Hammers and Objects under 6 pounds
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:56 pm
A year ago I showed my mom this site and she loved it. I showed her my eight pounder, but she thought it was too heavy. She has had some back pain and a knee surgery and wanted to be particularly careful. I bought a skinny plastic wiffle ball bat and filled it with sand. Then I used epoxy to seal the hole. It weighs about 2.5 pounds. She used it as her only “hammer†for 6 months.
After six months she wanted to upgrade, but the smallest hammer we could find was 6 pounds. She didn’t want to risk injury by doubling the weight of her hammer. (Besides the jump in weight, a real hammer has a different feel than a plastic bat filled with sand due to the balance factor.) The 4 pound hammers in most hardware stores are on short handles. So, I went to the hardware store, bought a 4 pounder, bought a long hickory sledge hammer handle, and asked the folks there to take the head off and put it on the long handle. They did a great job making a secure joint with the metal wedge. I further strengthened it by using epoxy. The whole thing was less than $35 including $10 labor.
My sister liked the idea of a 4 pounder so she bought a 4 pounder on a short handle for $12. She replaced the handle with a fiberglass and epoxy kit handle she bought for $15 bucks. If you go the fiberglass route, just remember to follow the directions and let the epoxy cure for the full 24 hours at room temperature.
After six months she wanted to upgrade, but the smallest hammer we could find was 6 pounds. She didn’t want to risk injury by doubling the weight of her hammer. (Besides the jump in weight, a real hammer has a different feel than a plastic bat filled with sand due to the balance factor.) The 4 pound hammers in most hardware stores are on short handles. So, I went to the hardware store, bought a 4 pounder, bought a long hickory sledge hammer handle, and asked the folks there to take the head off and put it on the long handle. They did a great job making a secure joint with the metal wedge. I further strengthened it by using epoxy. The whole thing was less than $35 including $10 labor.
My sister liked the idea of a 4 pounder so she bought a 4 pounder on a short handle for $12. She replaced the handle with a fiberglass and epoxy kit handle she bought for $15 bucks. If you go the fiberglass route, just remember to follow the directions and let the epoxy cure for the full 24 hours at room temperature.
