This one started as pure fun. The maker wanted a side project with no client waiting on it, and picked the shape for one simple reason: it would look cool. That kind of no-pressure forging often brings out the best work, and judging by the result, the gamble paid off.
The whole thing was forged by hand, and here is the part that impresses me most: it was made in the gaps between heats of larger jobs that were too big for the forge. Fitting a hammer in around other work takes real discipline. The head started life as a forklift tine, and the handle is ash, locked into the eye with a wooden wedge the traditional way.
The finishing is where the craft shows. The body keeps a dark, textured forge finish, while the striking face is polished bright with chamfered bevels running around its edge. That contrast between the rough body and the clean face gives the hammer a lot of character. The ash handle has a flared grip shaped to sit comfortably, and the maker reports it feels good in the hand, which is the real test for any striking tool.
Two things remain open. The maker puts the weight at around 3 pounds, but never put it on a scale after the final grinding and polishing, so that figure is a guess. And the design itself has no name the maker knows of. A hammer this tidy deserves one, in my view. Either way, the maker thinks it came out pretty cool, and I would have to agree.