All this talk

[Taylor]

.....on mold mallets. Well I did it...made my own.

Details:
$17 at amazon
On hand:
leather
aluminum


Had to by:
shellac..I didn't have any
Denatured alcohol..was getting low anyway
Hose claps...what I had was either too big or too small
Had to have a couple of shiny pretties

Total spent..about $35

[Pressman]

Looks good. How do you make the head roll?

[Taylor]

Soaked the leather in shellac and alcohol mix, about 75/25. Rolled it by hand the best I could, then wrapped with aluminum I keep for gas checks. Then used hose clamps to get the good squeeze. Let it dry over night. The shellac acts as an adhesive. But added screws to make sure it stayed where I want it too.

[2A-Jay]

I would have enjoyed a project like that. Looks really Professional to me. I inherited my uncles Lyman Mold Mallet that he never used though Yours looks much better.

Jay

[Winger Ed.]

Good job.

That pocket knife looks an awful lot like GI issue.

[Wheelguns 1961]

That’s nice!

[gmsharps]

Looks like a TL29

[2A-Jay]

Looks like a TL29

I was about to mention it looks like a TL29 myself. I Have several of them All that I got for free while in the Navy.

[Taylor]

Good job.

That pocket knife looks an awful lot like GI issue.

It is. Been out 30+ years now. Been a good one. I still have my compass from my last unit. 3/502

[lightman]

Nice looking workmanship! I'm still using the same plastic faced hammer that my Grandfather had.

[mattw]

That looks awesome! How did you anchor the head to the handle?

[skeettx]

Well done, enjoy the use of it

[DHDeal]

That does look good. I've done more than a few projects that cost more than buying whatever it was but enjoyed the process and arguably had a better tool. Now all you gotta do is make a few more and your money will be amortized and you'll have 3 lifetimes of mallets!

Looks like you personalized the handle too.

[Taylor]

That looks awesome! How did you anchor the head to the handle?

If you notice, there are 3 screws. One looks different, it screws into the handle. With some epoxy for good measure.

[Green Frog]

What kind of leather did you use? For leatherwork, I've seen "Rawhide" mentioned, but I'm not sure what this actually means in this application. Please give us a progress report to let us know how well your new hammer holds up to its intended use... if it stands up to hitting the edge of a sprue plate a few hundred times every time you have a casting session, it is really tough!

Froggie

[am44mag]

I really need to make me one of those. I've been using an old piece of pine.

[Winger Ed.]

I was about to mention it looks like a TL29 myself. I Have several of them All that I got for free while in the Navy.

Yeah, it caught my eye.
I got out in 1980, and still have a couple of the 2 blade, and a couple of the survival kit 4 blade Stainless Steel ones.
People ask about them and I tell 'em they were 'Government Surplus'.

[dtknowles]

I really need to make me one of those. I've been using an old piece of pine.

Shame on you, should be hickory or ash. Actually, I don't know what mine is but it was an axe handle.

Tim

[Taylor]

What kind of leather did you use? For leatherwork, I've seen "Rawhide" mentioned, but I'm not sure what this actually means in this application. Please give us a progress report to let us know how well your new hammer holds up to its intended use... if it stands up to hitting the edge of a sprue plate a few hundred times every time you have a casting session, it is really tough!

Froggie

Raw hide is..literally what it says. raw, untanned hide. I watched a few videos on making mallets. They all used rawhide. So I bought one of those rawhide dog bones. Soaked it in water. Unrolled it. But the thickness wasn't even like in the videos. I had leather on hand that I use for make knife sheaths. So I used that. But it didn't soak up and become as malleable like it does when put in water. It did leave a tiny hole in the center that I just couldn't get rolled up. So I used a small dowel rod and epoxy to close it up. Polished the face's on the belt sander and there you have it. Yeah....I hope it works. Been using a hammer handle with heater hose on one end for years.