I gave up my striker hammer after 15 years and switched to a cross peen for most jobs

Used to think a heavy striker hammer was the only way to move metal fast, but after a job last month at the Renwick shop in Denver, my elbow was screaming for days. Switched to a 2.5 pound cross peen and suddenly I'm getting cleaner hits with way less fatigue. Has anyone else found a lighter hammer actually works better for detail work?

2 comments

2 Comments

keith2641mo ago

Ngl, I had the same wakeup call a few years back when my tennis elbow got so bad I could barely grip a beer bottle. Dropped from a 4 pound sledge to a 2 pound straight peen and it was night and day. You get way better control for layouts and scrolling, plus you can work longer without your arm giving out. The trick is letting the hammer do the work and just guiding it, not forcing it. Once you get used to the lighter swing, heavy hammers just feel like overkill for most stuff.

the_jessica1mo ago

Yeah @keith264 nailed it with "letting the hammer do the work." I read somewhere that a lot of old school smiths used lighter hammers specifically because you get more precision without trashing your joints.