I have at least a dozen hammers, some specialized and only used for special jobs, others are more general and I use them a lot. Some are barely ¼ pound, the heaviest is 16 lbs. I won't say that I always use them correctly, nor can I say that I always hit the chisel and *not my thumb* when carving. ![[Tiranti Dummy.png|300]] [Tiranti's medium dummy mallet](https://www.tiranti.co.uk/Products/Mallets_Hammers/990-006) is my go to for the majority of my hand carving. At 1½ lbs it's fairly light, but easy to wield for hours. The round head virtually eliminates missed strikes, the softer iron saves chisel heads. After every few hits just spin the hammer a little and it keeps itself in the round. I have a heavier one at 2½ lbs, but it's tiring to handle for a long time. ![[TH Hammer.png]] [T&H hand hammer](https://trowandholden.com/hand-hammers.html) is my favorite *looking* hammer. I was told by a more experienced mason that the design of this with the tapered head and small striking zone is why I keep striking my thumb and not the chisel, which explained a lot. Now, I use it sideways for lettering and it's quite good: it's got enough mass to drive the chisel, and since I'm not swinging it my thumb stays unsmashed. ![[Lump Hammer.png]] Lump hammer - soft head is a lot like the Tiranti head, but it's squared and heavier. The others range from a 4oz jewelry hammer, a few [[Estwing2lb.jpg|2-3 lb hammers]], bush hammers, a carbide maul, geo picks, masons hammer, and various sledges.