Thread: Hammer handle help needed!

I had a leather handled hammer that was my favourite until it decided to move interstate at the same time a mate did. Very comfortable.

Estwing 20oz Claw Hammer Leather Handle 318mm

Perhaps this technique could be adapted to suit your hammer:

Hammer Restoration - Making a Leather Grip - YouTube

Hmm. you're a turner of no mean skill so I would've thought your first recourse would be to turn & work up a wooden piece to match the shape of the 'rubber' part, & slip thaton to the metal shaft with a bit of epoxy to hold it. That would be what I would consider, anyway.

Maybe cut a whole batch of leather washers, glue & clamp them together on the metal shaft & then shape to suit? Never tried it & far from sure I could carry it off successfully, myself..

I much prefer all-wood handles on hammers, but a typical wooden handle is shaped with a 'neck' that adds a bit of 'spring' to the handle & lessens jar. It looks like your hammer has the handle shaft permanently attached to the head, so an all-wood handle is out.

Dunno, TTIT, as an old work colleague used to say when I showed him a difficult case & he didn't have any useful ideas: "Glad it's your problem & not mine...."
Cheers,
Ian

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

. . . . . Perhaps this technique could be adapted to suit your hammer:

Hammer Restoration - Making a Leather Grip - YouTube

Thanks for the link Graeme - certainly food for thought

Originally Posted by IanW

Hmm. you're a turner of no mean skill so I would've thought your first recourse would be to turn & work up a wooden piece to match the shape of the 'rubber' part, & slip thaton to the metal shaft with a bit of epoxy to hold it. That would be what I would consider, anyway.

Maybe cut a whole batch of leather washers, glue & clamp them together on the metal shaft & then shape to suit? Never tried it & far from sure I could carry it off successfully, myself..

I much prefer all-wood handles on hammers, but a typical wooden handle is shaped with a 'neck' that adds a bit of 'spring' to the handle & lessens jar. It looks like your hammer has the handle shaft permanently attached to the head, so an all-wood handle is out.

Dunno, TTIT, as an old work colleague used to say when I showed him a difficult case & he didn't have any useful ideas: "Glad it's your problem & not mine...."
Cheers,
Ian

Main issue with turning a handle is that the tube is oval in shape and permanently attached as you said. Epoxy might hold a turned handle in place for a while but I don't know about another 40 years (as if I will have to worry about that!!!). Putting leather over the existing handle wouldn't leave much meat outside the tube - might have to consider shortening the tube and welding a piece of flat-bar in there if I go that way

Well you liked the first rubber handle, maybe you could improve on the design now that you have given it a fair road test.

Flexicast 65 Flexible Polyurethane Moulding Rubber | Barnes Products


Note point I’ve never used this stuff,or actually any casting stuff,unless you call a five year old pushing is hand into wet clay,casting.

But for the price you might want to try.

Cheers Matt.

What about a few layers of tennis racquet grip or something similar? Wouldn't last 40 years but would be comfy and easy to replace.

Sent from my SM-A115F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Well you liked the first rubber handle, maybe you could improve on the design now that you have given it a fair road test.

Flexicast 65 Flexible Polyurethane Moulding Rubber | Barnes Products
. . . . . Cheers Matt.

Certainly worth looking at - never heard of it before - might do some research

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

What about a few layers of tennis racquet grip or something similar? Wouldn't last 40 years but would be comfy and easy to replace.

Had to Google that one . . A layer of that over an epoxy handle might just do the trick - yet another idea to ponder

I think the wood handle epoxied on is the best bet and likely going to look best also. An oval shape can be got by off center turning but I would just turn it round then shape the sides with spokeshave and sandpaper.
Regards
John

Hi TTIT,

My favorite hammer has a fibre glass handle. How about building up, using glass fibre and resin, an oversize "handle, then grinding to a shape a tad small. Then finish off with a layer of glass mat and resin. I haven't done this and it could be a pia. I don't like playing with resin but I like the balance and shock absorbing quality of the fibre glass handle.

