A straightforward hand-forged drystone walling hammer, now available in various weights and styles.

I have a number of friends who are wallers and chatting to them revealed a certain amount of dissatisfaction with a lot of the hammers which are currently available on the market. This is my response.

Based on feedback I have now upgraded to using EN9 steel, and I specifically shape these hammers to have good sharp corners both on the square face and the front point. I then heat-treat to a fairly high hardness to ensure longevity when working stone.

I can offer these in various weights… my “standard” hammer is 2.5lb, with an 1.25″ (32mm) square face. I can also offer 3lb, 3.5lb or 4lb versions, all with a 1.5″ (38mm) square face. These can be made in the “Pennine” style, with the front chisel point running horizontally, or a “southern” style with the chisel point running vertically. I have also made “offset” versions, with a southern style tip pushed over to the left or right depending on required handedness. Please enquire if you want something similar.

All are fitted with a 10″ hickory haft (which is readily available “off the shelf” if it needs to be replaced in the future), using both a wooden and iron wedge.

I’m never going to be able to churn out hundreds of these, but I want to support fellow craftspeople by providing decent tools for their work. As these are handmade, variation is inevitable and this includes the heat treatment – which is done the traditional way by hand and eye, not using fancy computer-controlled ovens! As anyone who works stone will know too, geology varies round the country and what will stay good for years on one type of stone will wear away quickly on another. I want to work with wallers to develop these to be as good as they can, so feedback on them is gratefully received – it helps me improve the product for the future.

As with all my products, these hammers are handmade to order – so at busy periods there may be a little wait. If you need it urgently, please let me know!

Please note: this is a stone dressing tool. The sharp corners and high hardness make it unsuitable for use on chisels, nickers, pitchers etc. – potentially this could lead to chips (and not the tasty kind!). I always advise the wearing of eye protection when hitting stuff with hammers, and please only use these hammers on stone as intended!