There are a number of factors to consider with regard to hammer choices and their effect on hammering strategies -

1. 1.Force - Force equals mass multiplied by acceleration. The greater the weight of the hammer and length of the handle, the greater the possible force exerted.
   

2. 2.Deformation - The greater the deformation of the bronze, the greater the vibrational energy will be disrupted. Greater bronze deformation contributes to trash quality, lower pitch, less dynamic potential, lower volume & shorter decay. Greater deformation also equates to greater overall shape changes eg. using a hammer with a more convex face for shaping, will lead to a higher profile for the same amount of hammering.
   

3. 3.Compression - Greater compression means faster energy transfer equating to higher pitch, more volume, longer sustain. More variation in compression over a larger area, equates to additional complexity & reduced sustain.
   

4. 4.Hammer Stroke Surface Area - The surface area of compression from each hammer stroke has a critical impact on overall tension and the transmission of vibrational energy. To create a larger surface area of compression requires a flatter faced hammer, which has the greatest compression to deformation ratio. A small, heavy, sharply convex hammer would have the opposite effect; the greatest deformation to compression ratio. If dry, dark and trashy is the goal, a greater deformation to compression ratio is needed.
   

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