Seemed a shame there isn't a C&V hammer thread. So here it is! And your # 1 here needn't be vintage or solely bike related, it can just be C&V's favorite.

For me, it's gotta be the sledge. What can't it do? I like to swing it sharply on the end of a wrench to free stuck freewheels or gently tap down on things like old paint can lids with my fist around the cheek using just its weight and big steel face.

Honorable mention goes to ye ol' ball peen. First time I saw one was right after my mom got remarried. I was age six snooping through my step dad's toolbox. I was like, a ball? No claw? This guy is really weird.

Least favorite, Mike. Much prefer Marlowe, Columbo, or even Miss Marple.

And because every op should include at least one pic, here's a good looking collection from the web:


ps: I thought about starting a poll with just two options, sledgehammer and other. But, polls, schmoles.

Favorite hammer,

+1. And don't forget Archer!

Here's my submission; The Estwing on the left was my uncle's. He gave it to me about 50 years ago. It's still my "go to" hammer for working around the house. The other three were my father's and he passed away about 40 years ago. So, I guess I can call them C&V. The brass one is an ice breaker/bottle opener.

Cant touch this Hammer...

The best hammer



Edit: @zandoval beat me to it!

You know it's a tough problem at the railroad when someone says we need to use the "BFH."

Drope the hamer.

Ah, learn something new every day ..

Hebrew Hammer

was trying not to lean into the thread drift, but I will follow your lead, here's a great image of the original:
https://popflypopshop.com/products/1...10-5-art-print

Some tools were not meant for bicycles.
Hammers, pipe wrenches, old drills.
Not even as a third hand brake clamp.

But, admit it. You've used all of those on your old bikes, right?

And nice pic!

fify

My favorite hammer is a nice 2-lb cross-peen hammer with a polished hickory handle that I found lying in the road in New Mexico years ago. But as luck would have it, I was grinding up a long climb to a pass, and didn't feel like stopping to pick it up or adding it to my touring load for the climb. So I left it there. Someone else must have picked it up. I still regard it as mine, though--the later finder just has it on permanent loan. I hope that person is enjoying it as much as I am.

Rarely used on bikes, but the left 3 are C&V - more than 100 years old, from my grandpa.
Edit: the right 3.

Lemme guess, the handle has been replaced 6 times and the head has been replaced twice.
Ship of Theseus paradox FTW

The face of the hammer is the size of a quarter and the total weight is 120 grams. The turned handle appears to be cherry. I bought this from an old paint shop in Toronto when it closed. It was used to smack paint can lids shut, you can still see flecks of paint on the handle. The bulbous end makes it a cinch to pick up and put down, all day.

Sometimes you're the hammer.
Sometimes you're the nail.

About 30 years ago while wilderness camping with the Scouts. My son improvised this hammer. Ha, Its Still Around! And still being used. Its famous...

This ball peen hammer was passed down to me from my g-g-grandfather.

Both the handle and the head have been replaced, but it still occupies the same space.

Ha! Just in time. Anyone know where to get an Estwing kit to redo the stacked leather handles?

Yes, an old leather belt. The type that is thick and usually used on jeans. Probably vegetable tanned like our favorite saddles. At least some of us. I haven't done it myself. I came across it on the internet before YouTube became the go to for that type of information.

Here it is: Estwing Hammer - Leather Handle Replacement

Edit: I looked it up and there are several videos on refinishing the stacked leather handles. Here is one:

Refinishing a stacked leather handle Estwing hammer

I have a preference for Estwing hammers. Mine are the blue rubber ones that while not as elegant as the leather, they are tough. Recently, I was using my grandfather's wooden handled carpenters hammer with only an oil finish and it felt so nice that I may have to change my affection.

What I really learned is that those hammer handles that I sanded and finished with urethane or shellac are going to have to get their finishes removed and all are going to be finished in boiled linseed oil or tung oil. No more film finishes on tool handles.

Knife handle kits have the ovals of leather pre cut with the center hole or slot pre cut. Saves time. But yes, old belt or two