DISCOVERED AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT DEAD BLOW HAMMERS
- Thread starter chief38
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I picked up a set of three deadblow hammers from a local guy that has a pawnshop/tool store. They are all made in China and I picked up all three for what I'd have paid for one "quality" deadblow. The only downside I have found is that the plastic side plate with the name stamped on it will loosen and fall out, I remedied that problem with a heavy dose of industrial grade super glue gel...they don't fall out now. I use one where I do all my bullet casting, its perfect for smacking the sprue clear in one shot. Another stays with my car and is primarily when I pound my cross-sticks into the ground when shooting. The middle weight is on a hook in the shop.
Frank46
US Veteran
I am a "sometime" artilary or naval gun case collector. By sometime I mean when one comes my way if I don't have that particular item I'll try to buy it. My favorite tool for correcting bent necks and trying toremove dents is a dead blow hammer. I keep a few large aluminum bars in the garage that can be placed into my vise and use that as a mandrel over which the casing is placed and use the deadblow hammer to remove the dents as best as I can. My oldest casing is from Germany WWI and my newest one is a vietnam era 105mm that was marked air force only. Probably for the ac-130 spector gun ship. Frank
Nuplaflex hammers. Have used them for years to fine tune run-outs to 0.0002" or less, such as with the bore of this compressor hub:
The hammer faces come in differ hardnesses, and there's a size for most any application.
Bottom is an SPS-305SG (5 lb. 15.5" handle.) Top is one of my old hammers, which probably is discontinued, although there's still tips made for it.
The hammer faces come in differ hardnesses, and there's a size for most any application.
Bottom is an SPS-305SG (5 lb. 15.5" handle.) Top is one of my old hammers, which probably is discontinued, although there's still tips made for it.
I had a set of those stinky screwdrivers, and in addition to the stink, a thin layer of some kind of clear oily liquid has developed on the surface of the handles as well. The smell is so acrid, like vinegar (acetic acid), that it concerned me that it might be on the corrosive side, so I tossed the whole set and bought a set of the Professional grade Craftsman screwdrivers which has served me will for over 15 years.
My other Snap-on, Proto and Bonney wrenches, sockets and tools are still going strong, you do get what you pay for when it comes to those.
OP
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I too own a Craftsman set (set of 3 Philipps) of professional Craftsman screwdrivers as well and I agree with you that at least in this case the Craftsman Pro's are better than the Snap-on's.
The funny thing is that I have two different era Snap-on sets of screwdrivers and the older version handles seem to be made of different material and do not smell as bad. The ones I inherited from by Dad are the ones that smell. I do not know exactly when he bought them but I'd guess around the early 1980's. Since I only brought those to my home relatively recently I am new to this stinky scenario.
I am now told by friends that other brands of screwdriver and nut driver handles made of similar materials also stink so I suppose this is not isolated to Snap-on.
I do not know if Craftsman still makes the USA Pro line of screwdrivers but they are good.
The BEST BEST screwdrivers (and my go-to's) are the Hollow Ground Brownells Magna-bits OR their fixed blade versions. The Magna-bits are made by a bit company called Apex and they are simply the BEST I have ever used! At this point I rarely use standard configuration screwdrivers anymore.
Apex also makes their Phillips bits with serrations on the side to better grasp Phillips Head Screws. I purchased those direct from Apex years ago and do not know of that version is available from Brownells - but definitely worth asking.
The funny thing is that I have two different era Snap-on sets of screwdrivers and the older version handles seem to be made of different material and do not smell as bad. The ones I inherited from by Dad are the ones that smell. I do not know exactly when he bought them but I'd guess around the early 1980's. Since I only brought those to my home relatively recently I am new to this stinky scenario.
I am now told by friends that other brands of screwdriver and nut driver handles made of similar materials also stink so I suppose this is not isolated to Snap-on.
I do not know if Craftsman still makes the USA Pro line of screwdrivers but they are good.
