What Is A Dead Blow Hammer Used For: Why Do People Use Them?

Whether you are working on carpentry, light metalworking, or mechanical projects, a dead blow hammer is the best tool for the job. A traditional mallet may look like it, but its unique internal mechanism makes a dead blow hammer an ideal tool for different tusks. These hollow-headed hammers basically used to deliver powerful blows without damaging malleable surfaces through sand-filled blow mallets.

Automotive repair technicians use dead-blow hammers to remove stuck parts, install hubcaps, remove chassis work, and more. Apart from this, it has a wide range of uses which we have covered in our post. So, keep reading to discover why people use dead blow hammers in the following paragraphs.

What is a Dead Blow Hammer?

Hammer is known as a tool used for driving nails into hard surfaces or breaking hardwood. But Dead Blow Hammer is a little different from them. Many people are not familiar with it except professional users. So, now we will briefly describe what the dead blow hammer is before we discuss its use.

The dead blow hammers get their name because of their blunt impact and lack of rebound. Dead blow hammerheads usually have a sand or lead holder and a shot of cold iron in the head. These hammers are usually made of hard materials without outer coatings of plastic or urethane to avoid scratching the wood. Hopefully, now you can see that these are not the regular hammers that you have always seen.

Therefore, dead blow hammers reduce rebound by spreading the force of each blow over a larger area, reducing damage to the surface of each blow and distributing the force evenly. Hence, dead blow hammers are ideal for delicate and narrow jobs.

Uses of Dead Blow Hammers

Like any other hammer, the design of the dead blow hammer depends on the intended use. Most manufacturers make sets of these hammers so that people can choose the right size for their job. Their versatility makes them suitable for a wide range of applications. In particular, dead blow hammers are often used in the following areas because they lack elastic rebound.

Automotive applications

One of the most common uses of the dead blow hammer is in this field. Mechanics use it for automotive repair to remove stuck parts, repair the chassis, and install hubcaps. Because of their small size and tight spaces, automobiles usually have a lot of parts that can be fragile. In essence, a dead hammer does the job by causing the least amount of surface damage.

Chassis repair, hubcap installation, and transmission installation are the most common auto industry jobs that require dead blow hammers. Auto mechanics use this hammer to prevent sparks and fire hazards around fuel tanks,

Woodworking

When woodworkers need to knock joints together or apart without denting their workpieces, they use dead-blow hammers. A hammer of this type is quite adept at putting together wood joints.

As opposed to employing a conventional hammer and chisel a dead blow hammer may be quite laborious. With its wide head that contains sand or shot and additional power, it can make driving a chisel easier.

Carpentry

When driving nails, carpenters often use it as a traditional hammer since carpentry is largely woodworking. But if they need to hold pieces of wood together without nails or fasteners, a dead blow hammer is perfect than a traditional hammer. That’s why carpenters use dead blow hammers for the assembly of furniture and cabinet installation. It makes an excellent demolition tool for breaking up fasteners that connect pieces.

Metalworking

Metalworkers use dead-blow hammers to seat workpieces against parallels in machine vises.

Dead hammers work great for joining, bending, or straightening metal. Other uses of these hammers are to straighten sheet metal parts and remove distortions and dents from sheet metal fabrications as metalworking. It is also similar to machine manufacturing but in a different sector.

Moreover, it aids in the assembly of large injection molds, cast dies, and other injection molds. In this field, dead blow hammers work mainly by putting together or reshaping metal, primarily sheet metal. A dead blow hammer works well for banging out dents in thin sheets of metal.

Machine Maintenance or Manufacturing

It is common to use dead blow hammers for placing and removing parts when machining. In addition to modifications and repairs, it is an ideal tool for avoiding damage to the machine’s surface. Using dead blow hammers is also a great way to attach fasteners to machine assemblies or mount ball bearings.

Moreover, it has great use in the maintenance and repair of hydraulic machinery, as well as in aerospace work. They can release stuck cylinders without damaging hydraulic machinery precision-shaped surfaces or bearings nearby.

Flooring or Tile Installation

When installing marble and granite in commercial and residential buildings, the dead blow hammer is preferable to other hammers. Because flooring tiles or any other hardwood is quite sensitive. Masons prefer dead-blow hammers to get the flooring work done properly without any damage. Using a rubber mallet to install floor tiles or wall tiles usually results in some energy loss.

Conversely, a light tap with a dead blow mallet can apply more force since there is no recoil, which makes the job easier.

Dead blows and rubber mallets: what’s the difference?

All of us know that a hammer is a perfect tool for hitting things hard. But whenever the item you are hitting needs to be protected, a hammer is no longer an adequate tool.

You will need a soft tool to do this, such as a dead blow hammer or rubber mallet. Both of them appear similar in terms of keeping an object protected after an impact, but they differ considerably in other ways. How? Let’s explain briefly.

• Head: A dead blow hammer has a large rubber head that is hollow inside and filled with sand, lead shot, or steel shot. Those add some extra weight. Hammering a surface with these weights stores all the kinetic energy and distributes it evenly, so that next time, you don’t have to exert as much energy.

A rubber mallet, as its name implies, is made from rubber with a wooden handle. Rubber mallets are lighter than dead blow hammers because they have no insides to weigh them down.

• Bouncing: It is mainly the bounce of rubber mallets that distinguishes a dead blow hammer from a rubber mallet. In this case, it’s convenient if you want to avoid damaging the surface you’re working on, but you also have less control over the tool. As a result, if you hit hard, a rubber mallet will almost bounce back at you.

By contrast, dead blow hammers don’t risk rebounding from the surface. By doing this, you gain more control and transfer energy to your wrist so you can exert more force when necessary.

• Application of force: The amount of force behind each swing is another difference between a dead blow hammer and a rubber mallet. The entire head of a rubber mallet is made of rubber, so it is very lightweight. It doesn’t have a lot of power behind impact when you swing it. It is, however, difficult to swing a dead blow hammer with a heavy head. Shots and sand with heads increase the force of impact. It means a rubber head can provide the same damaging effects as a mini sledgehammer when used with force.

Conclusion

However, a traditional hammer that delivers hard blows is not a great choice when you want to avoid damaging the item. In such situations, a dead blow hammer is a good choice.

Because dead blow hammers provide controlled, solid blows, as compared to ordinary hammers. Its use is more in areas where you need to apply more force but without damaging the surface, and there is less space to get the job done.