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Thread: Broken tools

  1. #1
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    Default Broken tools

    This isn't supposed to happen....
    not to one of my favourite hammers,
    not when it's a Fretz
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails fretz.jpg  
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  2. #2
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    Oh what a bugger Nic, can it be re handled??
    Bridget x x

    Never be afraid to try something new,remember amateurs built the Ark,
    professionals built the Titanic!!!



    http://www.rusticcharmjewellery.co.uk

  3. #3
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    Don't know - the wood broke just below the wedge and what's left, is in really tight.
    I'll send the company an e-mail in the morning, they're fabulous hammers but I've only found them in the USA
    nic x
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  4. #4
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    How extremely blooming annoying!

    If you're going to rehandle it yourself, you'll need to drill out some of the remainder first to be able to fit a new one. I can either cover how to do it here or do it for you if you want? I have quite a few hammer handles...

  5. #5
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    Oh no, that's not good. Fretz hammers look like the kind that will last forever too!
    Lucinda

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by ps_bond View Post
    How extremely blooming annoying!

    If you're going to rehandle it yourself, you'll need to drill out some of the remainder first to be able to fit a new one. I can either cover how to do it here or do it for you if you want? I have quite a few hammer handles...
    Oh, it was extremely annoying - I was half way through using it!
    I'd love to give it a go myself & would be very greatful for any tips or instructions as I've never had a handle break ~ then if I completely
    stuff it up, can I take you up on your kind offer?

    Nic xxx
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  7. #7
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    OK, off the top of my head:

    Tools and materials needed:
    Saw - preferably with a wide kerf; mallet; rasps/scrapers/carving knife/files/belt grinder - whatever you are happy to use to carve the hammer handle down with.
    1 replacement hammer handle.
    1 hardwood wedge (not huge, but wide enough for the length of the hammer eye and with a fairly gentle taper - less than 20 degrees. A sharp edge is useful).

    Remove the old stub in the hammer head. Drill bits out, drift it out, whatever works. Once you've got some of it drilled out, it shouldn't be too bad to knock out. Burning works, of course - but you'd knacker the temper on the hammer! If there's metal wedges in the top of the handle, be aware of them when you're drilling...

    Fit the new hammer handle to the eye. Mark the depth of the eye + a bit (1/8" or so) on the hammer handle as a stop, then gradually work down the end until it fits. You'll be able to see the bits where it jams as the hammer eye burnishes it. It doesn't have to be an ultra-precise fit, just no significant wobble - and it needs to protrude a bit. Radius the handle where the head bottoms out.

    Saw about 1/2-2/3 the depth of the eye into the handle - I like to do this along the long axis of the eye cross section; some people like to do it across the way.

    Fit the handle to the head and seat it thoroughly. Stick the wedge in and knock it in with a mallet until the handle is tight and there's no movement to speak of. Saw the wedge flush (jeweller's saw is good for this), then file/sand the handle down to the level of the head.

    With a light use hammer, there's no real need to add anything to hold the wedge in place (although superglue is good for the comfort factor). All of my heavier-use hammers have additional toothed steel wedges added across the wooden wedge to retain them thoroughly; you can also get ring-shaped wedges to do the same job. Google for "hammer wedges" to see what I'm wittering about.

    There should be no need to soak the handle in anything; I've seen suggestions to soak them in water, which is great until they dry out... In a pinch I might soak them in Danish oil, but that's aesthetics.

    Had to go over all this with a farriery apprentice a week or so back!
    (then I ended up doing the hammer for him anyway - and polished it while I was at it, much to his surprise)
    Last edited by ps_bond; 12-01-2010 at 09:45 AM.

  8. #8
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  9. #9
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    OMG Nic what were you DOING with it?

    Peter - Thanks for instructions/pictures - easy when you know how!!
    My little planishing hammer head has been a tiny bit loose for a while; it wobbles very slightly, and I can move the head a couple of mm up away from the the handle, but it then sticks fast. Does this sound OK or should I do something with it? It has what looks like a metal staple across the top which I now know is a stake - can I bash it down a little further to make a tighter fit?

  10. #10
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    Hammer handles are consumable items

    I'd try knocking down the wedge a bit there - I don't like wobbly heads on hammers, it wastes the energy you're putting in. Use a drift or punch so you hit the wedge not the hammer head (and seat the handle first - hold the head & rap the end of the handle on a workbench); it may be worth flooding it with superglue to stop the wood moving afterwards.

    Try to avoid flooding yourself with superglue too though, it's very embarrassing...

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