Hammer handle repair

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mudbox
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Hammer handle repair

Post by mudbox » Fri Nov 06, 2015 4:31 am

OK, so... Wingnutt posted some pictures some time back of a couple of hammers that he'd found at the flea market. These hammers had the handles repaired with wire binding around the broken parts. For some reason, I can't find the post with the pictures, or I would link it here.
Anyway, I recently found a 32oz Vaughn hammer at the flea that had a bunch of tape around the handle. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the hammer before I started so I'll have to use the one from my flea market thread.
It started like this:
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I could see some green paint poking out from just above the tape and I wanted to see just how bad the handle was under there.
More green paint and 2 pretty good cracks down each side of the handle:
Image
Awesome.... :roll:
OK, lets do this!
After some research on the interwebs, I decided to give it a go.
I had found some stainless wire at the flea some time ago. That, along with a few other tools and I was off!
In addition to what's pictured here, I used a miniature pick and hook set.
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Here we go:
We start by pulling one end of the wire long way down the handle, then from the opposite end, begin to wrap the wire around the handle.
Here's the start:
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OK, this is fast becoming very tedious work.
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I tried to keep the wire as taught as I could as I worked my way down the handle.
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Done with the binding, but as I soon found out, I was no where near done with the project just yet.
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The most difficult part... You've got to take the end that you just wrapped around the handle and feed it back through under all those neat little wrappings you've just made and out the top. In hind sight, I don't think I would have wrapped the handle so tight to begin with since you'll be pulling everything very tight at the end. Getting the wire back through the wrapping took me over an hour. Sigh. At least the Bengals are 8-0 now! WHO DEY! :lol:
Here it is with the wire coming back out the top.
Image
Now you've got a length of wire sticking out the top and out the bottom of the binding. Secure the hammer, take your pliers and PULL the wire first from one end, then from the other end, then from the first end, then from the other... rinse and repeat until everything is SUPER TIGHT and there's just no more wire to pull.
Take the loose ends and work them back and forth until they break off. The ends will now be completely concealed under the binding.
All done!!!! :D
Image
Time to put it back to work!
-Jason


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Wingnutt
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Re: Hammer handle repair

Post by Wingnutt » Fri Nov 06, 2015 5:07 pm

My dad would whip cracked handles with wire, mud. A lost art. Kudos to your for a very sharp looking job.
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lt.luke
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Re: Hammer handle repair

Post by lt.luke » Sat Nov 07, 2015 3:56 am

I've seen rifle stocks done this way. I've got a broken handle, I should give this a go.

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d42jeep
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Re: Hammer handle repair

Post by d42jeep » Sat Nov 07, 2015 4:10 am

Jason,
That is a very painstaking and attractive repair. I like it!
-Don
Ford GPW 76344 DOD 11/42 Built in Richmond, CA

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Re: Hammer handle repair

Post by mudbox » Sat Nov 07, 2015 6:54 am

Thanks guys! It was fun. Too much history in that old handle to just hack it off.
Luke, if you give it a go, post up some pics!
-Jason


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