Bonney PH24 Body Hammer

[lauver]

Gang,

As most of you know from previous posts, I'm a bit of a hammer hound.  I like them old, usable, and refurbished.

This last weekend I stumbled on the holy grail, a vintage Bonney body finishing hammer.  The Bonney catalogs suggest the model PH24 hammer was sold between 1937 and 1950 for sure, but perhaps into the late 1950's.  The head is 6" end to end and weighs 13oz's.  The OAL of the hammer is 12" and is of a slender design.  The condition of both the head and handle are in fair condition and both can be easily restored.

Here's a couple of photo's for your enjoyment:







These photo's are more or less as found;  I did wire wheel the head and wipe the handle down though.

I'll continue to post subsequent photo's as the refurb progresses.

Comments and/or questions are always welcome.

[Lostmind]

Makes me want to find a car with a dented fender.
That's a beauty , thanks for sharing.

[mikeswrenches]

What makes the Bonney so desirable?  I have a bunch of body hammers, but aside from the occasional Snap-on and Blue Point, never gave much thought to rarity.

Mike

[lauver]

What makes the Bonney so desirable? I have a bunch of body hammers, but aside from the occasional Snap-on and Blue Point, never gave much thought to rarity.

Mike

Mike,

Bonney was not one of the major players in the professional tool industry. They made very nice tools, were innovative, and had a smaller but loyal following until their demise in the early 1990's.  I also think they had a limited distribution network.

That said, I just happen to like Bonney tools.  They speak to me.  And, if I am lucky enough to find one that I can use, and have the money to buy it, it going home with me.  And, if a Bonney tool needs a little work to make it right again, well that's a bonus in my book. I enjoy refurbishing them as much as I enjoy using them.

As for body hammers, I have a mixed bag of various brands, some of which are lesser brands and of lower quality.  These lower quality hammers work, but fall short in the satisfaction department.  They don't have the ring when you strike with them, they don't have the balance when you swing them, and they don't feel right in your hand when you grip them.  I get the feeling that the Bonney
folks understood this and made tools that were not only good, but also a pleasure to use.

[scottg]

Oh Yum, super Yum. I could eat that with a spoon
           yours Scott

[mikeswrenches]

Gary,

   Thanks for the excellent explanation.  It gave me new respect for their tools. 

Mike

[Jim C.]

Nice looking hammer Lauver.

[Chillylulu]

As a fellow hammer "nut" I totally understand where you are coming from.

And I totally agree about Bonney tools, I get them whenever I find them.

Chilly

[oldgoaly]

Lauver, 1959/60 they were still in Ohio, the 67 shows them in S.C. and the hammers do look like they are Fairmont/Martins.

[lauver]

oldgoaly,

Those two catalog pages are very helpful.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The 1959/1960 catalog show my exact hammer... looks the same and the description is the same.  So you've extended the date range another 10 or 11 years.

The 1967 catalog shows a different hammer... it visibly looks different and the head weight in the description is 11oz vs. 14oz in earlier catalogs.  So the PH24 changed markedly under new ownership.  And, you got good eyes... Fairmount/Martin is likely source for the newer hammer.

You sir get a gold star for the day!!!

[oldgoaly]

Glad to help. I'm a bit of a hammer head too. see pic.

[lauver]

OG,

You have a very nice assortment of body hammers of various manufacture.  I like them.

Thanks for including the photo.

[oldtools]

Looks like you do a lot of sheet metal, body & fender work...

[lauver]

Gang,

I've finally gotten around to refurbing the Bonney PH24 body hammer. And, I gotta say this was a fun project; no heavy work here, just a "lite" restoration.

I gave the head a wire wheeling and lightly polished the heads, then repainted the head with two coats of satin black (same as the original finish) and called it good.

The handle was pretty ruff and worn. So, I stripped the original finish and smoothed the handle with 220 grit paper. I then applied a medium stain (English Chestnut) followed by three coats of galoot mixture (equal parts of paint thinner, boiled linseed oil, and melted paraffin).  I smoothed the handle with 0000 steel wool after each application of the galoot mixture. The result is a satiny smooth handle with a waxy grip to it.

Note-- I have become a real fan of the galoot mix since I've started using it. It's near perfect; goes on easy, really penetrates the wood, has a nice feel to it, looks great, and can be reapplied anytime the handle becomes damaged or gets grimy from use.

At any rate, here's a few photo's:










Hope ya like it.  Questions and/or comments are always welcome

[Papaw]

Great work, Gary!!!