Peter, Thanks for your information, it does help.  Have you ever seen  
a Cheney or Cheney-style hammer with a touchmark that appears to be  
an oilcan and has a tiny hole, I assume for oiling the one bearing?  
It seems that the one bearing is more captive than the other and was  
never meant to come out very far.  It moves, but stays more recessed  
while the other more actively works and this has the oil hole. I am  
assuming it is an oilcan, but until I found the oil hole it looked as  
much like a whisk broom as anything! You have to use your imagination.

In looking at some old Cheney's I noted that this hammer has the same  
style of wedging on the handle--2 prominent metal wedges set cross  
grain. There is no maker's mark extant, but I think that a date of  
prior to 1929 is correct.  One 1929 ad I saw shows a Cheney claw  
hammer with the stepped head instead of the bell-shaped head, but  
that was a US ad.

This is the part of old tools I love the best, connecting with people  
and tracking down the less than obvious and the less treasured.   
Thanks for your time and assistance, both are greatly appreciated.  
Paul in Normal

On Mar 6, 2007, at 1:32 AM, P J McBride wrote:

> GG's,
> 1949 McPherson catalogue also has nor maker for hammers noted.
> I have on my work bench a small #4 (oz ?) ball peen hammer with the  
> familiar
> octagonal black painted handle, the head is marked Cheney, made in  
> Australia
> steel, 4.
> Nice little hammer, it gets used daily.
>
> another Peter
> In Australia...Melbourne.
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> Hi all,
>
> My 1929 and 1937 McPherson's (Aussie tool distributor) catalogues show
> Cheney Claw Hammers and Cheney's Mechanic's Pride Hammers (engineer's
> hammers).
>
> The 1951 catalogue names hammers by type rather than by manufacturer:
> carpenter's, engineer's etc.
>
> Can't locate catalogues from 1937 to 1951 so can't tell you when the
> Cheney reference
> was dropped.
>
> Another catalogue, not dated but would be '20's era, lists Cheney's
> Adz-Eye Nail Hammers.
>
> So you now have a date or at least 1929, probably earlier.
>
> Hans Brunner had some Cheney hammers for sale.
> Check his website for a photo.
>
> Hope this helps.
> Peter B, in NSW, Australia
>
> PS: Catalogue references may be for imported hammers not locally  
> made items!
>
>
>

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