Often people overlook the simple hammer and go off the method of the closest tool is a hammer. Not only can this damage tools it can sometimes unnecessarily cause damage to the thing you’re working on. By selecting the correct hammer for the job not only can you make your like easier, but you can also cause less wear on the parts you’re working on. From left to right in the above picture the hammer types are as follows: Slag, dead-blow, brass sledge, ball-peen, rubber mallet, and claw framing hammer.

Slag hammers are used when to help nock any flux and slag that was left over in the welding process.

Dead-blow hammers are similar to rubber mallets in many ways, but they differ in one keyway, they have little steel balls inside them that move dampening the bounce of the hammer and adding mass at the same time. This hammer is used when you don’t want to mar a surface such as aluminum or plastic but need the extra mass to make it move.

Brass sledgehammers are a unique tool that often gets overlooked but it has a couple unique uses. For one brass hammers don’t spark like steel tools so if you’re working in an environment where spark risk is a concern such as around a gas tank. However, in the context of day-to-day shop with this tool is used more when there is a need for a harder surface than a dead-blow, but you still don’t want to risk marring something like steel.

Ball Peen hammers are another specialized hammer and or more used for Sheetmetal work where you want to peen out or round out a piece of metal. For instance, we used this one on the race mower when we needed a little more space for the drive pulley to clear.

Rubber mallets are more used in carpentry work or with soft metals as they have a soft surface that won’t damage wood and can help tap things into alignment.

Lastly, we have the common claw or framing hammer. This hammer is what most people think of as a hammer and is used for tapping nails into place, breaking down pallets, or most other general things.