Types of jewellery hammers

October 04, 2025

There are several types of hammers used in jewelry making, each designed for specific tasks like shaping, texturing, flattening, or hardening metal. Here’s a breakdown of the most common ones:

Chasing Hammer

1. Chasing Hammer

  • Purpose: Shaping, forming, and texturing metal.
  • Features:
    • Rounded (domed) face for smoothing and shaping.
    • Flat face for flattening metal.
    • Often has a bulbous wooden handle for better control.

  • Use for: Wire wrapping, texturing metal sheets, flattening wire ends.
Ball Peen Hammer


2. Ball Peen Hammer

  • Purpose: Texturing and work hardening.
  • Features:
    • One flat face and one rounded “peen.”
    • Used to create dimpled or hammered effects.

  • Use for: Decorative textures on metal, doming wire or metal discs.

Rawhide (or Nylon) Mallet


3. Rawhide (or Nylon) Mallet

  • Purpose: Shaping without marring the metal surface.
  • Features:
    • Made of rawhide, nylon, or rubber.
    • Gentle impact.

  • Use for: Shaping metal or wire on mandrels, straightening metal
Brass Hammer


4. Brass Hammer

  • Purpose: Working with steel tools without damaging them.
  • Features:
    • Softer than steel.
    • Minimizes tool damage when hitting steel punches or stamps.

  • Use for: Metal stamping, adjusting jewelry tools.
Planishing Hammer


5. Planishing Hammer

  • Purpose: Smoothing and hardening metal.
  • Features:
    • Two slightly convex faces.
    • Produces a smooth, reflective surface.

  • Use for: Flattening and refining surfaces after forming.
Riveting Hammer


6. Riveting Hammer

  • Purpose: Setting and forming rivets.
  • Features:
    • Small, lightweight with one flat and one wedge-shaped end.

  • Use for: Cold connections and delicate riveting work.

Texturing Hammer


7. Texturing Hammer

  • Purpose: Creating surface patterns.
  • Features:
    • Faces are patterned with textures (crosshatch, lines, dimples, etc.).

  • Use for: Adding decorative textures to sheet metal or wire.


Texturing Hammer


8. Cross Peen (or Raising) Hammer

  • Purpose: Forming and shaping metal.
  • Features:
    • One flat face and one narrow, wedge-like peen (running across the handle).

  • Use for: Raising bowls, tapering wire, forming edges.

Cross Peen (or Raising) Hammer


9. Wooden Mallet

  • Purpose: Gentle forming or flattening soft metals.
  • Features:
    • Made of hardwood.

  • Use for: Hammering on stakes or mandrels without marking metal.




Tags