The hammer face shouldn't be perfectly smooth

I keep seeing guys online grinding their hammer faces to a mirror finish and it drives me nuts. Spent 3 hours last weekend at a shop in Birmingham watching a guy struggle because his hammer kept slipping off the steel. A slightly textured face grips the metal better and leaves less scale pitting. Anybody else prefer a peened finish over polished?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan_webb1mo agoTop Commenter

Exactly, a slightly peened face changes everything for grip and control. A mirror finish looks pretty but turns your hammer into a slipping hazard once any oil or scale gets on it.

bennett.mason12d ago

My grandpa's hammer had a face like the moon's surface and he never missed a nail.

cameronn621mo ago

Honestly, "turns your hammer into a slipping hazard" is the best description I've heard for it. @jordan_webb nailed it. Ngl, I watched a guy on YouTube spend 40 minutes polishing his face just to immediately dent it on the first nail. All that work for a tiny mirror he can't even use.