Jim

Maybe contact Fuller directly and see if they will send or sell you a replacement, they still make these hammers in the USA. I sourced a new grip for a Vaughan hammer for a colleague from America.

Vern, these guys may be your best bet - RUBBER HAND GRIPS (jpricebath.co.uk)

What about a stacked leather handle like this? How to - Stacked Leather Puukko Handle - for Survival Mike!!! - YouTube

TTIT

I was going to link to this thread, and I still am, but unfortunately all the pix disappeared in the Forum meltdown a few years back. I will take some more pix and post here, but I have to warn that it is not an everlasting solution. My hammer is due, well actually overdue, for it's third handle or regeneration, if you are a science fiction fan: I may have to rename the hammer Dr. Who.

Regards
Paul

TTIT

Having promised the world, or close to it, I thought I was going to have to do a political style backflip as I could not find the hammer, but SWMBO came to the rescue and said "It's under the house beneath the new bathroom."

Of course it is.



What will I have to do regarding payback? Let's not go there!

Any how, here is the ubiquitous Estwing claw hammer that adorns every chippy's toolbag. I think they would sooner leave home with no jocks on than be without the Estwing. However, my hammer was not well looked after, which I confess was my own fault. After about twenty years the leather handle broke up and I replaced it with a Spotted Gum handle. This is in fact the second handle. In this regard it is closely related to the famed axe that had three new handles and two new heads. Same brand I think:

P1080073 (Medium).JPGP1080074 (Medium).JPG

You can see clearly in these next pix that the handle has split in a least two places longitudinally:

P1080075 (Medium).JPGP1080076 (Medium).JPG

The new handle is in two halves and glued together, but it has not failed along the glue line. When I replace the handle next time I will take more care and make sure the epoxy glue completely fills the voids inside the two halves of the handle. Also I will incorporate two extra brass pins. There was already one hole in the handle tang which I utilised as you can see in the next pic.

P1080077 (Medium).JPG

As you can see, it is not a foolproof restoration, but it works for a long time and even when it fails it is actually still useable: It just offends my concept of what is right. I think that with your hammer, if you went down this path, I would rout square grooves in the new handle and fill the space with epoxy glue. I would add at least three pins too.

Probably this is not generally worth the time and effort in the general course, but if it is a tool with which you are entirely comfortable, it may be worth persevering. I only undertook the task because a friend had glibly said "Just chuck it away." When I showed him the result, he stared blankly for a while and then proclaimed "You have too much time on your hands."

Not true:

Regards
Paul

Paul, I like your use of wood and the nice shapely handle you produced, but I suspect some of your problem with wood failure may be due to too much epoxy rather than too little. Epoxy on it's own is too brittle for a gap-filling role in a situation like this, where it is going to be repeatedly stressed. I reckon you'd do better making your handle as close a fit as you can, glue the two halves together, then slip it on & use rivets only to hold it in place - that would allow more "give" with less stress on the wood. I'd also select a less-fissile wood than SG - the 'handle' is just a pad providing a comfy grip & dampening jar, it's not experiencing the same stresses as a full wooden handle. I may be out to lunch on that assessment, but that's how I'd approach it (the first time...).

TTIT's hammer has a shaft that appears to be a regular cylinder & it should be easy enough to make a close-fitting wooden grip to fit it. If the fit is really close, epoxy should hold it a bit more reliably, but a couple of brass rivets might be better (& easier to remove should the new handle prove a failure... ). Whatever, he's got a plethora of ideas to work on...

And dontcha just hate it when you spend hours/days looking for something & when the other half asks why you are stomping around kicking doors & muttering expletives, she says "Have you looked in (some highly unlikely place)?", and when you do look there, just to humour her, there the darn thing is! If I didn't know how absent-minded I've become I'd suspect enemy action.....

Cheers,