I made these hammers for gunsmith jobs. These are made out of O-1 steel and harden. I draw the temper to about blue except for the face where the contact is made with a punch to a light straw color. The handles are about 10 inches long made from hickory hammer blanks. I try to find one large enough to split and make two smaller handles. The face of the hammer head is slightly crowned to the middle of the face. When you are using a hammer the 1 inch face allows for some error when hitting the punch. The handles are reduced as seen in the picture. The purpose is to allow the force of the blow to keep moving. The smaller handle is about 1/4 in. at the smallest radius. These hammers are the same ones used by hand engravers and gunsmiths. I use the smallest one for carving in wood by chasing the small chisels like metal engravers. I made the smaller one in 1967 and have used it all the time of smaller pins. Have a radius on the head of punches and you can drive them without too much movement side ways.
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