Impact Poly Hammers has come out with a brand new tool, a 4.25 lb dual faced with soft steel to help you be safe when hitting hardened steel. One side of our new dual faced hammer is the same durable polyurethane that we are known for. The second side of this hammer is 4340 tool steel that is super strong but we only harden it to 30 Rockwell C so it's "softer" than some of the hardened steel you will see in equipment repair, mining, and construction.
Safety organizations like The Board of Canadian Safety Professionals and the American Society of Safety Professionals have recommendations on how to properly use hammers, chisels, and other striking objects. There is a great Q&A article from the Alberta Mine Safety Association that suggests using the softest hammer face material possible to strike an object. The BC Forrest Safety organization has this alert that hitting hardened objects with the wrong tool can result in serious injury. Impact visited World of Concrete last year and heard at least 10 stories of people getting shards of metal imbedding into their body! Some people could even show us the piece of metal because it was too dangerous to remove it. Work safe Victoria also has an article on an injury **warning graphic!
We've shown several times that Impact Polyurethane can withstand hitting sharp metal objects like this one on rebar. We even got Murray Kruger to try out a set while his buddy Channing The Container Guy made him come work for an afternoon hitting rebar all day!
The dual faced hammer series gives you two tools in one. We recommend using the polyurethane face first as it can't create a metal projectile, it's anti-sparking, and there is little to no noise for the user and the surrounding area. If you need a steel strike then there is a soft safety steel face on the other end. Our soft steel is 30 Rockwell C (HRC) and just for reference here are some common hardnesses:
Bearings 60-65 HRC
Motor shaft 45-60 HRD
Crane assembly pin 50-60 HRC
Chisel Hardness 57-62 HRC
Grade 8 bolt head 33-39 HRC
Always follow tips like the Canadian Center for OH&S tips for hammers and stay safe on your worksite!
