There are many applications where the right mallet will make all the difference to the results of your work. To help Cromwell has listed the most common elements to choosing the correct mallet for the job. Rawhide mallets, which may employ rawhide covering a steel head, or simply consist of rolled-up rawhide, are used for leatherwork, jewellery, and assembling electric motors and delicate machinery. Dead blow mallets typically have an internal cavity partially filled with steel shot, lead shot, or loose sand. This modification evens out the time- impulse curve of the impact, enabling a more powerful blow to be delivered without risk of marring the target. [ further explanation needed] For other uses, see Mallet (disambiguation). Rubber mallets A wooden mallet Stonemason's mallets of plastic, wood and steel An iron mallet with copper faces. Solid head copper mallets are produced with a round or square head An aluminum meat mallet, for tenderizing meat Meat mallet. Cooking mallet for crushing crops. Indian cobbler tool kit, with an iron mallet

A rawhide mallet that is ready for use in the shop will not have any discernible spiral of the leather that is wrapped up to form the head of the mallet. The end of a rawhide mallet should resemble the fuzzy side of a piece of leather. There should be fibers of the leather visible on the striking surface.

Meat mallets tenderise or flatten meat. Made from wood or metal, they are typically two-sided, one flat or with slight bumps, and the other with more pronounced protrusions. [1] Their use has been reduced with the invention of cube steak machines and other electric tenderisers, [ citation needed] but they can still be readily found at cookery stores and in professional use. Mallets are used in various industries, such as upholstery work, and a variety of other general purposes. It is a tool of preference for wood workers using chisels with plastic, metal, or wooden handles, as they give a softened strike with a positive drive. Rawhide mallet- These mallets consist of a metal head with a rawhide face. They have the advantage of being able to strike heavily with minimal surface damage due to the cushioning elements of the rawhide covering. As with any tool, the rawhide mallet requires care and maintenance over time. Read on as I explain how to condition a brand new mallet for it’s first use and how to properly maintain the mallet head throughout its life. How to Condition a Rawhide Mallet The term is descriptive of the overall size and proportions of the tool, and not the materials it may be made of, though most mallets have striking faces that are softer than steel.

They usually also feature a long wooden handle, although some may feature other materials such as fibreglass. They are often used in industries involving woodworking or upholstery as they deliver a softer strike force more suited to the materials that tend to be used in such applications.Rawhide and Rubber mallets both offer soft striking surfaces which are designed to prevent damaging, marring or denting soft metals used by leathercrafters, instrument makers/repairers, and jewelers. The decision of which to use is really up to the person needing the tool. They can be used interchangeably. The biggest difference between the rubber and rawhide materials is that when a rubber mallet is damaged it must be discarded. A rawhide mallet can be trimmed, filed, sanded, and/or rasped, then continue being used. Rawhide Mallet vs Nylon/Poly Mallet Split head mallets have removable faces which can be changed to an appropriate material for the job. In its cured form, rawhide is a very hard and durable material but still soft enough for use on softer metals without marring them. For example: The saddle tree (the frame of a western horse saddle) is wrapped in a layer of rawhide before the outer leather pieces are added. It is a very solid material. To experience rawhide in its most basic form, not treated with any chemicals at all, go find a plain unflavored rawhide dog bone at the store.

Rubber/Plastic mallet - Consisting of a barrel head made of rubber, a rubber or plastic mallet has the advantage of delivering a powerful blow, using a soft head for minimal marring of surfaces. They tend to recoil as their rubberised nature gives them an element of bounce, so safety measures like eyewear should be taken. They can also become dented and pitted if used to strike sharp objects, so they tend to work best on blunt items. Mallets are a type of hammer designed for a range of applications, the key difference between a standard hammer and a mallet is that mallets usually consist of a barrel shaped, non-metallic head. On the lighter end of the spectrum, the rawhide is rolled tight with a resin coating that hardens. Those lighter weight mallets are popular with leatherworkers. They are good for tapping down stitch lines, installing hardware like snaps and rivets, and pounding on glued layers to help secure the adhesive bond. These tasks do not require a heavy mallet head. Plastic mallets, made of nylon, polycarbonate, or polystyrene are used especially in leatherwork and jewellery. A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head.Copper, brass and leaden mallets are typically used on machinery to apply force to parts with a reduced risk of damaging them, and to avoid sparks. As these metals are softer than steel, the mallet is deformed by any excessive force, rather than any steel object it is hitting.

Nylon/Poly mallets are similar to their Rawhide counterparts. They are a soft material designed to provide a hard striking tool without damaging, denting or marring the surfaces of soft metals or damaging leathercrafters’ tools. The main difference between rawhide and nylon/poly material mallets is that when a nylon mallet is damaged, it must be discarded. A rawhide mallet can be trimmed, filed, sanded, and/or rasped, then continue being used. An illustration of the mallet can be found in Charles F. Mitchell's Building Construction, 11th edition, printed in 1930 by B.T. Batford, Ltd. Wooden mallet - A wooden mallet tends to be a staple in woodworking applications such as carpentry. Their primary function is to hammer together wooden pieces during assembly such as dovetail joints, without damaging the surface of the piece. They are also used for chiselling where a steel hammer would otherwise damage the end of the chisel. Bossing mallets - A type of mallet featuring a rounded face and a conical face, primarily used for shaping wood or metal into the desired shape and surface. The amount of strike force needed - Again a key consideration. If you're working with tough materials, you will probably need to opt for a mallet with a heavy head. A rubber mallet used on machinery, whilst not marring the surface will not deliver the weight behind the strike that a brass or copper mallet would deliver.

RS PRO aims to be your go-to brand for reliability and value for money. We source high-quality parts at great prices and test everything with our in-house experts to ensure the quality you need. Please do NOT beat a new rawhide mallet on a concrete sidewalk or curb. The risk is embedding a small pebble that will then scratch a leather surface, dent or scratch soft metals, and eventually damage the rawhide itself. Vintage Rawhide Mallet Rawhide Mallet Head Replacement Beetle mallets, also called a persuader or commander, [2] [3] are large mallets with a wood [4] [5] or plastic [ citation needed] head, with rounded ends about 15 to 18 inches (380 to 460mm) [ dubious – discuss] in diameter, and a handle about 3 feet (0.91m) long. It is used by paviours for tapping paving stones into position when bedding them [ dubious – discuss]. Beetles are used in jobs such as timber framing [6] to shift the bases of large wooden posts, to fit joints, to drive in pegs, [7] to split wood or rails. [8] Rawhide - A type of leather that has not been exposed to tanning, primarily used to cover the face of rawhide mallets because of its softness. Society, New York State Agricultural (1859). "Transactions of the New-York State Agricultural Society". XVIII--1858. The Society: 528–531. {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help)