I am wondering what kind of hammer this is.

[meenman]

Hi I am wondering what type of hammer this is. Age, maker ect. It has claw hook in the middle. Made of steel? has leather rings on the handle. It is 11" long and 8.5" wide. Any info will be helpful. Thanks Aundra.

[meenman]

Thanks I found it. It is an Slaters hammer. Anyone have any thought's of age?

[Aunt Phil]

try searching "zax"

[Papaw]

A slater is one who installs slate roofs. The foundations of this trade like almost all others go back to Europe. There are a few specialized tools of this trade, one of these being the hammer. Early ones were hand forged and over the years, the form of the tool got more refined although the functionality remained the same. There is a small face, since the nails used were small, a point for punching the nail holes in the slate at the other end of the head, a set of nail claws, almost always on the side of the head and the shaft, which is beveled and sharpened on the one side for breaking small pieces. The earliest handles were wood but that gave way to a stack of leather washers, although as those wore out, they were replaced with other items like wood disks and I have even seen one with slices of aluminum. The first two here are early ones, and the lower one while still being hand forged shows the refined look that these hammers took on after the Civil War. These hammers are always good collectibles but there are still plenty of folks using them on a daily basis as well.

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