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That what I did to my concrete hammer and several ax handles.

plumb no 1 and vaughn framer....Ed

Sam, it don't get that chilly down here. I lost track of the hammers I have. They range from tack hammers to a 12# sledge. My favorites for gun work are a 6# brass hammer and an 8# lead. Use them for hammer swages and forming cases in hydraulic hammer dies.

Got no fences, that's my neighbor's obsession. They build 'em, my trees fall on 'me and they get to repair it.

Not sure if it's my favorite, but my dad has a 20-pounder marked WPA. I think he bought the head for a couple of dollars at a surplus store in the 70s. Years ago, I often saw him run that thing for a couple of hours straight. I was always spent after 20-30 minutes.

There are two kinds of framing hammers. There’s the hammers you use yourself and the hammers you keep around so you don’t have to lend one of those out.

Sam, that Estwing is one of the latter.

My two framers are Ruger Titaniums with epoxy coated hickory handles, one with a waffle face and one smooth. My finish hammer is a 16oz. Hart Trimmer with a 16” hickory handle.

What's wrong with banging concrete forms together??? Been paying my bills for most of my adult life...

Estwing(although I like the newer design 19 ounce WAY better than my old 30 ounce).

Vaughn fiberglass claw (highway find) and a 3 lb Plumb here.

You do when it's a blue handled Estwing, 24oz., English Pattern Hammer!
English "patterns" are our concrete forms.

It's a very nicely curved claw hammer that swings like a dream and puts nails down like it was made for Thor. That curved claw is shaped just right for maximum torque for pulling nails when tearing down a "pattern".

I had to special order it from Estwing as they aren't normally sold on this side of the pond.

Ed

My grandmother was a caretaker of Mr. Estwing in the early '70s. I recall her salary being $400 per week.

I've got a few great hammers with my #1 favorite being a 2lb engineers hammer that is older than I am. No name on it. I have rehandled it at least 4 times, since I took it from my fathers stuff after he died in 1977

My best carpenters hammer is a 16oz vaughn glass handle that I've used since the early 1990s. I was never a carpenter on my best day and this one is seldom used anymore

Mid 1990s i bought a 6lb sledge, and cut the handle to about 22 inches. Real handy item albeit it is an el cheapo from the local farm store.

My most used hammer, Estwing cross peen 40 Oz

It didn't to happen to fall off a truck in the Midwest?

Askin' for a friend....

Busted the handle on my Vaughn framing hammer about a year ago. Been limping along with the various Harbor Freight type POS I have around. One day I’ll get around to re-hafting the old hammer.

Have a few ball peens I use quite a bit.

Scored the ball peens and about 10 pounds of various files at a yard sale.

Been swingin a Vaughn 21oz California framing hammer for 30yrs. Those all metal estwings have damaged more than 1 elbow in its day!

Vaughn fiberglass.

Came off the rack at the Sterling Farm and Fleet store.
Had been helping a friend who was (and at 71 still is) one of the areas premier remodelers. I was using a garage sale hammer and not doing it very well. This guy took me to the store and we went through about every hammer on the rack. Plumbs, vaughns, stanleys...

He explained that the hammer had to be "faced" correctly in order to strike and rebound properly. He didn't give a rat's ass about brand name. He did recommend a glass handle for ease of use, speed, and durability.

Estwing 22 ounce straight claw blue handled framer and a 16 ounce round claw Bluegrass for smaller jobs. Paid my way through college swinging that Estwing.

You'd become a "hammer elite" too if you would have broke in back when nail guns were unheard of and you stood a good chance of packing lumber for eternity if you couldn't drive a 50# keg of 16 penny CC Sinkers every day.

Most of the guys used Plumb Rigging Axes back then. Later on we graduated to Hart's when they came out.

I will admit that for building forms where you spend as much time pulling nails as you driving them an Estwing is the best I found.
I still have my form building Estwing. The claws are worn down about half way from digging with it and the handle is actually bent from pulling nails. I still have a pic of it over on PB. I'll see if I can retrieve it in a little while.
I also have a Blacksmith hammer stamped US Navy and a German single jack that's pretty cool. I think I have pix of them too.

I don't like the Estwing, that metal handle sends too much vibration to the hand.

My favorite hammer, I don't like the name but it is a California Framing Hammer, a 28 ounce hammer with a wooden handle. That is one beautiful tool.

Still got 'em. 2 Plumb and 3 Vaughan. The Vaughans are better balanced for driving