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  #11  
Old 09-24-2014, 04:35 PM
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inlinr6 inlinr6 is offline
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Dollies are not that bad, have a selection of favorite vintage hammers though
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  #12  
Old 09-25-2014, 01:28 AM
John Buchtenkirch John Buchtenkirch is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by weldtoride View Post
I agree with everyone above who says a cheap hammer is not worth anything, and may even be counter-productive.

It amazes me that the guys knocking them off overseas still haven't caught on to at least copying a well balanced hammer head with good weight distribution, handle length, cross section, etc. In other words, at least sell a good copy but with bad (worthless) metallurgy! Instead they offer a very poor ergonomic copy and with bad metallurgy. I suspect they are copying the same 25 year old bad Taiwanese copy of a body set, thinking they are knocking off something good.
Having been to Vietnam and also Taiwan I realize in Asia there’s thousands upon thousands of motor bikes / scooters flying down the roads at speeds that seem almost impossible with their very tiny engines screaming to the max and most leaving trails of white smoke. Even the smallest town has several shops (some just a tent with repairs being done under a shade tree) with a bunch young Asian boys working on keeping all these scooters running in various states of poor repair. By my best guesstimate I’d say these boys / workers average 4’ 10” tall and maybe 75 pounds with a pocket full of nickels. The fenders they are pounding out (even with rocks) are probably 22 to 24 gauge. I’m convinced those stupid undersized 7 piece sets were originally designed for those tiny Asian workers to pound away on scooter fenders at a price only slightly more than rock or brick they were using previously. If anyone is stupid enough to think those 7 piece sets can be used for auto body repair work………. well great , the Asian manufacturers & ruthless importers will only be too happy to take your money. Well, that’s my best guess on why the 7 piece Asian sets are so poorly designed, how true it may be I really don’t know . ~ John Buchtenkirch
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  #13  
Old 09-25-2014, 04:17 PM
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Marty Comstock Marty Comstock is offline
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John, I have a set like that and used them sufficiently while I was away in KY. They were heavy and cumbersome, but thats about it. No, they cant compare to the best hammer ever made, my 1424 Plomb, but by golly, they sure worked fine when they were all I had. I still have them, and they get used accordingly.

its the man behind the hammer that matters more than the hammer in hand.

Not only that, but our beloved slappers were made from the dinging spoon that came in that set.

S o, call me stupid.
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  #14  
Old 09-25-2014, 06:20 PM
bobadame bobadame is offline
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I've bought a couple of sets from Harbor freight. The lighter set that is usually available there and a heavier, harder set. The heavier set is pretty good, good hard steel, takes a nice polish. The lighter, softer set gets used for utility work usually around the welding bench.
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  #15  
Old 08-31-2015, 10:57 AM
Skaughtto Skaughtto is offline
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I bought the Harbor Freight set. If nothing else it'll give me experience with bad hammers to help me understand the value of good hammers
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  #16  
Old 08-31-2015, 12:27 PM
toreadorxlt toreadorxlt is offline
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I bust them out for dirty jobs. a good buy.. I also welded posts to all the dollys and use them in a 1" clamp I have for post dollies..
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  #17  
Old 08-31-2015, 02:53 PM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Scott, welcome to the forum. Just going by the photo, it looks like the set you got may have progressed a little in the right direction. The older cheap hammers had more material between the heads and the eye, not a good thing as it ruined any balance the hammer might have had. Your set looks like it may have had some weight trimming done in this area.

Don't be afraid to re-contour any hammer to your liking as you get used to them. Many cheap hammer sets I have seen have dead flat faces on all the hammer faces. Better hammers come with low and high crown faces, you really want several face types in your set.

Face crowns are discussed here: http://www.metalshapers.org/tips/covell/
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  #18  
Old 08-31-2015, 09:11 PM
joemato joemato is offline
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Dutch Comstock took the slapper from one of those sets and welded a 15"
handle to it and bingo, a tool anyone would be proud to own. well balanced and
powerfull.
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  #19  
Old 08-31-2015, 09:18 PM
joemato joemato is offline
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Marty's beloved slapper mod is dicussed in a tool article in the basic section. It is a beauty.
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  #20  
Old 08-31-2015, 11:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skaughtto View Post


I bought the Harbor Freight set. If nothing else it'll give me experience with bad hammers to help me understand the value of good hammers
Bought this set, threw away everything except the comma dolly and the heel dolly. The other set has a decent spoon and the door skinning hammer is good. Use them practically everyday.
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