Home Made Corking Mallets

[BrianM]

Don't want to hijack Bob's Thread on $4 chisels, so I'm transferring Andrew's comment to a new thread:

Andrew Craig-Bennett (http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/member.php?u=506) http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/images/statusicon/user_online.gif
old member number 629
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Woodbridge, Suffolk, England
Posts: 13,541


http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif Re: $4.00 Chisels
I think you were right to pass on that slick!

A caulking mallet does not have to be lignum vitae!

Apple is very nearly as good, and much more plentiful! It is very shock resistant which is why it is used as the heads of fencer's "bittles" (big mallets, like sledge hammers in size).

It is worth making one up as the action is much much easier and less tiring with a long headed mallet.

Any bit of two inch or so steel gas or water pipe will do for the rings - they are not tool steel or anything.

If you soak an apple mallet in Deks Olje no 1 for a couple of days it looks lovely. I've got one that I made 25 years ago and I still like it!

[BrianM]

I was studying that Mallet with the idea of making my own (tried it 2 years ago and it ended up on scrap heap).

I like the idea of using Apple, and it's readily available in nearby Sebastopol here in the "North Bay" of S.F. Bay. I love the waterpipe idea for the rings. Now, to prevent them from eventually falling off, do we attempt to "swell" the apple wood AFTER the rings are press fitted?

Also on the Antique Show Mallet, I noticed a slot in the head. It ran almost the length of the Mallets head, but did not pierce the ends. Basically, it spanned the distance from Out-Most ring to ring. It was located at 6 o'clock, adjacent to the handle. Does this provide any "keying funtion"? I didn't notice any wedges inserted in it.

Detailed photos would be appreciated.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Use of the mallet swells the face!

The slot is not necessary and in fact most UK mallets that were actually bought by working shipwrights and used don't have it, because it limits how far you can move the rings up as the face wears. Its purpose is to soften the repeated blow that you feel and to make a nice sound when the mallet strikes the iron, presumably in order to make you cheerful. :)

I'll take and post a photo.

[Bob Cleek]

The rings are sweated on. Turn the mallet head to just a bit larger than the cold iron ring (sawn from a length of iron pipe). Heat the bejesus out of the ring and it will expand. Slide it on and let it cool tight.

Much as traditional caulking mallets are prized, truth be told, most are way too big for small craft use. The foot long, two inch diameter beauties are fine for whacking oakum into seams on three inch planking, but a bit over the top for, say 3/4" or 1" plank. The antiques were used on full sized ships, for Pete's sake! A small wooden mallet serves as well for small boats, unless you want to get crazy in your spare time and turn out a minature calking mallet for small boat use.

A good mallet is a joy, but I'm always fascinated by folks who spend their time chasing mallets instead of irons. Now, finding a fairly complete set of irons is nearly impossible these days. There are only a handfull of custom forges that will produce them on special order for an arm and a leg. The stuff in the catalogs, limited to standard 1, 0, and 00, irons barely scratch the surface of what was once available. Not only will you be hard put to caulk a stem rabbet, a tuck or a butt seam with them, but the iron in them is punk. A good iron should ring like a silver dollar!

[Canoeyawl]

I have made these “rings” and used a brand new mallet for the pattern.
(Courtesy of the local maritime museum)
A bit of close study reveals that -
The rings are slightly tapered on the ID, Larger at the outboard end so that the swelling of the mallet (from working) keeps them tight and from falling off. They are also hardened.
I used a lathe with schedule 80 black pipe and case hardened them with a torch and Kasenet powder.
If they are not hardened the blows from striking the iron will beat up the ring and wreck it and the beat up ring will then in turn ruin the mallet.

The best caulker I know uses an Estwing hammer...lol
He has done miles of deck seams.

[boylesboats]

The rings are sweated on. Turn the mallet head to just a bit larger than the cold iron ring (sawn from a length of iron pipe). Heat the bejesus out of the ring and it will expand. Slide it on and let it cool tight.

Well thank Bob.:).. I needed that input.... It'll be helpful on my next project..;)