Rawhide Mallets conditioning

[Patstone]

I have searched for some information on conditioning rawhide mallets, and found some. Just realised that the reason my work looks so battered is because my mallet is ridged. I have sanded it and used an old file on it to flatten it a bit. Is there anyone out there that knows if its ok to put the end against a grindstone to soften it a bit, as its still very hard with varnish.

[ps_bond]

What little conditioning mine have had I did by walloping them repeatedly against one of my anvils. If you know anyone with a belt grinder or linisher then I'd suggest that rather than a bench grinder; the stones aren't going to like being loaded up like that.

[Goldsmith]

Pat,
Don't put a rawhide mallet on a grindstone, both will be useless after doing it if you do. May I ask what you are shaping with the rawhide mallet? for shaping I use wooden mallets and hammers, my wooden mallets are in all shapes and sizes, mostly made myself using old beech chair legs and shop bought hammer handles, wooden mallets are easy to shape and flatten using files.
Cookson are selling some nylon faced mallets that also may be a useful addition to your tool kit.
see; http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-999-608
they also sell replacement heads for these mallets, see; http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-999-608A

James

[Patstone]

I make quite a few rings and have to make them round again so I use a steel mandrel and the rawhide mallet, but the other day I had to stretch a bezel a bit as I make it too tight a fit and used it to hammer that and thats when I noticed the ridges in it, cos it left a mark on the silver. Which explains why my finish isnt as good as it should be, well thats my excuse anyway - more like lack of patience on that one I think !

[Patstone]

I was told by my teacher to bash it on a wall to get rid of the varnish finish, and hers was more like a chamois finish and did the job very well. So I bought one and did the same - bashed it on a wall, but the mallet still had varnish on it so I tried using an old file on it which sort of helped, but it still has a lot of varnish on it, and I didnt think to look at the base of the mallet until the other day and I was talking to my daughter and absently playing with the mallet and noticed the ridges.

[Goldsmith]

Just for reference I never use mallets when sizing rings or bezels,I only use mallets to give me a basic shape. I prefer to use hammers when working on a mandrel as I can see where I hit the metal and know that I am hitting the metal around the circumferences evenly. even hammering gives even shapes.
I use these types of hammer when making bezels; http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-999-89N
I have also ground the heads on these hammers into shapes that suit other jobs.
James

[Dennis]

James has explained that hide mallets are only really useful for rounding rings on the triblet. Even so, when I first bought mine I found it left unwanted marks, so to begin with I applied a wet cloth to the face to soften the surface.

As I am not naturally good with hammers, and most of my ring shanks are textured or have special profiles, such as triangular, my life was turned around when I bought a ring stretcher. By making rings about one and a half sizes too small to begin with, they can be rounded and stretched to size accurately in record time. No hammers. Dennis.

[Patstone]

That sounds a much better idea, but how do you know how much smaller in millimetres to make it as most of my rings are made as a commission, so the size has to be accurate.
P.S Just looked at the price of them, you would have to make an awful lot of rings to justify buying this. I make about 20 a year if that, I think I will have to do as James suggests and make some hammers from old chair legs.

[Goldsmith]

Pat,
I have also bought cheap standard carpenter's hammers and ground them to different shapes as well as making some of my own wooden mallets.
Here is a selection of some of my hammers and mallets collection, many are hand shaped or just standard hardware shop bought hammers altered.
James

[Patstone]

Thats a lot of hammers, the one on the right, the little repousse hammer looks a useful tool. I will have to use a metal blade in my jigsaw to cut the stainless steel to make the clamps. I had a bit of stainless that was 0.50mm and that I could cut with my old shears, but it wont touch the thicker 0.90mm.