Hammer handles ?

What is everyone using for hammer handles and why ??

How long will they last ?

We've use pvc and rattan for comp. but they break fairly easy. And we only get maybe 20-30 throws with them ..  I started using some pipe made of HDPE ,, you have to have a flair fussed on the end ,, but we've made 1--'s + with very little problems ,

You can even bend this stuff in half and it comes back to shape ! But it's very good for pratice ,, tons of throwing before you can tear it up !!

I used to think sch 80 PVC was the way to go... used sch 40 for a long time and didn't see a real difference - have even used 3/4" black steel pipe as a handle.

Prior to last year, I had been using PVC and had about 5 years on my heavy hammer before it broke... light hammer would break about once/year.  When they broke this last year I went rattan and haven't had a break.  Some rattan breaks easier than others - and it's getting harder to find good wood.  In my next of the woods, PVC sch 40 is the cheapest way to go... use 1/2" stock for a realy whippy feel (although it makes my hammer an ounce light), and use 3/4" when I don't mind having to shave it a little to make it fit.

Dave

I own a hammer that is designed for 1/2" schedule 40/80 PVC handle.  I consistently throw this hammer farther than I do 3/4" PVC or rattan handled hammers.  

I can hold my 1/2" PVC hammer with the handle parallel to the floor and the head sags over 30" (a bit less when using the stiffer schedule 80). 

I love the feel of the 1/2 hammer.  With that said, I object to the use of 1/2" Schedule 40/80 handles in competition.  I believe they are too whippy and I believe they give a mechanical advantage over rattan (the preferred handle in rules) or 3/4 PVC handles.  

Others disagree with this conjecture saying that the flexibility of the handle could not possibly help the thrower.  Some point out that you need to be concerned with the weight when switching from Rattan to PVC.

A discussion of this occurred in the thread:

http://www.nasgaweb.com/forums/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=238 0&PN=1

I believe PVC came about because of cost and speed in which one can change a flared PVC handle over other forms of handles.  I doubt anybody gave much thought to how the handle effects throwing.  When or if the rules were changed, they were changed to say that Rattan is preferred. 

my 2 cents 

sqeezemaster wrote: Dennis, Heating PVC on the stove is a bad idea. The gas that's given off is quite toxic. Here's another option from Tony Dziepak's page "To flare an unflared pipe section, saw a straight 3" cut through the pipe lengthwise. Cut a 2" long end off a wooden broom handle with a 7/8" handle (kitchen broom or mop; a rounded end works well). The broom end should flare the pipe slightly when inserted. "

If the PVC hasn't been softened, wouldn't this more likely lead to an unstable split instead of a flare?

C'mon Jeff, do you really think you're more of an authority on this than the leprechaun that helps me when I do this in an unventilated closet?  Mr. O'Happy says it's fine, but unlike you, he holds a degree in pipeology.