Why do I have a lead hammer?

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I picked it up when I cleaned out that bloke's shed a few weeks ago.It's a short, heavy hammer - over here we would call it a 'lump hammer'.So what would a lead hammer be for? Yes, I know it would be used to hit stuff. But what? And why lead?Just curious.
Reply:.....Non Marking (protects what you're beating on).....(like if you're "tapping" on a hard bearing race)..........Non Sparking (in case you're beating on something while standing in a bucket of gasoline)..........Transfers the energy differently when it hits.....(doesn't bounce)..........NOT meant for driving nails or pounding on chisels.....Patrick
Reply:Also good for gently tapping things if you don't have a lot of space.But I suspect mostly the non-marking, non-sparking uses.
Reply:I think many years ago I saw molds where you could take a beat up one and make a new one.
Reply:Like the others have said, non marking. eg machine components, screw threads/heads etc
Reply:I think more for workin for oil and gas environment... I know I have a couple of funny hammer...Unit in my fab shop dept:my good hand and team that trust me...A lone welder make art... a village full of welder make Miracles...
Reply:Type of "dead blow".
Reply:Eventually will take the shape of what you are hitting repeaditly.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Because they did not have plastics that could take the beating as well "back in the day"Me!
Reply:Thanks guys.Gee, not even hammers are straightforward.When I can find an explosive environment I want to hammer in, or some machine components I want to smack around, I'll know what to use. In the meantime I'll stick to using it to bang the top down on paint cans.Scott
Reply:Now, whose got a leather hammer?I do.
Reply:Like was said above, it's an early deadblow before the plastics were around.  Nice weight, non-sparking, non-maring (to a degree). My Dad had one when I was a kid.Hobart 140 Handler w/ gasHyperTherm Powermax 380 Plasmaoxy/acetylene
Reply:Originally Posted by 6010I think many years ago I saw molds where you could take a beat up one and make a new one.
Reply:we always used them to tap hardened stamping die sections into place on their dowel pins.
Reply:I have several, they were also used to put on and take off british knock-off wire wheels. i have a leather ( rawhide counts?) hammer and the largest deadblowsnap on makes. ( dont know who really made it , but i buy all of my dead blows from snap on, when the BBs' start leaking out I get  new one.  my 2lb deadblow has been replaced with new 7 times in 10 years best 42 dollars i ever made truck payments onOh and if you drop a lead hammer on someones foot from shoulder height it willbreak three bones and cost you twenty dollars in lost betting money.insert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:Originally Posted by chenryOh and if you drop a lead hammer on someones foot from shoulder height it willbreak three bones and cost you twenty dollars in lost betting money.
Reply:no , we bet he would jerk his foot out of the way, he bet he wouldnt. we lostinsert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with it
Reply:Originally Posted by chenryno , we bet he would jerk his foot out of the way, he bet he wouldnt. we lost
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyWell I gues he won then huh?
Reply:Originally Posted by chenryI have several, they were also used to put on and take off british knock-off wire wheels.
Reply:There are at least two places in Milwaukee that specialize in lead hammers, they're actually made from babbit now but anyway, they keep alot of the local machine shops and fab shops supplied with these hammers. When we would wear one out, bring it up to the maintenance department and exchange it for a fresh one, then once in a while the guy from the hammer place would show up and exchange the hammers. We had a couple different sizes including a sledgehammer. Definitly not a thing of the past in Milwaukee.Yup
Reply:I have used a brass claw hammer and a brass spade shovel for their non-sparking qualities. I imagine lead would have better non sparking qualities and also be cheaper, but also deform easier. You definitely want no sparks while pounding out flanges on old gasoline pipes to drain the lines.
Reply:Chenry- I've had a nice heavy rawhide hammer for many years too.  I've gone through at least 3 sets of end caps.  I think it provides a sharper strike than a deadblow (less bounce) with no damage.  Just have to be careful not to miss-hit and catch the iron on a surface of value.  They also tend to leave leather "dust" on things as they get worn.Hobart 140 Handler w/ gasHyperTherm Powermax 380 Plasmaoxy/acetylene
Reply:daddy, I got a lead hammer with rawhide pads, does that count?
Reply:i wish mine were replaceable. Mine is just a Tightly rolled rawhide log.have to watch the dog when hes in the garage.insert thoughtful quote from someone else2000 Thermal Arc 300GTSW 3.5 hours1946 Monarch 20 x 54 Lathe1998 Supermax 10x54 Mill2004 Haco Atlantic 1/2" Capacity Lasernot mine but i get to play with itWhy do I have a lead hammer? And: Originally Posted by denrep ...Why do I have a lead hammer with a twisted wire handle? ...
Reply:That's cool. I want one!
Reply:Originally Posted by denrep;Ultimately, the inquiry can even come full circle to:[ATTACH18751[/ATTACH]Why do I have a lead slugger?