The BEST BEST screwdrivers (and my go-to's) are the Hollow Ground Brownells Magna-bits OR their fixed blade versions. The Magna-bits are made by a bit company called Apex and they are simply the BEST I have ever used! At this point I rarely use standard configuration screwdrivers anymore.
Apex also makes their Phillips bits with serrations on the side to better grasp Phillips Head Screws. I purchased those direct from Apex years ago and do not know of that version is available from Brownells - but definitely worth asking.
The guy on the truck likes those big dealerships where there is a crew of guys vying to have the most impressive toolbox. Work at a small country airport and they quit coming after a few weeks, UNLESS, you keep a small balance.
J. R. WEEMS
Member
TOOLS
I was taught, and practiced always buy the best tool you can afford-- I must take exception to the Harbor Freight comment. At my age I just buy what I need. These days I do not give a whole lot of thought as to where it comes from, although I DO think about it. If HF has what I can use then most of the time they will get the nod. Out here where you can hardly ever find what you you need, I buy it any where I can. Recent example-- when I got my Sinclair Wilson trimmer I figured out right away I didn't want to be knocking brass in an out with a hammer--- strolling thought HF I saw a couple arbor presses. the smaller one would suit my needs just fine. Yes, made in China, and a bit on the rough side as far as finish goes but a few minutes with some wet dry paper and it was great. At 40 bucks, for the intended use it was perfect. Home it went-- some time later when I got a new Sinclair catalog I noticed they had their version of such a press, at 3 times my cost--
and, it did not look like it was as sturdy as would be needed. Be that as it may a couple modifications and mine was set to go-- severalhundereds of rounds later I feel it is very successful for my needs-- the new HF store here is great. They were around for just years as a catalog only store, for most of us so they must be doing something right. 
Here is that arbor press with a few Mods-- Since this photo I added a piece of .380 brass to the hole I drilled for the small brass rod and it works much better--
I was taught, and practiced always buy the best tool you can afford-- I must take exception to the Harbor Freight comment. At my age I just buy what I need. These days I do not give a whole lot of thought as to where it comes from, although I DO think about it. If HF has what I can use then most of the time they will get the nod. Out here where you can hardly ever find what you you need, I buy it any where I can. Recent example-- when I got my Sinclair Wilson trimmer I figured out right away I didn't want to be knocking brass in an out with a hammer--- strolling thought HF I saw a couple arbor presses. the smaller one would suit my needs just fine. Yes, made in China, and a bit on the rough side as far as finish goes but a few minutes with some wet dry paper and it was great. At 40 bucks, for the intended use it was perfect. Home it went-- some time later when I got a new Sinclair catalog I noticed they had their version of such a press, at 3 times my cost--
and, it did not look like it was as sturdy as would be needed. Be that as it may a couple modifications and mine was set to go-- severalhundereds of rounds later I feel it is very successful for my needs-- the new HF store here is great. They were around for just years as a catalog only store, for most of us so they must be doing something right. Here is that arbor press with a few Mods-- Since this photo I added a piece of .380 brass to the hole I drilled for the small brass rod and it works much better--
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Thanks! This is good info and a good recommendation.
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What models do you recommend for gun-smithing?
OP
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Good info to have. Thanks.
OP
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Harbor Freight tools DO have their place. For someone who needs a specific tool for a single task and will more than likely never repeat that task with said tool again, than a HF "single use" tool would be fine if it is capable in the first place. If you are an occasional user who is only doing something as a Hobby and does not rely of tools for his paycheck, HF might be a viable solution. They obviously have their following!
I use tools on a daily basis indoors and out, at home and at other locations and I would not want to rely on HF tools when I need to know that a tool must work, maintain trueness and take some sort of unintentional abuse. While I never purposely abuse tools, I will not say that I have never dropped them from ladders, trees, roofs, etc. When on a specific job stuff happens and you can't always run out to the nearest HF to replace it.
HF does carry different lines and different levels of stuff. The stuff from Taiwan does seem a bit better than the stuff from China but again, IMHO does not compare to professional grade tools. I do also get that not everyone uses tools as I do and a screwdriver to put in a couple of screws a year might be lost before it even fails - got it.
