Restored ball peen hammer with rubberized handle coating

I am never short of hammers waiting to be restored in my house

so

when i decided to add a dedicated ball peen hammer to my leather making toolbox i merely had to extend my arm to grab one. 

i picked out a perfect size and went on to polishing the peen, cheeks and head. i did leave the necks unpolished. cleaned of debris and rust but natural. 

 i do really like a little bit of color on the strikers to help it stand out on a cluttered work bench. orange has always been my color of choice for this. 

grip is important so for my non-octagonal hammer handles, i do like to add some sort of a grip coating. 

in this case, i thought i would try something new. i used a easy to get undercoating rubberized spray. the same material used to deaden traveling vehicle sounds and to apply to wheel wells.

i was really quite surprised how well this felt in the hand. the surface is smooth yet there is a sort of tack to the feel. i do sand in a notch toward the bottom of the handle that my pinky finger fits into, but even with out that i think i would still have the same confident grip. 

another nice element to this coating is that it is flexible. this means when the material hits something else it doesn't just chip away. it moves with the dents. of coarse it does come off with wear and enough pressure will remove it but is more durable than straight paint.

sometimes my experiments don't pan out but i am pleased to say that this one did.

rivets beware.