What Can a Tinner’s Hammer Be Used for?

You know what a hammer is. It is the most basic of all striking implements and variants of it have been used since man’s discovery of simple machines. As a wedge provides the mechanical advantage to separate a medium, a hammer magnifies the force that can be applied to a medium for shaping, breaking or driving.

The familiar image of a hammer is that of a claw hammer that is the constant companion of carpenters. Typically these consist of a featureless wooden handle and a head with a striking face that may or may not be textured so as to provide a slip-resistant striking surface. At the other end is a forked claw that can be used to coax out stakes, spikes and nails.

But this is only one type of hammer. There are infinite other forms of hammers, such as blacksmith’s hammers, engineer’s hammers, brass hammers, brick hammers, drywall hammers, tack hammers, sledgehammers and so many more. A tinner’s hammer is but one of them, but like the others, is defined by its specialized features.

Tinner’s Hammers: It’s about Specialization

Even the term “tinner’s hammer” may beget some inconsistency, as not all tools that are referred to by that term will be evidently similar. However, many tinner’s hammers, which may also be called “sheet metal hammers” will take the form of a handle with a head that has a flat forming face and a wedge at the other end.

These tools, though general by comparison to some other hammers, are very specialized tools. The flat face can be used for forming metal and making bends and seams. It can also be used as a sort of die for creating marks and alterations in the surface of metal.

Even featureless, flat faces can be used as striking tools for driving punches, chisels and wooden wedges, and they have another advantage – peening out or mushrooming the heads of rivets.

When a rivet is driven, the process can be finished by flattening out the head of the rivet, which causes it to expand around the medium through which it has been driven. This both tightens the connection and makes it stronger.

Tinner’s or sheet metal hammers, can also be instrumental in forming bends or seams in the absence of more specialized tools. This is even more noticeably the case when a sheet metal hammer has a wedged face on one end of the head, which can be used as a die for shaping bends and beginning seams.

Some other specialized forms of metal working hammers can also be used to polish the surface of a sheet of metal, in a process known as planishing. Typically these types of sheet metal hammers have smooth faces – even mirror polished faces – that can be used to “flatten out” imperfections in the surface of sheet metal that have been formed by striking, handling or bending. Some sheet metal hammers are produced from non-marring materials like wood or PVC that, being softer than most sheet metals, will not mark or damage it.

In addition to these functions, there are several other specifically designed types of hammers that can be used in conjunction with tinner’s hammer (and may even be called by the same name). These include but are not limited to seaming hammers (useful for starting sheet metal seams) , planishing hammers (used for polishing) and angled and stretching hammers (both of which can be used for raising and forming sheet metal stock).

Whether you’re looking for a solid steel tinner’s hammer with a rock solid head and handle that offers unsurpassed balance and temper, or just something more generalized, you’ll be able to find it here in our collection. Let us know if we can help you find the specialized tool you need, or if you have any questions about uses or different designs!

John Stortz & Son Stands for Quality

For over 150 years, John Stortz & Son has been providing high quality tools to craftsmen in a variety of different industries, including but not limited to sheet metal and slate roofers. We also produce tools for a variety of other niche trades, including cooperage tools, masonry tools and gardening tools.

Since our beginning, we’ve been guided by the principles that quality should underlie the products of all trades. A craftsman’s skill is highlighted best by a reliable tool that consistently performs according to expectations and we believe in buying something once, and getting quality right the first time.

That’s what we offer our customers. We avoid the standard procedure of producing quality that is “good enough” – because “good enough” is not “good enough” for us, and it shouldn’t be for our customers. When your reputation is on the line, you should only trust it to the best, which is where the value of quality tools comes into the picture.

Buy it once, buy it for life. Call us at 888-847-3456 if you have any questions – we’re glad to help.