If you have been involved in the Metals scene, you have undoubtedly seen or heard of Wendy Edsall-Kerwin and her Hammermarks blog.

“Wendy Edsall-Kerwin’s journey to become a full-time jewelry and metals artist. Here you can find my inspirations, motivations, frustrations, and business advice that I have found through hard work and lot’s of great contacts”

On her Website you may choose to purchase her work or learn to work in metal yourself – Wendy is one of the most generous artists I know…

She has recently published the coolest little book and I was the lucky recipient of a copy in a recent Giveaway! So first thank you Wendy for you generous gift…and now a little bit about the book!

Better Know Your Hammer: A Guide for jewelers, silversmiths, and anyone who has ever asked, “What The Heck Is A Pein?”

I have been working in metal for over a decade and hammering on a piece of metal is one of my all time joys!

In reading this book however I realized just how little I actually know about the tools I was utilizing.

Funny story – my boyfriend has been in Construction his entire life and when he saw this book he grabbed it and read it to me! He was cracking me up! every page he would be reading along and suddenly felt the need to share the informatiion 😉

At 31 pages this isn’t a tell everything book – it is a quick rundown on some of the most common hammers and what they do.

Who do I see this book being helpful for? A new metals student, a wire wrapper who has discovered hammering their wire…the ideal use of this book? Give it along with a goldsmith’s hammer or a chasing hammer as a birthday or holiday gift!

From the Author

Ever wonder why metalsmiths have so many hammers?

Is it because we’re obsessed with tools? OK, maybe that’s part of the reason. There are so many because each hammer a metalsmith or jeweler uses is shaped (sometimes bizarrely) to perform a specific task.

This book is an introduction to the many different kinds of hammers and what each is used for. Whether you’re interested in chasing, sinking, or forging, this book will help you find the right tool for the job.