Upholstery hammer
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An upholstery hammer (also called a tack hammer) is a lightweight hammer used for securing upholstery fabric to furniture frames using tacks or small nails.
The head of an upholstery hammer is narrow and roughly 12-15mm in diameter.<ref name="jacksonday">Template:Cite book</ref> Commonly they are cast in bronze with fused steel tips.<ref name="law" />
Many styles of upholstery hammers have two faces, one face being magnetized to aid in the placement of tacks, the other being larger to drive the tacks home.<ref name="cox">Template:Cite book</ref> A patent existed for a magnetized tack hammer as early as 1861, by G. W. Beardslee.<ref name="sciam">Template:Cite book</ref> Sometimes, the magnetized face has a split surface to make its magnetic hold stronger.Template:Cn Upholstery hammers may also have one end shaped like a claw to make removing tacks easier.<ref name="cox" />
To apply tacks rapidly, an upholsterer will hold tacks in the mouth and spit them, head first, onto the magnetized face of the hammer.Template:Cn This gave rise to the phrase "spitting tacks."<ref name="law">Template:Cite book</ref>
Staple guns and hammer tackers have largely replaced this traditional way of tacking as a commercial upholstery technique. The traditional method remains important both in antiques restoration and in hobbyist work.