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sqeezemaster 
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Joined: 9/09/05 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 210 |
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 Topic: Homemade hammerPosted: 5/26/06 at 3:40am |
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So I made a hammer by cementing an endcap on a length of PVC and sliding plates down it. I hadn't thrown it yet, and I wanted to test it's durability. I put 2 10's on it and hit the endcap on the floor a few times. It broke right off. For those of you who've had success with this sort of hammer, do you use thicker, threaded PVC? Or was I just abusing mine more than throwing normally would?
Thanks Jeff |
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AncientOne
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Posted: 5/26/06 at 3:50am |
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Jeff- Most of the good hammers use a conical wedge in the end of the pipe to flare the end of pipe. The force of the hammer head on the wedge will makes it tight as hell and the weight hits the ground first, not the plastic. But if you're using loose plates I'm not sure if you'll ever get it right. Unless you like to tinker with these things, go ahead and buy a hammer from one of the guys that makes one of the proven designs. Ya'know, the old reinvent the wheel thing. Good luck with your hammers, -Kevin Edited by AncientOne |
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Winners are remarkably adept at figuring out what's required to win.
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jlmreddog
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Posted: 5/26/06 at 5:34am |
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I use a glued end cap on my Rube Goldberg hammer made from half a 45lb dumbell. Even though the cap sticks out the bottom I have thrown it a couple hundred times and haven't broken the cap yet. I would advise putting some duct tape around the base to make the plates snug and then wrap them with more duct tape on the outside. Duct tape, is there anything it can't do? Good luck. |
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John McClure
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. Abraham Lincoln |
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sqeezemaster
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Posted: 5/26/06 at 5:59am |
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Thanks for the advice. I'm just getting into throwing so I'm trying not to spend much money on it just yet. I'll try gluing it again and taping the whole thing up this weekend.
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BigdogEMT
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Posted: 5/27/06 at 6:05pm |
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What type of PVC are you useing? I use the 3/4 grey elec conduit and caps and weight plates. I get as much as 30 throws from one handle. I havent used the duct tape on them but I see where this might give even a few more throws. Most of the breaks happen when one of the weights slides back up the shaft, when it hits the groung. Just my 2 cents worth! Terry
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“The hard stuff we do right away, the impossible stuff takes a little longer!”
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G-man
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Posted: 5/30/06 at 10:51am |
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you can flare the end by heating it up and shaping it with an empty beer bottle. be sure to do it outside because the fumes are not good for you.
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http://cghighlander.blogspot.com/
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Borges
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The Conrad Dobler of the Highland Games Joined: 8/30/04 Location: Jamaica Status: Offline Points: 2188 |
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Posted: 5/30/06 at 11:31am |
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If you need any help emptying the beer bottle just swing by my place.
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Cheers,
Carlos "Live free or die" |
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BillB
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Posted: 5/30/06 at 12:10pm |
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Be very careful with heating pvc,just 50ppm can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract.Even heating it it releases hydrogen chloride gas. |
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Vae Victus
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Dragon
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Posted: 5/31/06 at 5:35am |
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How would a person suggest heating up the PVC as to be safe and not get the bad affects Bill mentioned?
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Throw!! There is no finish line!!
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sqeezemaster
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Posted: 6/06/06 at 9:22am |
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Do it under a gas hood at your local chemistry department
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kspell
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Posted: 6/06/06 at 9:24am |
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just by electrical conduit and cut it to length (3/4" schedule 40)
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Cheers!
Kirk |
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Dragon
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Posted: 6/08/06 at 4:53pm |
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Sqeezemaster, how do I heat it though and get the same flare as the factory end. I also don't have access to a chemistry hood, any other suggestions? Kirk, one end is already flared, but I want to re-create that on the other "cut" ends. Any ideas??
Edited by Dragon |
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Throw!! There is no finish line!!
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BillB
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Posted: 6/08/06 at 5:16pm |
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Don't be such a tightwad,I don't pay more than 3 bucks for a 10' section.
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Vae Victus
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sqeezemaster
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Posted: 6/09/06 at 8:48am |
I was being a smartass. If you're not in a hoodeda and ventilated area like that you shouldn't be heating PVC. There were a bunch of kids at my high school that made bongs out of PVC and ended up very sick. |
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Dragon
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Posted: 6/09/06 at 3:39pm |
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Bill, I would like to get a couple handles out of the one 10ft section, rather than discard everything but the 50in piece with the flared end. You know... RECYCLE!! Concrats on the twin BOYS!! Don't start them throwing until AFTER they can walk!! Sqeezemaster, I was thinking of doing what G-man said to do. I think in another post he or someone said they heated the PVC in an oven. I'm guessing turning the range hood on will not be enough?
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Throw!! There is no finish line!!
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Old Dude
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Posted: 6/14/06 at 6:32pm |
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Time to bust this out again...
 [L-R] 22 lb hammer with plate stack wrapped with duct tape, 19 lb hammer with loose plates, 16 lb hammer with plate stack wrapped with duct tape, 14 lb Bobby Dodd training hammer. Lying down is a 12 lb hammer with loose plates showing how the belled end of a piece of schedule 40 PVC conduit keeps the plates from flying into the ozone.  Closeup of hammer construction showing belled end of sch 40 PVC electrical conduit.  This is what to look for at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. It comes in 10 foot lengths and it's cheap.  I tape the handle with old school sticky friction tape. No tacky required. The plates came from various garage sales, used sporting good stores, and the like so my total investment in this collection of hammers is pretty low...with the exception of the Bobby Dodd hammer which I bought from him a few years ago. BTW, what Big Mac said about wrapping a few turns of duct tape around the handle just above the plate stack is spot on. It will keep the plates from moving around whilst you carry the hammer over your shoulder. Throw far! Edited by Old Dude |
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Over Fork Over
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kspell
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Posted: 6/15/06 at 5:09am |
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[/QUOTE]
There were a bunch of kids at my high school that made bongs out of PVC and ended up very sick. [/QUOTE] Who says that are youth aren't taking their studies serious? |
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Cheers!
