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  #1  
Old 01-02-2015, 12:23 PM
ed l ed l is offline
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Default quick question about magnesium hammers

i was watching a ron fournier dvd and he mentioned a magnesium hammer when i tried to look into it it seems to be like a unicorn everyone has heard about it but they cant be found anywhere Does anyone know if those hammers are worth the trouble or was it a passing fad that happened years ago thanks for any input ed
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Old 01-03-2015, 12:55 AM
leoitch leoitch is offline
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Ed,
most interesting! i've never heard of a magnesium hammer. what are its advantages or purpose?
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Last edited by leoitch; 01-03-2015 at 12:56 AM. Reason: punctuation
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Old 01-03-2015, 09:46 AM
James Bowler James Bowler is offline
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I guess he does not sell them anymore they where expensive , I have never owned one but they where for shaping aluminum i guess they where hard enough to work the metal but soft enough not to leave a mark plus i think it would not contaminate the metal like rusty steel . UHMW (plastic ) even wood works fine and keep your steel hammers polished . I have a really soft urethane mallet for thin aluminum also .
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Old 01-04-2015, 09:29 AM
timothale timothale is offline
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Default titanium ?

http://www.amazon.com/Stiletto-TB15M.../dp/B00079R1YM

I have tried a guy's titanium carpenters hammer, Light weight but delivers a blow like a much heavier hammer. I Am supposedly retired, contractor and do most of my work with a nail gun. The titanium hammers are expensive. The explanation of the hammer was that it is also like titanium golf clubs. I remember as a kid on the ranch hammering pieces of wire in the blacksmith shop on the big anvil and the wire would heat up. the compression load on the wire and hammer creats heat. Titanium does not compress as much as steel, more energy is delivered to the nail. I haven't seen any titanium body hammers. I am building a helve hammer and Minny pulmax type machine. too much tennis elbow from construction work in my younger days.
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Old 01-04-2015, 10:43 AM
bobadame bobadame is offline
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These hammers seem to defy Newton's second law. f=ma
So for the force from a light weight hammer to equal the force delivered from a heavy hammer, you would have to swing the light hammer faster. I don't see any advantage in that unless you are a person who usually damages his work with a hammer. In other words, if you refuse to change your technique, you can use a lighter hammer.
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Old 01-04-2015, 11:19 AM
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Kerry Pinkerton Kerry Pinkerton is offline
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I have a set of very, very small dinging hammers that I got a few years ago. They range from about 3/8 in diameter with 1/2" faces and 1" long to 2" long with 1" faces. Long skinny flexible handles. I've got photos somewhere. They were made by a guy in Ca some years back and no longer available.

Cass Nawrocki has some similar.

These are used to move aluminum around. Lots of fast light blows in the right space, usually with no backing dolly. Metal moves but no marks. I've used them on Monique with good results.

I expect the magnesium hammers work about the same. I saw one once at a swap meet but didn't know what it was and didn't buy it.
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Old 01-04-2015, 11:57 AM
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Frank.de.Kleuver Frank.de.Kleuver is offline
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Very interesting. I love hammers

If you have some pictures that would be great. Sounds like something one could make yourselve.

Greetings,

Frank
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Old 01-04-2015, 10:02 PM
geelhoed geelhoed is offline
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Many years ago I made up some custom blocking hammers. Since then many companies domestic and foreign have come out with similar tools. When I made mine I also made one out of aluminum. It was a total waste because it was too light weight for blocking. I have been investigating the different properties of magnesium lately and have found that some tool builders are using it for some of their shrinking dies. It has a different affect on aluminum and brass than some of the plastics and other composite type materials. I recently aquired some big pieces of magnesium (this stuff is federally regulated, must be used in bomb const? and hard to get in large pieces) I am going to try it in some of my current tool aplications and if I see something good I will pass It on.

Andy Geelhoed(guesswork)
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Old 01-05-2015, 08:03 PM
Essexmetal Essexmetal is online now
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Mag hammers were popular for planishing and light forming functions for their ability to move the material without stretching it. I have tried it, perhaps I did not have the best application since I did not see the "magic" results.

If I remember Trident tools used to sell them. I also remember seeing them used in a video on RS Panels in the UK. The metalman was un-wrinkling a folded up aluminum body corner and the Mag hammer was key to flattening the folds without thinning (stretching) the panel.
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Old 01-09-2015, 07:27 PM
bobadame bobadame is offline
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Ok you guys have got me curious. I'm gonna have to make a magnesium hammer and then try to figure out how to use it. I did try to do some finish work on the hat I've been working on using a polished 2 ounce ball pein hammer. It seems to be working pretty good.
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