When maintaining tools, we immediately think of pritchels, forepunches and such. How many of us, though, stop and think about repairing the face of our hammers?

While I was working at Tom Williams’ forge some time ago, my eyes were opened. The Worshipful Com­pany of Farriers diplomate watched me struggle to forge a good shoe. When I stopped, he picked up my rounding hammer and ran his thumb over the surface.

“If you’d refinish your hammer face,” he told me, “you might have better luck at making a flat shoe.”

Williams pointed out that my hammer face had become flat, and ever so slightly dented, where it should have been crowned.

I examined my other rounding hammers when I returned home and found that they were all the same…