® When a hammer is not a hammer


When they hear the word, "mechanic", people picture an uneducated cretin swinging a hammer who is himself surprised when the thing he is beating on actually works better as a result. To rebut this notion I would like to say a career mechanic hardly owns a hammer let alone uses one. But of course that is not so. Hammers are useful. And not only does a pro mechanic own one, he usually has at least a half dozen.

  • The daintiest of all hammers in the mechanic's toolsbox is the modeler's hammer. Very small, with a tiny brass head, this one is used to remove carburetor float pivot pins and for other delicate jobs around carburetors.

  • Only slightly less genteel is the jeweler's hammer. Essentially the next step up from the modeler's hammer, the exquisitely-machined brass-headed jeweler's hammer is perfect for tapping cam bearings to shock them loose from their dowel pins on vintage Honda cylinder heads.

  • Similarly sized, the small rubber-headed hammer is useful for gently simulating road shocks into carburetors to test them for leaks after rebuilding them. This is very effective.

  • A midsized rubber hammer just a bit larger is useful for driving home cylinder assemblies so that they seat fully onto their locating dowels. A delicate tool, this and indispensible.

  • Moving up the size and impact scale we come to the rawhide mallet, made popular by the leatherworking trade. I find the rawhide mallet just the thing for unsticking carburetor vacuum tops, and perfect for knocking loose Honda 450 cam bearings (by tapping the cam from side to side). The rawhide mallet delivers just the right smart tap without hurting the part.

  • The deadblow hammer is next. This is a durable rubber composition hammer with a hollow head filled with metal shot. It delivers its force with practically no rebound, thereby transferring that force more efficiently. This means you don't have to swing it as hard, and of course together with its rubber construction this prevents it from damaging the Honda engine valve covers it is nearly always used on.

  • The deadblow hammer is not up to the task of really moving parts, but the copper mallet is ideal for delivering somewhat harder knocks without damage, and this fits the needs of installing axles on Honda motorcycles without unduly banging them up. I find it a perfect match.

  • Then finally, the ubiquitous ball pein machinist's hammer. This is always the standby for working with punches and chisels and for driving bushings, bearings and knock pins. Though it can in the wrong hands be destructive, used judiciously and wisely, it is a very useful tool.

So, yes. The pro mechanic uses a hammer, in fact several of them. But they are carefully chosen, use-specific tools that produce good work. Far from being knee-jerk substitutes for actually thinking about what he is doing, the many different kinds of hammers at his disposal are mere extensions of careful hands and thus ensure that the mechanic uses precisely the right kinds of taps and nudges required for intelligent work.


Last updated October 2024
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