Bumps on my 78’s rear tub/fenders? (1 Viewer)

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Back on the road last night after a busy afternoon. Additional input, moral support and most importantly, parts cleaning from Kiwidog :grinpimp:(much appreciated). Nothing seems to be smoking or falling off yet!

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Ordered a new 16 oz. ball peen from Snapon - Bluepoint branded (USA) and a little pricy. I bet it's made by Vaughan. Can't seem to find a Vaughan (ball peen anyway) locally...

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Out in Redwood today in the Cruiser and stopped at a light for a few minutes, when a woman bangs in to me from behind. Not really hard but still a bit unnerving. She backed up, I jumped out to take a look and she got out of her car, saying her foot had slipped off the brake. Then two CHP (nice guys) walked up and asked if everything was ok - they just happened to be behind her when she hit me. Her sedan's (smaller import, Honda maybe...) nose had sort of slid under the Cruiser but my driver's side bumperette nailed her upper hood and grill. I couldn't find any damage on the Cruiser (a little paint on the bumperette) so we parted without exchanging info. Maybe time for additional insurance?
 
A little put off ordering tools (paying a premium for "quality") who's catalog picture is not representative of the delivered product. Snapon's "Image shown may not be actual product but represents product or set which includes product" should read something like "note - image shown is much nicer than what you will receive...". I ordered 2 16oz hammers, the catalog image (see earlier post 901) shows a hammer much like an old Vaughan grind with Bluepoint markings. The delivered hammers are OK, but no markings of any kind and a plastic-wrap label warning to wear safely glasses. Had I seen an actual photo of the hammer I would have just ordered a Vaughan at 1/2 the price. I really like my Snapon body hammers and these will work, but one is a gift for a friend, so I'm a bit disappointed in a "hammer nut" kind of way :grinpimp:.

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That's disappointing. Hammers really are a personal thing and while any lump of iron might do, a really good hammer is way better. Solid feel and the right size and material for the task can make a tricky hit much easier to pull off.
 
I don't have any ball peens. Am I missing out on something? I guess I don't use hammers a whole lot so I usually just go for my (EDIT-3) lb. mini sledge unless I'm working on the house. Can someone help me understand why so many ball peens?
 
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Small ones for light tapping on just about anything mechanical. Big ones are old school mini sledges. Who actually uses the ball end. They suck for nails! I don't actually know the original purpose of the rounded end.
 
Awl_TEQ said:
That's disappointing. Hammers really are a personal thing and while any lump of iron might do, a really good hammer is way better. Solid feel and the right size and material for the task can make a tricky hit much easier to pull off.
Click to expand...
Kevin, I did post a product review on the Snapon website and a guy from Snapon emailed me and ask for photos. He supposed to get back... really surprised to get a response!

subzali said:
I don't have any ball peens. Am I missing out on something? I guess I don't use hammers a whole lot so I usually just go for my 2 lb. mini sledge unless I'm working on the house. Can someone help me understand why so many ball peens?
Click to expand...
subzali, A claw hammer is great for driving/pulling a nail and a 2 lb mini sledge would be a great choice for really screwing some stuff up :). I'm no hammer expert but you don't need to do much metal/body work before you figure out a few different hammers are required. A good, balanced ball peen helps (me anyway) when driving those bearing races in and out. I remember hammers being used a lot in machine shops and the only hammer I've seen in that environment (excluding soft hammers) are ball peens, in many different sizes. Can't think you would hit a drive pin punch, etc. with anything else (might get struck by lightning if you tried). Metal people swear by their hammers, regrind/modify the heads, contour/paint the handles, dip them in holy water, etc. etc. And never hit a nail with a ball peen around an old timer.

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I think I have 8 different ball peens here , use them a lot for so many things ....especially just everyday shop duties and don't know how I'd live without them . A great 18-20oz used to be had from Mac tools and Snap-On's was almost identical . The new ones are junk - you are better off finding an old one and getting a proper ash handle with epoxy set kit for it if the handle is junk (many are cracked from mis-use) . Yes , I catch anyone using a ball peen on a nail and I'll use that hammer on them to teach a permanent lesson - that is not allowed , ever . Hang onto that Starrett machinist's hammer , those are not cheap and hard to find , wish I had one here ...

