how should I hammer these links?

**Jayne** · 02-10-2009, 08:27 AM

Hope someone can help me with this.
I love dimpled hammered links. Love hammering them, love using them, love looking at them blah blah......but I don't think I'm making them properly. I start off having a bash on the steel stake with the ball part of a ball pein hammer and think 'mmmmm....lush', then I turn the link over and do the same thing. Then I take a look at the first side again and it's gone a bit flat (basic physics, I know), so I have another bash and........turn over link again and.....I think you can guess the rest.
I usually end up turning & hammering several times with progressively lighter strikes and transferring to the wooden peg towards the end. The result is a finish that's kind of hammered and quite pleasant but without the real definition of that first hammering.
Is there a way of doing it better?

J x

**Lisa Quinn** · 02-10-2009, 08:37 AM

Morning Jayne,

If I want definition on both sides I hammer on a leather sandbag, which leaves the underside intact. I have no idea if this is the best way, but through trial and error is the only thing I have found that has worked for me.

Hope this helps

Lisa x

**Jayne** · 02-10-2009, 08:46 AM

I have tried protecting the underside with a beading mat before (it was handy lol!) but found that I couldn't get anywhere near the same definition. I will have a dig around and see if I can improvise a leather something - thanks for the tip Lisa

J x

**mizgeorge** · 02-10-2009, 08:57 AM

I do the first side on a bench block, and the second on a sandbag. I find if I do both sides on the softer surface I tend to bash everything out of shape!