Reply:I have 2 brass ball peen hammers, I saved them from the scrap pile, they were used for working on liquid oxygen systems, now I use them when I work on brake systems, great for beating on something to persuade it to do what you want without dinging up the metal.
Reply:too funny!
Reply:Originally Posted by scott brunsdonI picked it up when I cleaned out that bloke's shed a few weeks ago.It's a short, heavy hammer - over here we would call it a 'lump hammer'.So what would a lead hammer be for? Yes, I know it would be used to hit stuff. But what? And why lead?Just curious.
Reply:I hate to clutter up the system with non-standard lead hammers, but look what turned up at today's garage sale stop:Attachment 19612More observant readers will also notice "dog tail" utility hooks in today's haul: Attachment 19611Last edited by denrep; 10-19-2010 at 11:34 PM.
Reply:I don't have a lead hammer but I made a bolt smacker from a 2 inch aluminum ball. I drilled and tapped it and threaded a rod for a handle. I can hold it on the threaded end of a bolt and smack it with a shop hammer to dislodge the bolt and not mar the starting threads. Same principal I suppose.SA200,Ranger8,Trailblazer251NT,MM250,Dayton225AC,T  D-XL75,SpoolMate3545SGA100C,HF-15-1  RFCS-14 When I stick it, it stays stuck!
Reply:Well goodness, looks like you hauled in a regular plethora of treasures at that yard sale. Looks like the handle is lead too. Must be to balance it out I guess. Wonder if the mold was somewhere at the yard sale too?
Reply:But! But! What about lead poisoning!?!?  Miller Syncrowave 200MillerMatic 180 AutoSetHobart Airforce 500iVictor O/A (80cf)
Reply:I have a leather mallet, got it at Tandy Leather.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:I had a 1962 MGB roadster that had knock offs, and thats what the short heavy lead hammer was for.Only lead hammer I ever owned, and it was in the trunk with the jack kit.Miller Thunderbolt 225Millermatic 130 XPLincoln HD 100 Forney C-5bt Arc welderPlasma Cutter Gianteach Cut40ACent Machinery Bandsaw Cent Machinery 16Speed Drill PressChicago Electric 130amp tig/90 ArcHobart 190 Mig spoolgun ready
Reply:There are two kinds of lead hammers,One kind is filled with lead shot - and the other is solid lead.The lead shot hammer is made to eliminate bounce.The solid lead hammer is made to tap aluminum molds when removing a casting of lead.The pins are removed and then the aluminum is tapped with the solid lead hammer to remove the casting if the casting does not come loose. This keeps the aluminum mold from getting beat up from continous use.of coarse the solid lead hammer can have many other uses as mentioned.Last edited by Donald Branscom; 07-21-2008 at 03:56 AM.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:In case anyone might be interested--- McMaster-Carr has the above mentioned hammers plus a few not mentioned.. http://www.mcmaster.com/  pg.2808  They also carry the molds and lead to make your own lead hammer in various sizes.
Reply:I have a plastic hammer, really cool light weight little thing, useful for tapping out "re-adjusted" aluminum sheet on the race car.  I'm sure to this day my son curses me for stealing it from his Playskool tool kit.I r 2 a perfessional
Reply:Lead alert! Lead hammer caught in action:Attachment 24214Attachment 24215Last edited by denrep; 10-19-2010 at 11:35 PM.
Reply:The lead hammer is supposed to keep you from breaking stuff...
Reply:A lead hammer lets you achieve the action of the BFH in a smaller package.Used to use them to tighten  24" diameter square threaded locking rings on separators for filtering edible fat (dripping or lard) in one department and also for other separators for tallow in the inedible section of the plant. Maximum impact on the big spanner but with minimal damage to it. The lead is a sort of sacrificial hammer it gives the beating but also takes one.Real handy for what Denrep was doing too. What got the dog's dander up? Or was he just checking for damage?"One of the things we have to be thankful for is that we don't get as much government as we pay for." (Charles Kettering)Mitch 180 (NZ)Lincoln SAM-400-220 + ?-400 Fordson Major + 2 x Tractapac Humber 80 + Procut 40 PlasmaMiller Spectrum 375
Reply:I have used a lead hammer quite often while working in Texas. Welding up stainless tanks that were to stay purty with no big hammer marks. They still have uses.
Reply:I use a six pound lead hammer to install and remove the knock off wheels on my 65 corvette. I would love to find a mold to re-shape my hammers. A hammer will only stay in shape long enough to install or remove about 6-8 wheels.Lee HurlbuttUpland [email protected]
Reply:Originally Posted by mudbugoneIn case anyone might be interested--- McMaster-Carr has the above mentioned hammers plus a few not mentioned.. http://www.mcmaster.com/  pg.2808  They also carry the molds and lead to make your own lead hammer in various sizes.