Rawhide mallet

[Mark Stutz]

Does anyone here use a rawhide mallet? I suffer from a lack of restraint at auctions, especially when there are no other bids. One of my hauls a few years ago was a lot of mallets. The cream of the crop was a heavy rosewood mallet. Included was a way beyond use rawhide headed Chicago mallet. Most of the rawhide had fallen out and what was there was even with the iron body.

Is it worth cleaning this up the rest of the way and replacing the rawhide? This is not the split head version, so it is not readily intuitive to me how to replace the rawhide ends. Can this be used as a dead blow mallet for assembly and such?

I have a standard modern dead blow (if I can ever unearth it) but am wondering if this is worth putting any work into.

[Frederick Skelly]

Whether it's worth the work is probably up to you. But as far as replacing the rawhide, I used a brute force method and epoxied leather to the face of a small metal deadblow hammer I made. It's held up fine for me. I'm guessing you'd want a much thicker face than what I did, but I cant see why epoxy wouldnt work for you.

Im not familiar with what the face of that type mallet SHOULD look like. But I wonder if you could cut a strip of leather about a quarter inch wide and roll it up (tightly) like a pinwheel? Youd have to pin or glue the loose end after you roll it up. But in the end, you'd have a circular pad 1/4" thick that you could epoxy to the metal face. Be fun to try, anyway.

[Mark Stutz]

Whether it's worth the work is probably up to you. But as far as replacing the rawhide, I used a brute force method and epoxied leather to the face of a small metal deadblow hammer I made. It's held up fine for me. I'm guessing you'd want a much thicker face than what I did, but I cant see why epoxy wouldnt work for you.

Im not familiar with what the face of that type mallet SHOULD look like. But I wonder if you could cut a strip of leather about a quarter inch wide and roll it up (tightly) like a pinwheel? Youd have to pin or glue the loose end after you roll it up. But in the end, you'd have a circular pad 1/4" thick that you could epoxy to the metal face. Be fun to try, anyway.

I should have posted this other view. The end is a cup at least an inch deep.

It should look similar to this modern Garland hammer, except mine has a solid head rather than split. Rolled rawhide replacements are fairly cheap.

I suppose I can just try to force it into the recess and hope the pounding makes it expand enough to stay put.

On the other hand, since no one has chimed in to say they can't get along without theirs, I may put this little project off to a snowy winter day.

And yes, it is my understanding that these have traditionally been used for metal work.

[David Ragan]

I have a couple of rawhide mallets left over from my long-gun days (then Obama happened, and made ammo nearly impossible to get--not a political statement).

A light oil is great at keeping the rawhide 'fresh'. Every year or so, I retreat them.

Am not confident at all about ability to wrap them so tight-if that was forced upon me, I would consult one of the gunsmith forums. (They don't mar the bluing on guns.)

[Noah Magnuson]

I would think that you could take about a 2" strip and put one end in a vise. Take your time and get the first part started tight and use the tension from the vise end to allow you to continue rolling it up very tight. Yellow glue about 1/3 of the width as you roll it up so it stays laminated. This will be your inserted side so the glue hardening won't be an issue. Once it is wrapped close to the right size, cut it and rubber band it. One it dries, cut or sand a bevel on the insert side and pound it in with one of your many other mallets, or better yet squeeze it in with a vise once you get it started. Run the final product through a sharp tool (knife, band saw, tenon saw) to clean up the face. Finish with a bit of oil and some pounding.

I have never done this, but it seems like it would work well-enough. It may become your favorite mallet.

[Noah Magnuson]

A quick google search for "hide mallet replacement face" get you some hits where you can buy the faces pre-coiled. That seems to be the long pole in this tent (getting a tight coil). There may be some additional tips on those sites. Personally I would rehab it. Otherwise it is just taking up space.

[Rick Malakoff]

This is a Green-Tweed No. 1 Defense Hammer, photo shows how the rawhide is installed.
I use this quite a bit with a block of wood for persuasion. It is my understanding that they were was used to form fuselage parts out of tin or aluminum for airplanes.
Rick
IMG_2969[1].jpgIMG_2970[1].jpgIMG_2971[1].jpg

[Pat Barry]

This is a Green-Tweed No. 1 Defense Hammer, photo shows how the rawhide is installed.
I use this quite a bit with a block of wood for persuasion. It is my understanding that they were was used to form fuselage parts out of tin or aluminum for airplanes.
Rick
IMG_2969[1].jpgIMG_2970[1].jpgIMG_2971[1].jpg

Interesting name.

[Mel Fulks]

I noticed right off that the Defence hammer has no Jappaning. That helps date it

[Rick Malakoff]

The one I have appears to have been rolled wet.
Rick

[Mike Holbrook]

IMG_1635_1024.jpg The wife bought this one as an antique, for display, and want let me rehandle or use it! Holbrook is our last name too, so she collects things with Holbrook on them.

I recently made a number of mallets using dogwood. Drew Langsner mentions using dogwood for large mallets for driving gluts in his book so I thought I would give it a try. Works very well, tough wood, but does not dent things up too bad either.
IMG_1580.jpg

[Mark Stutz]

IMG_1635_1024.jpg The wife bought this one as an antique, for display, and want let me rehandle or use it! Holbrook is our last name too, so she collects things with Holbrook on them.

I recently made a number of mallets using dogwood. Drew Langsner mentions using dogwood for large mallets for driving gluts in his book so I thought I would give it a try. Works very well, tough wood, but does not dent things up too bad either.
IMG_1580.jpg

Those dogwood ones look like they can handle some serious pounding! Have you used the rawhide one?

[Mike Holbrook]

Have not used it. The rawhide tends to fall out fairly easy. I do have a THOR Hammer. It currently has nylon screw on faces, but they offer a great selection of replacement faces. They do offer hide faces. They offer a wide range of hammer/mallet handles and faces/heads too. They even make one similar to the one you have.

It takes a fairly serious mallet to drive a dogwood glut or froe through hardwood and metal hammers tend to bend or break them.

[Gary Herrmann]

Dang, Mark. You already had better toys than me. Now you're going to auctions after your retirement. You sir, suck.

I do have a leather working buddy though. Let me know if you want me to connect the two of you.

And, you should come by to see the sander I bought when I was in your hood all those years ago...


The guy that's waaay taller than you.

[Mark Stutz]

Not retired yet, but getting a little closer each day! I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but that has been a a moving box for all those years! I went to that auction when I still lived in St Louis! I'll have to give you a shout when I'm back in St Louis.