Let's see your favorite claw hammers

eveled said:
Most of my Estwing accumulation
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It's hickory or nothing for me, but I cannot deny the quality of Estwings American made products.
I have seen plenty of old Estwings with grips that are still solid, while many Stanley steelmaster TT rocket Plumb fiberglass and V&B all steels including the Craftsman rebrands with cracked loose or missing grips.
The compound and thickness of the Estwings is dialed in.
 
I have my father's old TT Rocket in 20oz which he bought new in the late 1950s, which would have the most value to me. After that I would have to go with the very old blacksmith-made job, then the old pre-WWII Plumb screw-wedge jobs I pick up whenever I can.
 
Brent Halverson said:
I have my father's old TT Rocket in 20oz which he bought new in the late 1950s, which would have the most value to me. After that I would have to go with the very old blacksmith-made job, then the old pre-WWII Plumb screw-wedge jobs I pick up whenever I can.
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We need pictures.
 
Hickory n steel said:
We need pictures.
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You don't know what a TT Rocket hammer looks like? It imay be one of the most common vintage hammers there is, the internet and every town in the USA is littered with them. And I think there is a specific thread already on this forum about Plumb Screw Wedged tools and just about everything else, photos included.
Out of the dozens of internet forums I have been, or am a member of, this is the only one I know of that does not make it easy for it's members by hosting photos, and it is the only one that asks me for two-step verification every time I log in because I don't want it's cookies littering my home computer. So I don't put up a lot of photos, and I don't visit here as often as I used to. If that bothers you then please use the ignore feature, that is if it is a feature this forum even has. Thank-you.

https://bladeforums.com/threads/plumb-screw-wedged-axes-and-hatchets.1320988/
 
Brent Halverson said:
You don't know what a TT Rocket hammer looks like? It imay be one of the most common vintage hammers there is, the internet and every town in the USA is littered with them.
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I know what they look like but that's not the point, it's that old saying " pics or it didn't happen ".
And what about that " very old blscksmith-made job " you supposedly have ?

As far as that verification thing it's a new one on me, but I'm sure there's a very good reason why the forum does this to you though.
 
Brent Halverson said:
Out of the dozens of internet forums I have been, or am a member of, this is the only one I know of that does not make it easy for it's members by hosting photos, and it is the only one that asks me for two-step verification every time I log in because I don't want it's cookies littering my home computer. .
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I believe you can shut the two step verification off, in your account setting, if you don't like it. Click on your user name up in the header bar. From the drop down options, click on password and security.

O.B.
 
I normally prefer a straighter rip claw hammer, but everybody's gotta have at least one 16oz curved claw right ?

This is my one and only 16oz curved claw, a recent addition that I really quite like.

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It's a 1980's EASCO that I'm pretty sure was made by V&B , I think I payed $6.50 for it.
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Double step wedges like V&B is known for.
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And a very nice half octagon handle ( another V&B sign ) to compliment the octagonal face.
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I was visiting my mom a few weeks back and as usual I had to visit the store where I spent nearly every dollar I could scrounge up as a teenager.
When I was 15 this place called Bargain Smart pops up about a block away with big bold letters on the front " GLOVES, KNIVES, TOOLS ", needless to say my eyes lit up and I couldn't wait for the grand opening.
The place started with just their big booth at the local flea market, added an Ebay store which I believe is called BargainSmartLLC , then eventually added their successful retail store to the mix.
I've bought a thing or two from the flea market booth, but the good stuff usually gets snatched up too quickly there.

Anyways they had a pile of these with various states of " shelf wear " and different colors of accent paint, plus a few that were branded for various Mom n Pop hardware stores ( probably HWI / DO IT BEST affiliates ). Otherwise they were all the same though, and this one had the cleanest handle so it had to come home with me.
All it needed was a light scraping and some healthy hydration.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I normally prefer a straighter rip claw hammer, but everybody's gotta have at least one 16oz curved claw right ?
This is my one and only 16oz curved claw, a recent addition that I really quite like.
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Nice cheap hammers. I have worked a lot of construction, not much anymore since I am an old man in my 60s, but I still have my union-card and still take a job now and then. I like a cheap wood-handled hammer because they are light, and a light tool box is important to old people. Also the cheap and non-collectible part is nice because I don't have to worry about beating up something that has too much historical value. The hammer in my box I used last at a supermarket renovation a few years ago may even have been made in China. I am hoping it will see some more action if I am not feeling too old when the work breaks this spring.
 
