Cogar's unknown hammer

[waywardangler]

Cogar, L.A. Sayre made many tools but I do not see this exact head listed in my books.  I see some similar heads but not exact.  It looks like the top of the curved section is serrated.  Is this true?  Is the bottom inside curve sharpened to cut?  Is the tip sharpened to pierce, just a dull point, or a flat blade for prying?  Could you supply a view of the whole head from the top, bottom, and close-up of the side?  My thoughts right now are a lathing hammer or crating hammer but I need to see other views to search my books again.

[regularjoe2]

I saw one , very much like this one , down in a boatyard in San Diego in the mid 1960's .

A man was using it , along with other , more typical tools , to caulk a wood-hulled boat (oakum & such) .
He said it was a chinking hammer that his father had owned for years .

[waywardangler]

Cogar, does the 'blade' part of this hammer look like a 'user ground' modified hatchet or do you think this is a completely factory original head?

[waywardangler]

A similar single blade hammer as shown was used for fencing.  The single curved blade pulled staples from the wood fence poles.  The flat head nailed them in.

[cogar]

Wayward, thank you much. I thought about starting a new post but was so cited when I seen you had those books I just added my request onto that thread. Now to answer your questions:

No, the top of the curved section is not serrated. That is where it has been “compressed” as a result of being pounded on with another hammer I assume.

Yes, the bottom inside curve is sharpened to cut and the tip is sharpened to pierce.

And no, it is not a lathing or crating hammer and yes, I believe this is a completely factory original head.

Wayward, my guess is it was maybe made for use by a tinsmith or roofer for installing tin, copper or zinc roofing or flashing. The face of the head is identical to that of a lath hammer. Now whether or not it was made for that purpose but someone used it for like an “air chisel” like to cut lengthwise through sheet metal. That is just a guess though.

Following are the pictures you requested and I also included one of a lathe hammer I have (so others would know what we are talking about.) That old 1862 farm house I renovated had the “split & spread” lathe like this hammer was used for installing.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I wish I could be of more help on this one, but I CAN say that having helped caulked a traditional wooden-hulled tall ship a few years ago, the design of the hammer does seem practical for wedging oakum between the planks of a ship. I wish I had paid more attention to the tools we were using!

[waywardangler]

I am sending a pic to The Hammer museum as I do not have any reference material with this same head pictured and there are many, many heads shown.

What it mostly resembles, is a billhook design shrunk to hatchet size with a hammering face.  What the practical use of that would be is a mystery.

[cogar]

Thanks Wayward. I have been asked dozens of times if I wanted to sell it and I've always sand "NO", at least not until after I find out what it is. 

When I bought it at auction several people asked "Why in the world did you pay that much for an old hammer"?

I told them , "Because I have never seen another one like it anywhere".

[sapphire]

Cogar, how about giving these people a shout out?  Seems like that have quite the growing collection.

http://www.timelesstools.co.uk/index.htm

There are also some links on this site that may be helpful.

[cogar]

Thanks Sapphire, I sent them a query w/pictures.

[KC]

Cogar, several years back I had a mason from Mexico make a retaining wall out of all of the large rocks that my family had collected.  He had a hammer similar to this - although I don't believe it was the original purpose of the hammer.  But he was a master using it.

It looks more like a woodworking hammer to me.  For ripping, rasping, splitting.  Like a floor workers hammer that was used to laying linoleum or the metal ceilings that were so popular.

I had to hijack this thread....but got to wondering about a small hammer that was my grandparents.  We just use it to hang pictures and small jobs in our home....I always thought the inside tool was a cork screw....but read it was for worm holes....any input?
Mine is exactly like 007
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bullworks.net/hcssale/hammer/ham001.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bullworks.net/hcssale/hammer/&usg=__FlPWTqxZuhFFyWt5C8b2rK_Ofno=&h=502&w=356&sz=33&hl=en&start=97&sig2=6E1xJoeXNPE9Ug4wnSBcmg&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=tfyNr4ZRTJbzlM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dantique%2Btool%2Bhammers%26start%3D90%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=cK6rS7zMO4SVtgeFsrCyDw

[cogar]

KC, I've never seen that type of little hammer before but I'm pretty sure that is a corkscrew for wine bottles.

Just guessing, but maybe the hammer end is used for "cracking" ice for drinks and/or "chipping" ice off of a block.

[KC]

Yep, I spoke too soon....I googled the inventor's name under patents...these type of devices have been around for bar ware since the late early 1900's.  Some are pretty darn expensive too.  This one was invented in 1948 and patented in 1950!

You're right, it was for chipping ice off of the block!!!

Thanks for the help!

I sent pics of your hammer out to a couple of vintage/antique tool collectors as well...hope to hear back on it!

[cogar]

KC, I took Sapphire's advice and E-mailed Timelesstools in the UK @ 7:30 am and he replied back @ 2:50 pm. He didn't know what it's purpose was but he asked, and I said fine, and he posted my hammer picture on a new "Mystery Page" on his web site. To wit, check it out:

 http://www.timelesstools.co.uk/mystery_tools.htm

I thought that was super nice of him.

[regularjoe2]

KC - perhaps yours was the origin of the expression "gettin' hammered" ?