have turned a number of them. I have written instructions. I will send you a copy.
+Stephen Powell good-thanks
As a recent descovery of mine I have enjoyed many hours binge watching your priceless advice. But would like to know if you have any experience you feel you missed out on as a younger man by living a responsible life with career maped and a teacher as ur old man. Unless you did let your hair down an had a rebellious stage of life. I ask because when given the opportunity to become foreman of the garage I was doing my apprenticeship in after only 3 years training I found the responsibility overwhelming.
I did not miss out on a single thing when I was young. Lots of adventures. Welcome to my channel
hard soap is just as good for the wedges its all so good for driving screws by hand (but who does that anymore??)
+secretsix6 thanks for watching-my dad always used soap on screws
When you are cranking screws into wood by hand you soon learn the value of a little soap or wax and pre-drilling the holes. With the arrival of portable drills and drill guns its easy to skip that step, unless you break a screw.
l'enfer est pave de bonnes intentions
my Acadian grandparents and mother were very fond of that saying as well
+Lettuce Thats good-my dad just said it in English
Nice video except you didn't find any thumbs to strike. How do we know it works properly?
+Crafted I've had many a black fingernail
Great little knife. Is it a Swedish Mora?
have made handles for those sizes you cannot get its not hard to do and it fits better than a cut down one
+Bleu Wolf Good idea
I have a strange attraction to very small brass and ball pein hammers, however those little ones are quite difficult to get a handle on.
...non-marking, also (possibly more important) _non-sparking_. I'm surprised no one mentioned this earlier.
+Surly Ogre Thnks for watching-It is non sparking, but not to be confused with beryllium copper non sparking tools
8:28-8:33 He sounds like Rowlf the Dog from the Muppets!
I’d wire brush the heads and put linseed oil on the handles which would look better, but not matter at all.
Thanks
ha this reminds me i have a few hammers to rehandle
+C.J. phillipson thanks for watching-yes, get started
what auctions do you go to find things like this?
he has alluded to estate sales a lot. some old machinist dies, some other machinist buys his toys and the cycle continues.
cody wolkersdorfer iu
My wife sometimes calls me a hammerhead.
+MrHevyshevy Thats mean-thanks for watching
Now thats a $2.00 hammer!
Ah the stories the tools I have that need handles could tell! Thanks Tubalcain! :o) O,,,
+Opinionator52 Not too many swear words I hope
+mrpete222 No more like,,, It wasn't my fault! :o( lol
3:00 that claw hammer handle looks hand carved?
+awldune thanks for watching-nope
Just my thought when i do get have some files i will have one's for wood and one's for metal so my wood files can last longer and my metal can be scrapped i ......................I learned something new..........
Good idea
How about some epoxy glue ?lol
Yes
It always amazes me how people keep copying the unnecessary metal wedge. It surely came from metalheads doing the hanging, certainly not woodworkers :)
At th-cam.com/video/CuS5hfVK4H4/w-d-xo.html you say slojdknife , it must be from Swedish , in Sweden we say slöjdkniv.
The word slöjd is widely used for amateur homecraft , and derives from the word slugt , meaning cunning , crafty handy.
It was when they wanted that every son of the nation would be selfsufficent and handy , not in the hands of the guilds and its greedy craftsmen
PS. Will you adopt me , I dont eat much , work hard and a fastlearner
Thanks
Very nice to see correct filing technique. Files cut in one direction, and if there is a return stroke with the file still in contact, sometimes convenient, and to be seen used in this video, the sound should indicate there is no pressure on the backstroke. It's wonderful to see such skill.
+Paul Mcnulty Thanks- and thanks for watching
Looks great - like you said, it's better than a factory job.
+davida1hiwaaynet THANKS