As I remember my first hammer I bought was a Craftsman straight claw wood handle in the early 90's when I was a roofer. It was lost /stolen and replaced with a Craftsman steel handle straight claw, probably maybe by Estwing. I still have it. Then I got a Vaughan "999" fiberglass handle, I still have. Good hammer .Fast forward to the last few years and I have picked up a old miller falls & one marked" hand made" but Yesterday I found a old True temper Flint edge Dynamic straight claw with the original handle and I have to say it is the sexiest hammer I have ever seen. Sleek, well designed, good balance. It's a good deal for $4.
 
LG&M said:
As I remember my first hammer I bought was a Craftsman straight claw wood handle in the early 90's when I was a roofer. It was lost /stolen and replaced with a Craftsman steel handle straight claw, probably maybe by Estwing. I still have it. Then I got a Vaughan "999" fiberglass handle, I still have. Good hammer .Fast forward to the last few years and I have picked up a old miller falls & one marked" hand made" but Yesterday I found a old True temper Flint edge Dynamic straight claw with the original handle and I have to say it is the sexiest hammer I have ever seen. Sleek, well designed, good balance. It's a good deal for $4.
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That all steel Craftsman is definately a rebranded Vaughan, I believe they were basically Craftsman's sole OEM for hammers from the 50's-2012 ( maybe not sledges). They had supplied hammers for Sears in one capacity or another since the 1880's.
If you look I'll have an M next to the Craftsman stamp which is the OEM code for Vaughan.

Btw does it happen to have that hickory Shock block in the top of the head ?
I prefer hickory handles so I don't really know for sure but I believe they've had that shock block in their steel eagles for quite a long time.
 
SEARS Craftsman 1994 - 1995:
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VAUGHAN:
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Bob`
 
Yes it does have the shock block, I will look for the M mark.
So a Vaughn? I knew they made hammers for sears but I assumed the steel one was a Estwing.
 
LG&M said:
Yes it does have the shock block, I will look for the M mark.
So a Vaughn? I knew they made hammers for sears but I assumed the steel one was a Estwing.
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I don't know if Estwing ever offered contract production, but if so certainly not for Sears.
 
Hickory n steel said:
That all steel Craftsman is definately a rebranded Vaughan, I believe they were basically Craftsman's sole OEM for hammers from the 50's-2012 ( maybe not sledges). They had supplied hammers for Sears in one capacity or another since the 1880's.
If you look I'll have an M next to the Craftsman stamp which is the OEM code for Vaughan.

Btw does it happen to have that hickory Shock block in the top of the head ?
I prefer hickory handles so I don't really know for sure but I believe they've had that shock block in their steel eagles for quite a long time.
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That is interesting. I bought a Craftsman steel/rubber handled 20oz job 40 years ago and it probably has another 80 years of life left in it. I quit carrying it in my tool box because I got older and weight conscious about my toolbox and now have a cheap hammer with a light wood handle I carry instead. But when I was a young man I would swing that heavy Craftsman all day long, switching from right to left hand and back as each arm got tired, and used it with cold chisels for months on end when doing demolition on one big job making new spaces in tile and block walls for panels to fit in, and it did not affect that hammer at all. Wish I aged that well.
 
Brent Halverson said:
That is interesting. I bought a Craftsman steel/rubber handled 20oz job 40 years ago and it probably has another 80 years of life left in it. I quit carrying it in my tool box because I got older and weight conscious about my toolbox and now have a cheap hammer with a light wood handle I carry instead. But when I was a young man I would swing that heavy Craftsman all day long, switching from right to left hand and back as each arm got tired, and used it with cold chisels for months on end when doing demolition on one big job making new spaces in tile and block walls for panels to fit in, and it did not affect that hammer at all. Wish I aged that well.
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What do you mean by " cheap hammer " ?
 
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