The mosaic hammer is one half of the cutting equipment used by classical mosaicists; it is used in conjunction with a hardie, or chisel-shaped blade. The hammer and hardie duo is still the best way to cut natural stone and is also excellent for cutting smalti. One contact edge of our hammers is made of steel, and the other is made of widia, or super-tough tungsten carbide. The steel blade is for cutting stone and the widia one is used for glassy materials like smalti (the sharper blade focuses the downward force onto a smaller area, meaning that the material fractures neatly). Mark one of the blades with a bit of coloured tape to help you remember which is which. This is our lightest hammer, the other available weights being 950g and 750g. Our hammers and hardies all come from Giacomello SNC.  Founded in 1911 in Spilimbergo, northern Italy (mosaic capital of the world), the firm is now run by the fourth generation of the Giacomello family and is renowned for its quality tools. If you want to buy both hammer and hardie, have a look at our special discounted deals. If you haven't used a hammer or hardie before, the combination may need a bit of explanation: The steel (or occasionally tungsten) hardie is shaped like a large chisel head.  Traditionally it is mounted, blade upwards, in an up-ended log, but many mosaicists today find it more convenient to use a hardie set into a small steel base.  The material to be cut is held, gently-balanced, on the hardie top, and the hammer is brought down in a slicing action; the material is neatly fractured between the top of the hardie and the contact point of the hammer.  Once you've got a bit of experience, using a hammer and hardie is a very efficient - and satisfying - way of cutting quantities of stone and other materials. For advice on how to use a hammer and hardie, visit the RESOURCES area at the bottom of our home page. You will find a video from the Chicago Mosaic School which has tips on how to hold the hammer and what kind of action you should use for greatest ease and accuracy.  The video also discusses sharpening your hammer and hardie using an electric grinder.  The toughness of these hammers means that they are unlikely to need sharpening for years, but if you do feel the need, our recommendation is that you get help from an experienced metalworker; this is not something to do at home as you can certainly do more harm than good if you hold the tools at the wrong angle against the grinder.

You should always wear a mask and eye protection when cutting mosaic materials. Unfortunately Mosaic Workshop can't accept returns of cutting tools which turn out not to suit you, so please think carefully before buying.  If you are finding it very hard to make a decision please contact me as I may be able to lend you tools to try (you will pay a deposit, and for postage in both directions).  In the case of faulty goods we will, of course, accept returns - please see notes in the website footer. 

 It is hard to make a definite recommendation about hammer weight - but the choice is definitely not simply a question of how strong you are.     The factors to think about: - What will you be cutting? - How long will you be cutting for at any one time? - How strong are you/do you have any hand/wrist/elbow/shoulder problems? If you intend to cut mostly stone or other very hard materials, you should probably go for the heaviest hammer you think you can tolerate - it is the weight of the falling hammer that causes the fracture in the material, so in this case the heftier the hammer head the better. If you are mainly cutting glass, you can choose a lighter hammer. To give you an idea of relatable things probably in your house; a standard bag of sugar or flour weighs 1kg, so around the weight of the heaviest hammer with its handle. A tin of beans weighs 469g, so close to the weight of the lightest hammer with its handle.   But also think about how long you will work for; if you are cutting for long periods, you might want to reduce the stress on your joints by using a lighter hammer.   Most people, men and women, have enough strength to use a 950g hammer perfectly effectively, but it can certainly be tiring if it is above a comfortable weight for you.  The 750g, mid-weight, hammer is the most popular one sold by Mosaic Workshop. You probably don’t need to agonise about this decision too much - as long as the hammer feels reasonably comfortable in your hand you will develop a technique that gets the best out of it.