Who would use a hammer like this?

[shedbound]

Picked this up on the weekend, just got it got curious. What trade would use this sort of hammer? I don't think the handle is original.
Another one for the brains trust

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cheers
Joel

[mark david]

Maybe sheet-metal worker/panelbeater

[shedbound]

Sheet metal was my first guess also.

[Christos]

I take it is a light hammer.

[shedbound]

No not light Christos, its 3.3lb including the handle and about 80mm long, probable should have called it a mallet.

[Christos]

It looked small in the picture.

[artme]

Looks like it's designed to provide extra weight without making the head longer.

[Vernonv]

My guess would be that it's a blacksmiths hammer.

[orraloon]

The two side bumps are different shapes and size so it suggests they are to shape something. I am leaning to some kind of blacksmithing tasks also.
Regards
John

[son_of_bluegras]

Shares some looks with a "cat head" hammer. Short fat head that is heavier than it looks. Also appears to have small straight peen and cross peen on the sides, so I'd go for blacksmith, particularly if one face is more rounded than the other.

ron

[shedbound]

Okay, so after some searching, I came across a reference to a cats head hammer, I am leaning towards a farrier as it bears resemblance to the shape of a farriers turning hammer.
cheers
Joel

[DSEL74]

From the ones I have seen I would agree that it is a cat's head hammer. All the blacksmiths I have been working with seem to have one and none of them look to have been picked up in a while if ever, judging by the dust on them. My guess is they have been bought with job lots of old tools. So maybe a farrrier tool rather than a blacksmith??

[bsrlee]

I would say it used in a foundry to knock the baked on investment/green sand/petrobond off the castings. Whack it with the regular faces then use the side points to chip off the stubborn bits. Not the same as a spalling hammer.

[anglesmith]

Son of Blue grass and DSEL74 are correct it is a "Cats" Head Shoe Turning hammer. They are an English Farrier's hammer it enabled them to forge a finished horse shoe without changing hammers. It is exactly what it looks like a four faced hammer, they were made from 2 1/2 - 4 lb. BTW all the ones that I've seen are ball and cross pein on the side faces
Graeme

[shedbound]

Thanks for all the replies folks!