This is a Japanese tagane (metal engraving) hammer I made using a small length of 1/2 inch re-bar and a section of gardening bamboo stick. It weighs only about 1.5 ounces.

Dying for a kanazuchi (or a good substitute) but having no money, I ventured to make my own out of a piece of 1/2-inch re-bar I had lying around. I approximated the length and shape of the head using photos from online. After grinding off the ribbed texture and sanding it to a shine I heat-treated it, re-polished it, then reheated it to get the blue tint, re-polished the working faces, and ultimately fitted the handle. I'd originally used a pine dowel for testing, but rather than settle for that or oak, I thought, "Why doesn't anybody ever make hammer handles out of bamboo?" So I did just that! Using some thin bamboo stalks I'd been using to make arrow shafts, I cut a whole segment, sanded it down smooth, heated it a little (mostly for color), then set it into the kanazuchi head and coated the handle with beeswax to protect it. I'm no expert, but it seems to handle quite well!

If there's anybody out there wanting an inexpensive Kanazuchi hammer or any modification thereof, or if you just like my design so much you want one to add to your collection, I don't mind doing a commission for ya! Since the material cost is low and turnaround time isn't very long, and I'm not a well-established hammer manufacturer, I'm pretty sure I can undershoot most of the Kanazuchi suppliers out there. XD