I have no intentions of judging people by what brand their tools are and because there is not a day that goes bye that I don't have a tool in my hand I sometimes forget not everyone is like me.
I take pride in my work, have a very high work ethic and unless I have no choice I usually buy the best tools I can afford. There have been very few failures in the tools I have owned for decades but will sadly admit that high quality tools are getting way too expensive and much harder to find since the "Chinese invasion". Many of the tried and true trusted brands of yesteryear are just names now on Chinese imported tools
so I sometimes look for old stock - NIB tools when buying new ones that are not what they use to be. I have a very high success rate in getting what I want but have to pony up more than I'd like most of the time.
I have purchased a few non-tool items from HF such as work gloves, Teflon Tape, blades and have NEVER been happy with those purchases. Cheap is the initial cost and I find that in the long run higher quality supplies actually cost less, go much farther and work much better in the long run. Haven't been back to HF in 2 years and now buy stuff mostly on-line because it is getting harder and harder to find a brick & mortar store that actually carries what I want. YMMV
I use tools on a daily basis indoors and out, at home and at other locations and I would not want to rely on HF tools when I need to know that a tool must work, maintain trueness and take some sort of unintentional abuse. While I never purposely abuse tools, I will not say that I have never dropped them from ladders, trees, roofs, etc. When on a specific job stuff happens and you can't always run out to the nearest HF to replace it.
HF does carry different lines and different levels of stuff. The stuff from Taiwan does seem a bit better than the stuff from China but again, IMHO does not compare to professional grade tools. I do also get that not everyone uses tools as I do and a screwdriver to put in a couple of screws a year might be lost before it even fails - got it.
I have no intentions of judging people by what brand their tools are and because there is not a day that goes bye that I don't have a tool in my hand I sometimes forget not everyone is like me.
I take pride in my work, have a very high work ethic and unless I have no choice I usually buy the best tools I can afford. There have been very few failures in the tools I have owned for decades but will sadly admit that high quality tools are getting way too expensive and much harder to find since the "Chinese invasion". Many of the tried and true trusted brands of yesteryear are just names now on Chinese imported tools
so I sometimes look for old stock - NIB tools when buying new ones that are not what they use to be. I have a very high success rate in getting what I want but have to pony up more than I'd like most of the time. I have purchased a few non-tool items from HF such as work gloves, Teflon Tape, blades and have NEVER been happy with those purchases. Cheap is the initial cost and I find that in the long run higher quality supplies actually cost less, go much farther and work much better in the long run. Haven't been back to HF in 2 years and now buy stuff mostly on-line because it is getting harder and harder to find a brick & mortar store that actually carries what I want. YMMV
45Wheelgun
Member
We have been contacted by Trusty-Cook and they would like to offer our forum members a 20% discount on on-line purchases.
A message from Trusty-Cook:
We have the discount code setup on our website for Smith & Wesson Forum members. The discount code is guns20. Your members will need to enter this code as the Coupon Code in the lower left hand corner of the cart page and then hit the gray "Apply" button to the right. This will take 20% off the list price of the order. It's possible when building multipacks to receive up to 30% off list price on an order.
Those who have questions can send an email via the website. It would be great for me if they mention they belong to the Smith & Wesson Forum when they send the inquiry. If anybody gets in touch with you directly and wants to know who to speak with at Trusty-Cook, feel free to give them my email.
A message from Trusty-Cook:
We have the discount code setup on our website for Smith & Wesson Forum members. The discount code is guns20. Your members will need to enter this code as the Coupon Code in the lower left hand corner of the cart page and then hit the gray "Apply" button to the right. This will take 20% off the list price of the order. It's possible when building multipacks to receive up to 30% off list price on an order.
Those who have questions can send an email via the website. It would be great for me if they mention they belong to the Smith & Wesson Forum when they send the inquiry. If anybody gets in touch with you directly and wants to know who to speak with at Trusty-Cook, feel free to give them my email.
OP
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EXCELLENT! Hope some here take advantage of the discount - I know I will
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