Dead Blow Mallet

Beautiful mallet.
I’ve been thinking of making a dead blow carving mallet someday.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Wonderful work. Should be a great addition to the shop!

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

Nice mallet VT. The ones that I buy seem to have weights that move around kind of like shotgun shot. Because them seem to roll around in the head.

What size fishing weights did you use and how much weight.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Nice mallet, yea what size weights did you use, I’m thinking of making one too. mike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

Great job VT! Is this and older magazine? I haven’t heard of B H & G Woodworking Magazine. Maybe it was a special edition?

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Yep. It was one of those special edition ones like FWW puts out. It had a bunch of tools, jigs, shop storage in it. I am not sure when I picked it up, but it would probably have been sometime last year or so.

I am sorry I haven’t responded to the lead weight questions. The plan called for putting 3/16” hole in the head cap piece and then to shove lead shot of a certain size into the head of the mallet. I am a fairly literal person, so I roved the streets of my local area for Gun stores and tried to find a place to buy lead shot just by itself (I certainly wasn’t going to buy shotgun ammunition and try to take it apart in my shop) and there just wasn’t a place to be found. I was walking through my local Longs Drug store that has a fishing section and the light bulb went on over my head. DUH! Why not use fishing weights? I found a size that looked like it would fit through a 3/16” hole even if I had to smoosh (technical term) them a little. Of course, you want size and I am at work, and the shot is at home, so I will have to try and remember to come back write in the size when I get home. I just eyeballed the weights though, and I was pretty close. I did buy more than I needed for the two hammers, but I am sure they will collect much dust until I decide that there is no other earthly purpose for them in my shop about 15 years down the line…:)

I’ve got a couple of 25lbs bags of lead shot from when I reloaded shot shells. so I don’t think I’d have any problem. They also have 5lb packages of buckshot which is larger in diam. The double “0” and triple “0” are getting to over 1/4” in size. I’m sure that you could also use BB’s from Walmart, I think they sell them in bulk packs. They are probably steel but that shouldn’t be a problem.

Or go to your local tire place and get some old tire weights. You’d have to melt them down. I think that the way that they make lead shot is pour molten led down a tall open air space and the lead solidifies in the air and forms into a sphere as it falls. They then grade them to size for selling.

So go into the stairwell of a tall building and pour your molten lead. Then you go down to the bottom and collet it all up. LOL

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Hey!!!! Looks great. If you get time check out the one I made. Nice.

-- Davesfunwoodworking