GUNSMITH / JEWELERS HAMMER

[against the wind]

I recovered this hammer yesterday while hunting a park that has been around forever.
My research has turned up a hammer with the same number stamped into it's cheek. It has been identified as a gunsmith / watch maker's hammer.
This hammer is made of brass, (non-explosive), and
is 2 1/4 inches long.
My questions are, who made these hammers, what was the actual trade they were intended for, and how old is it?

 

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[NOLA_Ken]

Brass hammers are pretty common metal working tools for any job where you don't want to get dings in whatever you're working on. I don't know that I've seen one specifically made as a gunsmithing tool, but I have a set of brass punches somewhere that were sold for gunsmithing, to remove pins and such. I can't imagine what you would do to a watch with that other than smash it beyond repair....

 

[bradyboy]

Brass hammers are usually used around gas situations, they wont create a spark
Brady

 

[gunsil]

As a lifelong mechanic and jewelry maker mechanics do not use brass hammers because of spark hazard from gasoline. We use them so as not to damage steel parts that need a little "persuading" to get them loose or off. As a jewelry maker, we use brass hammers on our punches and stamps so as to not mushroom the impact area of the tools. I even have a brass 12 pound sledge hammer for extreme "persuading" down to a two ounce one for tapping small jewelry stamps and many sizes in between. They are made by most major tool companies, Snap-On, Mac, Sears all sell them as do many jewelry supply, gunsmith, and other tool companies. We made smaller ones in shop class in high school, many are made by machinists, simple to make from a piece of round brass bar stock. No way to judge the age of the found one.

 

[DCMatt]

I found your hammer # referenced in a US military manual dated 1938.


TR 1400-30A Ordnance Maintenance. U.S.Rifles, Caliber.30, M1903, M1903A1, and M1917 (10 August 1938)


DCMatt

 

[Retired Sarge]

It's a hammer that comes in the Amorer Kit aka Small Arms Repair Kit. Depending on the time period the whole number is actually 41 H 165 TAFX2A.

Here's a Small Arms Repair Kit with the hammer in it. Plus the link it came from that talks more indepth on these items.

http://ugca.org/08jan/clean/clean.htm