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Get to Know Your Hand Tools Texture Hammers

by Helen I. Driggs
There are lots of ways to directly texture metal, but one of the most fun ways is to use a hammer with a face that is specially designed to create patterns on metal. Some texture hammers have fixed faces - meaning each of the two faces on the hammer is carved with a different design, or interchangeable texture hammers, which feature a mounting bracket and either screw-on texture heads, or texture heads that insert into a screw on collet. I've seen interchangeable hammer sets with as many as 10 different design options.
Instructions
Get to Know Your Hand Tools – Texture Hammers
Any hammer will make marks or texture on metal, but when choosing a specialty texture hammer it is important to watch for sharply defined designs on the face, but smooth edges on the perimeter of the hammer face — otherwise, you’ll create dents right along with your texture. If you find a hammer you love that has edges that are too sharp, sand them — because what you are going for is texture, not dents.
Pro Tip: 1. Always use a steel bench block or anvil under the flat metal you are texturing to prevent it from curling or deforming.
Pro Tip: 2. Practice hammering with a texture hammer on scrap metal first — every hammer feels and behaves differently, so don’t unintentionally ruin your silver by jumping in too fast.
Pro Tip: 3. I texture metal in a specific path, across the annealed, dry sheet metal from right to left because I am right-handed and I hold the metal with my left hand. Then, I move down to the next “row,” which may seem a little obsessive, but this method makes it easy to get an even allover texture while avoiding work hardening the metal in random places and not in others.
Pro Tip: 4. Finally, think about it. There is no reason why you can’t use a texture hammer on wire…
HELEN I. DRIGGS is an experienced metalsmith, lapidary and studio jewelry instructor and has appeared in 6 instructional jewelry technique videos. Her book, The Jewelry Maker’s Field Guide was published in 2013.

Materials

Ultimate Sheet Metal Bundle
Ultimate_Sheet_Metal_Bundle
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
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Wire
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Tools

Checkered / Wide Pinstripe Texturing Hammer
HAM-460.01
  • HAM-460.01
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
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  • Price: $19.97
  • Gold Club Price: $14.98
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Narrow Sharp Stripe / Dimples Texturing Hammer
HAM-460.02
  • HAM-460.02
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
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Professional Texturing Hammer With 12 Faces
HAM-480.00
  • HAM-480.00
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
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  • Price: $47.97
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Texturing Hammer with 9 Faces
HAM-470.00
  • HAM-470.00
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
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  • Price: $47.00
  • Gold Club Price: $35.25
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Crosshatch / Stars Texturing Hammer
HAM-460.03
  • HAM-460.03
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
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  • Price: $19.97
  • Gold Club Price: $14.98
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7 Piece Mini TruStrike Hammer Set with Stand
HAM-520.70
  • HAM-520.70
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
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  • Price: $140.54
  • Gold Club Price: $105.40
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Bench Block Helper with Steel and Nylon Blocks
DAP-500.30
  • DAP-500.30
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  • Price: $29.95
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  • Category: Tools
  • Technique(s): Design

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