Cross peen hammer w/hole

[made2cut]

Excuse the intrusion into this area but I hope one of you guys can help me. I found a large cross peen hammer head that has a 1" hole in it (parallel to the handle hole). What is this used for, bending round bar stock? I searched the web and can't find a pic similar to what I have.

 

[richard thurman]

can you please up load a picture of it?? maybe someone else has seen it and knows what it is.

 

[made2cut]

I'll try to get some pics uploaded tomorrow.

 

[winterbear]

been told in the past those are lineman's hammers for turning in the climbing studs in power poles.
chris

 

[made2cut]

been told in the past those are lineman's hammers for turning in the climbing studs in power poles.
chris

I think you may be correct here. It was found along a pretty deserted road. Perhaps the handle broke and the lineman just left it. I found this pic on ebay after searching for linemans hammer http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-old-Antique-BELL-SYSTEMS-linemans-stepping-hammer-/120915380755

Mine has the peen part horizontal and not vertical.

 

[argel55]

I have two that are marked Southwest Bell. I would agree with winterbear.

 

[jll346]

Definately pole step hammer. Lineman actually have nothing to do with them. They are installed and used by the Telephone Companies. Now a days a line wrench is used to install them.

 

[winterbear]

Correct , I probably should have said utility poles in my first post. The term lineman today is more associated with the electrical power utilities but I believe back in the day it was a more universal term, think telegraph , telephone, power ect all would have had "linemen" to deal with the overhead infrastructure of their particular industry. Ever seen pics of the cities from early 1900 scary how much overhead there was. It does seem like most of the marked ones are from att or bell systems though. So I am probably full of it
Chris

 

[jll346]

Correct , I probably should have said utility poles in my first post. The term lineman today is more associated with the electrical power utilities but I believe back in the day it was a more universal term, think telegraph , telephone, power ect all would have had "linemen" to deal with the overhead infrastructure of their particular industry. Ever seen pics of the cities from early 1900 scary how much overhead there was. It does seem like most of the marked ones are from att or bell systems though. So I am probably full of it
Chris

We have a museum section at our training center. To see the primitive tools used to build the electrical system WAY back when was simply mind blowing. Once you see what they had to work with it's obvious why so many lost their lives doing the job. Its a scary job at times now. I could not imagine working in those days.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Not only was it a scary job, you worked with scary people.
When I installed a fire system in Portsmouth for Gamewell, I worked with a fellow who would tie the lead rope ( used to pull the cable from pole to pole) to his belt, slip on hot gloves, grab the bottom power line, and tightrope walk on the phone line to the next pole ( rather than climb down and back up the next pole).

We had those "lineman's" hammers as well as a "Pole Bolt" wrench to put in step spikes as well as the eye screw/bolt that the cable suspension tie/wrap hooked to. I climbed a lot of poles with climbers and on step spikes. Probably part of why my knees are so bad.

 

[jll346]

No tightrope walking here! I will agree on the climbing with spikes. I did it for 20 years and would not care if I ever put them on again. My bucket truck is much easier.

 

[made2cut]

Thanks for solving the hammer mystery everyone. Here are the pics of the hammer in question just in case someone does a search in the future. Some were taken before I attached the new handle last weekend. I've never seen anything with so many numbers and stuff on a head before.