Sarge
 
Ball peen is an engineers hammer , a claw hammer is for carpenter and a sledge hammer is for both If all else fails get a bigger hammer is pretty used phrase in the millwright /machinist world. (block your ears Gus) I think the ball end was originally used for rounding the shank of a rivet over. The head was support by a back-up bar and shank hit with ball peen to form another snap head (half round ball) on the other side The rivet material is ductile and soft enough to be formed by hand hammer blows.
Using then for making gasket is common in the maintenance field where sheet gasket material is used rather than cut gaskets. The remote sawmill with one millwright to keep the place going would use what was available rather than try and stock all the parts needed.
Once you appreciate the use of different types of hammers you have moved to very slightly higher level :) of understanding in the metal trades.
Good hammers are a joy to use, the feel and balance fit the hand and the right amount of force can be applied with great precision. The reason the ball peen head is not good for nails is because it has flap head where the claw hammer usually has a small crown on the head. It just doesn't feel right to use a ball peen for nails so you just don't. The small crown allows the head of the nail to be driven flush with wood surface without actually hitting the wood with hammer head and leaving a dent in the wood.

Gus, you kept the little Starrett hidden from my view.

Thanks jb
 
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kiwidog said:
Ball peen is an engineers hammer , a claw hammer is for carpenter and a sledge hammer is for both If all else fails get a bigger hammer is pretty used phrase in the millwright /machinist world. (block your ears Gus) I think the ball end was originally used for rounding the shank of a rivet over. The head was support by a back-up bar and shank hit with ball peen to form another snap head (half round ball) on the other side The rivet material is ductile and soft enough to be formed by hand hammer blows.
Using then for making gasket is common in the maintenance field where sheet gasket material is used rather than cut gaskets. The remote sawmill with one millwright to keep the place going would use what was available rather than try and stock all the parts needed.
Once you appreciate the use of different types of hammers you have moved to very slightly higher level :) of understanding in the metal trades.
Good hammers are a joy to use, the feel and balance fit the hand and the right amount of force can be applied with great precision. The reason the ball peen head is not good for nails is because it has flap head where the claw hammer usually has a small crown on the head. It just doesn't feel right to use a ball peen for nails so you just don't. The small crown allows the head of the nail to be driven flush with wood surface without actually hitting the wood with hammer head and leaving a dent in the wood.

Gus, you keep the little Starrett hidden from my view.

Thanks jb
Click to expand...

Interesting comment about the original use for the ball. When I was a kid I got a job in a steel tank factory in Kansas City. One of my first jobs was to climb a ladder up the side and then down inside a steel tank the size of a small house with a bunch of rivets and a buck. I was the helper, the guy who really knew what he was doing was outside with a set punch and hammer. I'd push a rivet though a hole, slam the buck behind it and he would bang it from outside. We would work our way around a big tank tapping signals and developing a rhythm as we went, and yes occasionally a thumb would end up in the wrong place, wrong time. Always nice when lunch time came along, but actually not a bad place to work.

Much like body hammers, if you mark/mess up the striking surface hammering nails, whatever, then that pattern gets repeatedly banged into the surface of whatever metal you're trying to form later on.

The little Starrett was around... next time :).
 
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subzali said:
I don't have any ball peens. Am I missing out on something? I guess I don't use hammers a whole lot so I usually just go for my (EDIT-3) lb. mini sledge unless I'm working on the house. Can someone help me understand why so many ball peens?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure there is such a thing as too many ball peens.
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My work table getting a little closer to a weld table. Finally a steel top, comprised of two 30 inch square hot-roll plates. Maybe a little light weight (1/4") but should work well for what I need (and I can still lift the things without help). Probably going to weld a few 3/8-16 studs to the top plate and bolt to the steel frame below - instead of permanently welding the top down. That way I can still take everything apart later if the need arises.

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