Author Topic: Stanley nail holding hammer  (Read 2342 times)

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Offline mikeswrenches

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Stanley nail holding hammer
« on: October 23, 2016, 05:30:46 PM »
I have a couple of the Stanley 51 1/2N claw hammers with the nail holding slot under the claws but today at the flea market I picked up another one. However, this one is marked Stanley Handyman rather than just Stanley.

In general these are not real common hammers due mostly to the fact that they were only made from 1950 to 1957.

My question is has anybody every run across the Handyman branded one before? I couldn't find anything on eBay or on the net either.

Mike
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Offline Chillylulu

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2016, 08:46:16 PM »
Im under the impression that "Handyman" is a Stanley value brand.

Chilly

Offline mikeswrenches

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2016, 06:16:47 AM »
Chilly,

   You are quite right. They were marketed to the homeowners of the day. From what I can tell, about the only difference between the hammers is the amount of forging flash that was removed. The Handymans had quite a bit more left on.

But the question still is, why put a premium feature on a homeowner product?

Perhaps these didn't sell as well as expected in the regular Stanley line and so the excess forgings were used in the Handyman line. Apparently this didn't work out too well either.

Mike
Check out my ETSY store at: OldeTymeTools

Offline Bill Houghton

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2016, 08:32:12 AM »
I've got a German nail holding hammer that uses two spring-loaded balls opposing each other in a slot above the claws.  I don't use the feature often, but it's nice having it there when I do need it.

Offline turnnut

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2016, 08:44:43 AM »
it may be possible that the Handyman line started when a worker suggested using tools that did not pass inspection for
a cheaper line instead of throwing them into the scrap pile.


Offline Northwoods

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2016, 04:56:10 PM »
I've got a German nail holding hammer that uses two spring-loaded balls opposing each other in a slot above the claws.  I don't use the feature often, but it's nice having it there when I do need it.
Sounds like the Cheney Nailer?

https://www.google.com/search?q=cheney+nailer+hammer&biw=1280&bih=570&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiSsIG5mujQAhUDJiYKHRudDD0Q_AUIBygC
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Offline mikeswrenches

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2016, 07:07:11 PM »
Sounds like a Cheney to me too. I didn't know there was a German version.

Mike
Check out my ETSY store at: OldeTymeTools

Offline EVILDR235

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2016, 07:35:24 PM »
I believe it was a Wranglerstar video i was watching recently on You tube where Cody was showing a hammer like that.

EvilDr235

Offline Bill Houghton

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2016, 08:37:19 PM »
Yep, sure looks like Cheney.  The shop's locked up for the night, but if I recall tomorrow (or Sunday - tomorrow's schedule looks pretty full), I'll copy down the name and post it here.

Offline Nasutushenri

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2016, 08:25:42 AM »
Sounds like a Cheney to me too. I didn't know there was a German version.

Mike

I have two German versions of the Cheney. The top one is a "STIRRUP BRAND" made by Joh. Hermann Picard GmbH & Co. KG., Wuppertal.
The other is a "ROSALTA" made by Robert Saltmann GmbH & Co. KG., Remscheid.
By both the spring-loaded balls are gone unfortunately.

Henri
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Offline Bill Houghton

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2016, 11:33:48 AM »
Yep, mine is Stirrup brand, too.

Henri, I don't know what sorts of supply shops you have in the Netherlands.  I think, from examining my intact hammer, that the nail holding arrangement on that design is two balls, two springs, and a screw that retains them.  In the U.S., the springs could probably be cut from a stock spring available at any hardware store; and a bearing house could supply the balls.  The tricky part would be finding a suitable screw to hold it all together, particularly for a German hammer, in which we can assume the screw would be metric.  You'll have an easier time finding a metric screw, and I would think a standard short setscrew* (as used to hold pulleys on shafts) might do the job, retained by some thread locking compound.

Loading in the parts from the threaded hole side, it would be spring/ball/ball/spring/screw.  You'd have to experiment to find the right spring and the right length of spring.  You want the balls to touch firmly, but be fairly easy to move by shoving a nail past them.

I'd suggest you drop by and we could look yours over, compare it to mine, and we could figure out how to fix your hammers; but I'm afraid the drive might not be worth it from Bussum (I looked Bussum up on Google Maps; pretty little town).
-------
*The British term is "grub screw," and that may have traveled over the Channel as the standard term.

Offline mikeswrenches

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2016, 12:25:03 PM »
Below is an excellent resource for Cheney hammer information.

http://jtc.net/hchc/

Mike
Check out my ETSY store at: OldeTymeTools

Offline john k

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2016, 06:19:16 PM »
The Stanley Handyman line was also sold in sets with their own display rack.  Knew a fellow that finally filled it with the correct tools.  So there are drills, planes, files, etc. with Handyman on them.  Fellow tool collector here has several hundred hammers,  at least six of which have the nail holding device. 
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Offline Nasutushenri

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Re: Stanley nail holding hammer
« Reply #13 on: December 11, 2016, 08:24:01 AM »
Yep, mine is Stirrup brand, too.
(I looked Bussum up on Google Maps; pretty little town).

Thanks Bill for the detailed explanation concerning the Stirrup Brand nailing hammer. But my hammer is beyond repair because it is cracked. And on the Rosalta the plug is irremovable.
I leave them just as they are. They are still usable as a hammer and I look more to brands.

By the way, Bussum is a commuter place (40,000 inhabitants) not far from Amsterdam.

Henri
« Last Edit: December 11, 2016, 08:27:46 AM by Nasutushenri »
Do not mind my bad English.
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