hammer heads

[micky]

I somehow acquired 6 claw hammers, but I can't find any of them.

Is the head on a ball peen hammer the same as the head on a claw hammer? I assume so but Idon't like assuming.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, So, you sound like you never used hammers. Ball pin hammer head is round.

[clare]

It is ball Pein, not ball pin, and it has a flat face and a ball end. A claw hammer has a flat face as well. They are SIMILAR but not identical on the flat striking face. The claw hammer can have several different types of striking face - a framing hammer could have a "knurled"face or a smooth face. A finishing hammer has a lightly crowned face - more like what you find on a ball Pien hammer. A ball pein hammer can be used in place of a finishing hammer to drive common or finishing nails.

[Terry Coombs]

Yup , and the other end of the head is basically the same as a claw hammer . Might not be crowned the same , and likely polished more from driving punches and chisels . But it'll still drive a nail .

[Harry K]

Well....sorta. The correct name is Ball peen. Named as such as the ball end is used to "peen" pins, rivets and such. Ball pein is also used but it is inaccurate as it does not describe the use of the hammer.

Harry K

[micky]

Thank you. That's what I meant.

And thanks everyone.

I got the ball peen hammer used and I have no idea how old it is, but it has dents in the flat face, maybe from hammering nails. If it's that soft, I didn't want to damage it more. Or maybe the dents are from rivets or something one has to hit harder than a nail????

OTOH, I don't think I've ever put a dent in a claw hammer face.

[Terry Coombs]

People beat on all kinds of shit with a ball peen . And you can clean up that hammer face on a belt sander . Just kind of rock it a little side/side and up/down to give it a bit of crown . Can be done on a grinder too , but a bit more touchy ... ((I forget not everybody has a machine shop in their back yard ...))

[Stormin Mormon]

Tony, you sound like you never looked at a ball peen hammer. One striking surface is round, the other is flat.

To the OP, claw and ripping hammers can have different faces. Smooth, or waffle face. So, there is no way to know.

[Stormin Mormon]

No, they are different. Which is why they have different names.

[Stormin Mormon]

flat face and a ball end.

Named as such as the ball end is used to "peen" pins, rivets and such. Ball pein is also used but it is inaccurate as it does not describe the use of the hammer.

Don't see that often. Harry is correcting Clare, who is correcting Tony.

Sigh. I thought it was ball peen.

[Stormin Mormon]

Ball peen hammer won't pull nails out, so no. It's not the same.

[Ralph Mowery]

I thought the claw hammer for driving nails had a differant hardness and was very hard compaired to the BP hammer. That is why they say not to bang two hammers together.

[micky]

Talk about coincidence. I was doing the Wash. Post crossword puzzle last night (from a day or two before) and one of the clues was

hammerhead and the answer was peen.

[Harry K]

I wonder if the maker was aware that "pein" is an acceptable alternate spelling :)

Harry K

[Ed Pawlowski]

It is Shark Week so the hammerhead qualifies Sharks don't have claws though. They are not as precise driving nails but will do in a pinch.

[clare]

Depends which side of the border (or pond) you are on - both names are correct. - Ball PIN is not.

[Harry K]

Well....both are ACCEPTED but if you google "pein" you always wind up with it being nothing but a "variant spelling of 'peen'". I could find no dictionary meaning of "pein" at all.

Oddly, I did find a hit for a "ball peen claw hammer" with a picture of a standard ball peen (no claw). But that seems to be from China.

I stand by my original. "pein" is used but it is incorrect. It also appears to be more a British use.

Harry K

[micky]

The xword puzzle author was probably trying to trick people. This guy likes misleading clues.

I checked again and the clue was plural, hammerheads and the answer was peens.

[J Burns]

I have it on good authority that the ball peen was invented to use on leather. They became popular when people began flying jets because they can be used at high altitudes. Also, they won't ruin shirts.

[J Burns]

A claw hammer will deter an inappropriately affectionate cat.