Andy Dingley responds:

Rawhide ? really?

I have plenty of rawhide mallets that I use for coppersmithing, but
I've never heard of anyone using them to drive chisels before - always
wood.

Yeah, rawhide. I've got a couple with cast iron holders that are
weighty enough--ye olde basic rawhide mallet is very light, but add 16
ounces of cast iron, and bingo. I've also got one that has a copper
head and a rawhide head...great for non-sparking needs, but I no longer
work around such substances when striking is needed, so it is also
handy for driving chisels. To me, the more compact heads are easier to
control than larger wood mallets, though I also like the various
deadblow Stanley hammers.