For some time most of the anvils were made in Europe, but at present the majority that are purchased here are made by American manufacturers.
=5. The Hammers.=—Of the multitude of tools used by mechanics, the hammer is undoubtedly the most important one. There was a time when man had only his hands to work with, and from them he must have received his ideas for tools. Three prominent ones which are used extensively at present were most probably imitations of the human hand. From the act of grasping, man could easily have originated the vise or tongs for holding materials that he could not hold with the hand. Scratching with the finger nails undoubtedly impressed him with the need of something that would be effective on hard substances, and so he devised such tools as picks, chisels, and numerous other cutting instruments.
The clenched fist must have suggested the need of a hammer. The first thing to be substituted for the fist was a stone held in the hand. Next a thong of fiber or leather was wound around the stone, and used as a handle. From these beginnings we have progressed until we have hammers of all sizes and shapes, from the tiny hammer of the jeweler to the ponderous sledge. Workmen have adapted various shapes of hammers to their individual needs.
_A_, ball peen hammer; _B_, cross peen hammer; _C_, straight peen hammer.]
=6. The ball peen hammer= (_A_, Fig. 6), sometimes called a machinist’s hammer, is very conveniently shaped for forging, as the ball end is handy for drawing out points of scarfs or smoothing concave surfaces. A suitable weight of this kind of hammer is one and a half pounds, but lighter ones can be used to good advantage for fastening small rivets.
=7. The cross peen hammer= (_B_, Fig. 6) is one of the older styles and is mostly employed in rough, heavy work or for spreading metal.
=8. The straight peen hammer= (_C_, Fig. 6) is shaped similarly to the ball peen hammer, except that the peen is flattened straight with the eye. It is convenient for drawing metal lengthwise rapidly.
=9. The sledges= (_A_, _B_, and _C_, Fig. 7) are used for striking on cutters, swages, fullers, or other top tools; when they are used by the helper, the blacksmith can be assisted in rapidly drawing out metal. The only difference between these two sledges is in the peen--one is crosswise with the eye and the other lengthwise. The double-faced sledge _C_ is sometimes called a swing sledge, because it is used mostly for a full swing blow.