Cross peen hammer head flew off after 4 hits yesterday

I was forging a small drawknife at my shop in Austin when the handle on my favorite cross peen just snapped at the eye. The head flew across the shop and dented the garage door pretty bad. Anyone have tips for wedging a new handle so it actually stays put?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomasgonzalez17d ago

Damn dude that sucks. I had the same thing happen with a ball peen last year and it put a dent in my workbench that I still look at every day. Good luck getting a new handle seated tight, maybe try a metal wedge instead of just wood?

ramirez.vera17d ago

Talked to my buddy Carl about this exact thing @thomasgonzalez. He tried fixing a framing hammer with just wood wedges and that handle flew off on the second swing, nearly hit his dog in the yard. Ended up having to drill it out and start fresh with a metal wedge and some epoxy. Said the hammer never felt the same after that, always had a little wobble. Makes you wonder why they even sell those cheap wooden wedges in the first place, right?

beth_park17d ago

Ever tried heat shrinking the handle before driving the wedge? @ramirez.vera I had the same wobble issue until I soaked the handle end in linseed oil overnight, then it swelled up tight as a drum.