be careful!

[Kevin]

My 14 pound hammer self destructed last night. The wood inside the head rotted. The velocity with which the head left the handle was pretty frightening. It flew about 12 feet.

The fact that the head was loose was a dead giveaway. Consider the condition of your hammer, so you won't have to consider the condition of one of your appendages, animals, or prized possessions.

I guess it's time to buy the 16 pounder...

[fungus]

My 14 pound hammer self destructed last night. The wood inside the head rotted. The velocity with which the head left the handle was pretty frightening. It flew about 12 feet.

12 feet is impressive... what move were you doing?

[Kevin]

Well, it's sort of a hybrid... a lot like stoke, but without any lift at the end... I imagine it as sort of busting up the coke in the blast furnace... shoveling position, but straight forward about mid thigh height, very hard and fast. So the head and handle were going horizontally in a straight line. Perfect launch.

Another one I started doing recently is chipping ice... sort of like you are standing on your driveway chipping an accumulation of ice, side on, by chipping down at about a 45-60 degree angle. Stand almost straight up. You'll feel it in your chest if you draw up/across hard before the next 45-60 degree downward blow. The back hand goes up from about the center of your chest to above/outside your shoulder. The front hand goes from down at your side to the middle of your chest. It's the first one I've done that's tweaked my chest muscles.

Anyway, my 16 pounder is on order via Reinhard's Amazon store.

[reinhard]

Wow. That's scary.

Was it a hammer you used for a lot of other stuff? Was it ancient?

Reinhard

[Kevin]

Well, it seemed completely sound. There was plenty of varnish on the wood handle. The head was loose, but that happens. I'm guessing, though, that when I left it outside during the summer (when I use the tire), rain must have collected inside the head, and the wood rotted.

The hammer was from Harbor Freight. The handle is labeled "American Hickory".

I doubt it.

[phayze]

yeah, "american hickory" is probably the color of the finish they used on it. They use that trick with furniture all the time to make people they're buying real wood rather than veneered press-board. Shisters . . .

[Kevin]

Given that the hammer was made in China, I found it hard to believe that they would ship in hickory from here.

[gratefuldeb67]

Wow Kev! Glad nobody got hurt!
Yeah, I think it's really important for people to maintain close attention to the condition of their SG.
I don't think it's at all normal that the head should ever be loose.
You are really lucky guy..
Enjoy your new sixteen pounder!
That is a whopper of a hammer and you will really feel it in your hands!

Peace and Love,
Debs x

[Kevin]

I think am a lucky guy, with or without regard to the hammer.

I'm used to using tools up - I have a splitting maul the head of which has been loose for years. It does, however, have a real hickory handle, and hasn't rotted out. The hammer head felt loose, but not *that* loose.

Of course, I don't let anyone near with me when I split wood with it.

It's nice to year from you!

[fungus]

The fact that the head was loose was a dead giveaway.

Yep. Any looseness or rattling should be taken VERY seriously (and not just with hammers!)

[kayvan]

I guess that's why I've leaned towards using the fiberglass handled sledgehammers.

Thanks for the warning, I'll pass it on to my son (who's using the 8 pounder with the wood handle).