I’m a staunch advocate of the wooden handle hammer, even though all the other guys on my crew stand by Estwings. I use a Hart 21 because I like the balanced swing and hitting the sweet spot every time. Trouble is, after a couple of months on the job, the handle loosens up and the hammer becomes useless as a prying tool, as opposed to when it was brand new. I’ve heard a number of antidotes including soaking the hammer in antifreeze. Nothing seems to work. Anyone have a sure fire method for kryptonizing the head to the handle?
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Sleeper,
One little trick I learned from Bill, the husband of Ella, was to pull a nail in the sideways direction of the hammer. You get much more leverage that way.
But using a hammer as a prybar is abuse. Use a crowbar or a catspaw for prying.
Maybe epoxy might Kryptonize your head and handle together.
~Peter
This response is NOT cost effective for most!
Never had one of my wood handles come loose - never broken one either. Pop taught me this, and his Pop him before.
Anyway, the first step may not be easy (Grandpa's 1910 method), but all my handles are either Illinois shagbark Hickory from undergrowth in the Sangamon river bottom (Boss knows where that is), or a few select pallet pieces found - assume are from TN. Handles contain the pith at the center, the one I pick are > 15 YO and under 1-1/2 inch dia. Dry indoors for over 1 year (store mine on top the furnace duct. Drawknife to shape on a nice dry winter day, and rub with linseed oil every day for a week and keep in old oven in basement at 120F during that time (ya gotta love the smell of linseed oil).
1 inch deep diag cut in end, coat inside of hammer head with polyester resin, drive into head by whacking end of handle on an anvil. Drive oak wedge into slot with more resin for glue, drive in 2 each steel wedges diagonal to the wooden wedge.
Pine tar on handle optional (esp roofing hammers).
The attachments are self explanatory, a few item I had in the house vs garage or barn to grab a pix. (One slick handle is walnut - fit is only criteria there. )
PS: The airport security guys often wonder what's in that bundle of sticks being checked<G>
PPS: can't find a good epoxy that will hold one of the fiberglass sledge handles I get surplus once in awhile-gave up on those -any suggestions on that?)
PPPS edit, changed 1' to 1 inch!
Edited 4/19/2003 11:31:46 PM ET by JUNKHOUND
Best advice is to not use your hammer as a prying tool.
I epoxy replacement handles in my hart hammer. I use a good two part flowing epoxy ie. West system or Touchstone.
I even coat the area where the handle shows on the top of the hammer to minimize contact with moisture. So far I have had great luck but I don't use a hammer on a daily basis. I have a hunch that moisture fluctuations in the wood cause it to loosen up as much as using it to pull nails.
I seem to recall reading in fhb (Larry Haun???) that heat shrink tubing around the handle just under the head helps prolong handle life.
Karl