Rawhide Mallet is now Marking my Silver

[silvermagpie]

I've only had my Rawhide Mallet for a couple of Months and it's now starting to make marks on my Silver. :/
I thought this couldn't happen with Rawhide.
Does anyone recommend using another Hammer which doesn't mark the Metal (Rubber or Nylon perhaps)?
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

[CJ57]

Hi you are needing to break the mallet in and soften up the varnish that coats it. This can either be done by using it, I don't remember ever breaking mine in, or some suggest hitting a wall, concrete or stone. It will soften over time but I wouldn't have thought even in its new state it shouldn't be marking to that extent. You could just take out your frustrations on the wall and hope that the neighbours don't see you

[Wallace]

it's probably the shellac coating. A fine rasping file should help to take the coating off, or like Caroline suggests, a wall (ideally the outside brick type to get the coating off)

[Dennis]

Hi you are needing to break the mallet in and soften up the varnish that coats it. This can either be done by using it, I don't remember ever breaking mine in, or some suggest hitting a wall, concrete or stone. It will soften over time but I wouldn't have thought even in its new state it shouldn't be marking to that extent. You could just take out your frustrations on the wall and hope that the neighbours don't see you

That's right, hit a clean brick wall, or a paving stone. It hastens the process if you dampen the face with a wet cloth first. Make sure there is no embedded grit when you are through. That said, you are only meant to use your hide mallet quite lightly, for instance if you are tapping a ring on a mandrel to make it round. Some of the other mallets, for instance the Thor range with a plastic or rubber insert are softer, but I have never felt the need for one.

What are you Bashing? Dennis

[Goldsmith]

If your mallet has only just started marking the silver, you may have a hard piece of dirt or even metal filings in the mallet face. That is assuming that you have prepared the mallet correctly from knew. I generally use an old course file to clean off any varnish from the face of a knew rawhide mallet. The most common fault is leaving the mallet around the workbench when you are working and getting metal filings stuck in it's striking face surface, this would then be hammered into any surface you hit. I use a lot of beech wood mallets as well, they are easy to file clean before use.

James

[silvermagpie]

I've had a look at it and yes it does seem to still have varnish on the face, so probably will need to be broken in properly.
Have taken on board all your advice.....thanks everyone!

[Patstone]

I have had mine for around three years and it still marks, even with bashing on concrete blocks, bricks, filing, thought about putting it on the grinder to see if that works.