Glass hard hammer faces from an old file, game changer for me

I kept getting dings on my punches from a soft face, so I tried grinding an old Nicholson file down and hardening just the striking end. After a few tries I got the heat right and the face is almost glass hard, zero chipping after two days of heavy work. Has anyone else done this or do you just stick with a standard hammer?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenixw111mo ago

glass hard" huh? you test that on anything besides punches, like a chisel edge or something? curious if it holds up or just shatters on the first hard hit.

anderson.piper1mo ago

You ever try dropping a hammer on it from waist height, or catching a stray rock at highway speed? Honestly, that's where I'd wanna see if it's actually glass hard or just glass brittle. Punches are one thing, they spread the force out. But a chisel edge, or even a sharp corner of a bolt, that's all the force in one tiny spot. If it chips or cracks from that, then the whole "glass hard" thing is just marketing talk. I'd wanna hit it with a screwdriver tip on a workbench, see if it laughs it off or leaves a little white scar.