This “flash” has to be removed using trimming dies which clamp the desired shape cutting off the excess material due to the enormous force at which the dies are brought together. As you might expect when excess molten steel is forced out of the dies it can form what is known as “flash” which is effectively unwanted steel compromising the shape of the hammerhead. This is repeated numerous times eventually, bit by bit, creating the finished article. One of the dies is static while another is brought down with force creating immense pressure which moulds the molten steel into the required shape. This process softens the steel bars which can then be manipulated into the shape of a hammerhead using an array of dies. Creating the hammerheadĬan you imagine the individual force drawn down upon a hammerhead not to imagine the cumulative force over the life of a hammerhead? These elements of the hammer are created during a process called “hot forging” which sees a steel bar heated to temperatures approaching 2350☏ (1300☌). We take many things for granted in the modern world but the ability to balance good old-fashioned brute force together with accuracy is not easy. Believe it or not the force created by a hammer blow is directly proportional to the weight of the hammerhead, the length of the hammer handle, the force with which it is driven down (or up) and good old-fashioned gravity. The shape, size and material used for each of these elements will vary depending upon their use. While there are many different variations on the traditional hammer they all have two main components which are the head and the handle.
What we see today is very often taken for granted but we do know that the range of modern day hammers can be traced back thousands of years. Indeed archaeological digs from 200 BC show that the ingenious Romans had created a range of different types of hammerhead with even a “claw hammer” dating back to 75 AD discovered during Roman settlement digs.īy very definition, the fact that a “claw hammer” was available in Roman times would seem to indicate that metal nails were also a common construction tool. In reality this was the first major breakthrough in the design of the modern day hammerhead allowing for much tougher materials to be used in construction. There is historical evidence to suggest that bronze/copper hammerheads were used around 3,000 BC in an area of the world we now know as Iraq. However, it was only really in the Bronze Age that we saw the creation of the hammers styles which we see today and often take for granted. The first hammers date back to 2,400,000 BC when stones were used as the hammerheads then we have the first real modern day hammer with stones attached to sticks via strips of leather and animal sinew (dating back to 30,000 BC). When we use the term “hammer” we all know what to expect, what they are used for but do you realise how many types of hammers there are and their crucial design elements? In its most basic form you can describe your hammer as a handheld tool which is simply used to strike another object. This post was originally published in October 2016, and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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