Sledge Hammers!

Only dunlap i have is a hatchet and i like it very much,holds an edge good and has the best shape of all my hatchets.
 
Kevin Houtzager said:
Cool find! You are probably correct in that is a sheetmetal tool. Squares are usually for flattening out, where the round ones are for curves. Thats why it's slightly bigger heavier.

One thing though: Usually thehead is the other way around. With thepoints turned slightly upward. Try hammering on a flat surface and you know why! If the hole at the (now) top is smaller, its because these types of hammers are usually wedged to make the top portion of the head wider. Very neat hammer, and still haven't found one yet!
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Interesting. Of the many various styles and sizes of antique raising/forming/planishing hammers that I have ever found, they have universally had the faces either level or more commonly very slightly angled down.
 
Now that I think about it, I'm not aware of any standard hammer type with an upward facing striking face. All that I have seen, of every type, is either neutral or downward facing. Could you post a pic of what you are thinking of?
 
uploading pictures

This peeked my interest so I started looking. I found this, which is obviously new and in production but it says it is based off an old model. I could not find anything “old” resembling this “angle hammer”. I could see where back I. The day some tinsmitg was building some gutters or something boxie and needed to get into a corner, this would help.
 
Brian Rust said:
uploading pictures

This peeked my interest so I started looking. I found this, which is obviously new and in production but it says it is based off an old model. I could not find anything “old” resembling this “angle hammer”. I could see where back I. The day some tinsmitg was building some gutters or something boxie and needed to get into a corner, this would help.
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Sincerely, thank you for coming up with this, but I feel like it is the exception that proves the rule. :)
 
Kevin Houtzager said:
The downward facing ones: Do they happen to be the round faced ones? Or are they the same as this one: The square ones? Because pounding it with force (a no-go with sheetmetal repair) will bend the hammer heads because of the smaller stems.
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I see most hammers that way, all ages and types. Either neutral or slightly faced down. If I do a Google search I find the same result. It makes sense to me- the more downward the face angle, the more acute the elbow angle can be. A more downward facing striking face allows a more comfortable strike at mid range to higher striking heights. The above pictured hammer obviously exists, but it is very unlike what is typical, at least with the thousands of hammer that I have seen.
 
Yes I agree. Definitely the exception. I think there may have been some confusion somewhere along the way.
 
00004425.jpg

That unusual hammer type seems to be very specialized, perhaps for hammering into an angled space having less access. The listing calls it a:
MARTEAU POUR ENCLUME ANGLE
which translates to
Hammer for... enclume angle (angle anvil?)

Here's what's listed as an ENCLUME ANGLE:
00004107.jpg



This short video shows similar types of handheld anvils being used for shaping sheet metal:

 
It's an antique planishing hammer, for finish work (smoothing). The only thing unusual compared to the others that I see is the size.

I don't believe that this was made for body work, but likely for hand crafts such as making items from silver/copper etc. Not jewelry, but bigger items. Maybe armor but I'm just guessing.
 
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