This 16oz mallet is made of high grade rawhide, excellent for flattening and shaping soft metals without marring. The handle is seasoned hickory and the heads are lead filled for extra weight and nice “dead blow” which gives them greater striking efficiency for certain applications. 1-3/4". Made in the USA.
Conditioning your rawhide mallet: Remove the hard lacquer/shellac coating with a coarse rasp or sandpaper to expose the soft rawhide, then beat the face of the mallet on a rough surface like concrete or use a meat tenderizer to further soften it, blurring the spiral and fraying the edges for a suede-like finish that won't mar metal. Clean off debris with sandpaper or a stick after breaking it in, ensuring a smooth, clean surface for jewelry or metalworking.
