Lesson 1(Hammer for metal jewelry making)-Introduction

Introduction
It’s hammer time! I had to say that, sorry. Seriously, though, of all the tools you’ll have in your tool box or at your work bench, hammers can be a metal worker’s best friend, and they are really essential to the processes of fabricating metal. Both jewelry makers who work with wire and metalsmiths who work with materials such as metal plating use hammers to harden metals, straighten them, or even texture them sometimes. So they are really tools that are considered multi-taskers.
While there are a surprising variety of hammers available to jewelers, ranging from size and materials they are made of, I’m going to cover two of the “must have” hammers in this article. Most jewelry makers will find over time and practice that they may gravitate to other types of hammers, but this is an individual decision based on preference and the type of jewelry you make.

Therefore, while I suggest you have a the two hammers I plan to cover here in your tool box – a rawhide hammer and a ballpein hammer – I also suggest you experiment with other hammers to see how they fit your metal jewelry making needs.