Kladívko 02

Small engineer's hammer, weight around 56 grams

This is a miniature of the classic engineer's hammer, that is, of the type with one flat striking face and a ball on the other. The ball side is not decoration: it is used to peen over the end of a rivet, to shape sheet metal into a curve and for work where the flat side would leave an edge. The weight of around 56 grams is deliberately low. In modeling work what matters is not the force of the blow but its precision, and a light hammer can be guided more surely than a heavy one.

Use

• Guide the hammer from the wrist, not with the whole arm; precision matters more here than force.
• Drive and true up with the flat side, shape and peen rivets with the ball side.
• Always put a firm support under the work; a soft base absorbs the blow.
• Do not use the hammer directly on modeling plastic; always work through a pad or a tool.
• Keep the handle dry and firmly fitted; a loose head is dangerous.
• Lay the hammer down with the head flat; stood on its edge it easily falls over.

Who it is for

The hammer suits modelers who work with metal, rivet photo-etch, shape sheet metal or build wooden models. It also comes into its own in fine work around the house where an ordinary hammer is too coarse. It is a tool that will not appear on the bench every day, but when it comes to a rivet or to shaping sheet metal nothing else will do. Improvising with another hammer turns out badly here.

Store the tool out of the reach of children. Protect your eyes when shaping metal; the fragments that fly off are small and fast.