Bill Fretz has just release a different kind of chasing hammer, called the Janus hammer, in honor of the mythical roman 2 headed god who symbolizes beginnings and endings. This two headed chasing hammer has the identical shaped chasing face on either side, but with one side at a different angle.
One benefit of this design is that the angled head changes the way that you approach your work, so when you switch from one head to the other, your arm angle changes, helping to minimize repetitive stress that can happen during long periods of use. Think of it as helping you mix things up a bit while you are hammering away. The tilted head lowers your elbow that sometimes makes it easier to use. The tilt is pretty much straight down. In his research before designing the HMR-19 Janus chasing hammer, Bill Fretz found a wide range of opinions on how to design a chasing hammer, and the tilted head was something that came up.
The Janus chasing hammer has a round end handle instead of a pistol grip, so you can easily spin it in your hand. The handle is also a little bit longer than other Fretz handles. Just like all the Fretz hammers, the handle is made of rosewood and is smooth and extremely comfortable in the hand.
The head on the Fretz Janus chasing hammer is cast from 420 stainless steel and then hardened to 50c on the Rockwell scale, but keep in mind that this is the only hammer type in the Fretz collection that is meant to be used against a tool and not directly on metal, meaning that the polished head may become marred during normal use.
Bill Fretz says that properly hardened chasing tool (chasing tools that are hardened on the working end-but not the striking end) should show mushrooming on the striking end of the tool during normal use. Marring on the face of this hammer will not affect the intended use of the hammer in any way.
Like all Fretz hammers, the handle of the Janus chasing hammer is made of Paduck, a type of Rosewood that makes one beautiful handle. Only the Fretz chasing hammers have pistol grip handles.
As with any hammer you use, eye protection is required.
| Aspect |
Specification |
| Brand |
Fretz |
| Face Shape |
Round |
| Face Sizes |
27.5mm dia. |
| Overall Length |
9" |
| Head Length |
65mm |
| Head Type |
Chasing |
| Head Weight |
5.1 oz. (145g) |
| Country of Origin |
Vietnam |