Kirk |
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thegnome
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Posted: 6/15/06 at 8:24am |
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I did something similar using 1/2" PVC. Even with the flared end the plates come off of 1/2", but I was in my basement looking for something else and found an old plastic spin lock collar from a cheap Wal Mart set of dumbells I had years ago. I just slid the collar on first, then the plates + a wee bit o' duct tape. So far, so good.
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Wayne Hill
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Posted: 6/15/06 at 8:38am |
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So, Andrew, with all this practicing, do you think you might like to come to the Glasgow Lands games in central MA mid-July?
-Wayne |
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"We may be small, but we're slow." - MIT Rugby
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thegnome
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Posted: 6/15/06 at 9:15am |
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Practicing? With me it's more like giving the neighbors some comic relief and chewing up my yard. I'd love to do Glasgow Lands. If you're going to be there then definately. The only "problem" is that my second little boy is due in August, and that might be cutting it close to the no travel window. I'll see what the Mrs. thinks. Are you the AD? PS . Have any good ideas for names? We're starting to cut this one a wee bit close.
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Wayne Hill
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Posted: 6/15/06 at 10:00am |
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Yeah, I'm the AD. I'll put you down as an entrant. PM me
your e-mail address, and I'll send you info as the time nears.
How about Angus, if it's a boy?  -Wayne |
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"We may be small, but we're slow." - MIT Rugby
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thegnome
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Posted: 6/16/06 at 3:52am |
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Angus is one of the names we're thinking about, we were thinking about that for Duncan. I 'm sending you a PM with my info. Thanks for giving me another chance to play with the heavy things
 !!!
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jwalla16
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Joined: 4/27/15 Location: Oak Ridge, TN Status: Offline Points: 85 |
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Posted: 5/22/15 at 2:10pm |
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I did the same basic thing (3/4" conduit, 2.5# plates x 4, 5# plates x 2, all wrapped in duck tape), and mine broke on the first day I used it: the flared end past plates broke off when it hit the ground.
Would the duck tape on the handle keep that from happening?
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C. Smith
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Posted: 5/26/15 at 7:50am |
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9 year old post bump...that's probably a record...
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Daniel McKim
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Posted: 5/27/15 at 10:02am |
When I made a homemade one years ago, I just used three 5# plates. I'd tape the plates together, but the ground that you're throwing on is a big factor to handle breaking, too. Try and find some soft ground (hard to find sometimes, I know) but that will help you with your handles, too. Good luck!
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Jeremy Robinson
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Posted: 6/09/15 at 2:16pm |
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The hammer I use is just a 50" length of Schedule 80 PVC. I put a bolt and a wingnut through holes drilled a half inch from the bottom. I use combinations of 5 and 2.5 lb plates. There is no need to tape anything. Just let the plates slide up the handle when they land and you won't brake the handle constantly. For the same reason, don't use anything larger than a 5# plate. Simple and cheap. I second the point about throwing on softer ground.
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AndrewK51
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Posted: 6/15/15 at 4:27pm |
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Here is how I made mine:
Its cheap and everything except the handle is reusable. I broke the handle for the first time today, but it lasted for about 50 throws. If I was throwing anything decent it may take some throws off of that... take it for what it's worth as I am totally new to highland games.
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TomLawrence
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Posted: 6/15/15 at 6:09pm |
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I went cheap and easy before I bought my Landrich hammers. I scored up the plates a little with an angle grinder and JB Welded them together to make the head.
To make the handle I took >50" of schedule 80 PVC, split the end and put in a little wood shim (like hanging an axe head). I dropped the weights over the unshimmed end and knocked the handle against the garage floor until the head was flush with the shimmed end. The wood compressed enough to do that, but not enough to allow the head to come off the other side. I actually think I'd have a hard time knocking out on purpose. Then I trimmed the unshimmed end to 50" and away we go. I threw a homemade 22# and a homemade #16 like this for two years and never broke the handles or had the head fly off. Granted that I am afflicted with L.O.F.T., but I do believe this method is sound. Tom |
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Aim high. Stay hungry.
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JSiau10
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Posted: 7/01/15 at 10:03am |
As a fellow skinflint, here is what worked for me. I glued the cap on same as you did, although I used the purple primer first. it worked every time. If you want to heat it to "bell" the end, do outside where there is good ventilation and use a small heating torch you can pick up at almost any hardware store, it will attatch to those small dark green propane tanks you find in the camping department of walmart and such stores. You heat the pipe by keeping the blue flame an inch or two off of the PVC, keep rotating the pipe like a roticery chicken you really don't want to burn. you will know it is ready when it begins to sag or look really glossy. at this point you push the narrow end of the beer bottle through the hole and keep it there for about a minute. this will be a bit long to keep it on, but better safe than sorry. once it holds the shape it will still be crazy hot so don't do what I did and feel it to make sure it is firm. that won't go well for you. there you go Brother, from one cheapskate to another. good luck! oh forgot to mention, when you put on the desired weight, wrap a few layers of duct tape just above the plates around the pipe to keep a snug fit.
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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.
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JSiau10
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Posted: 7/01/15 at 10:06am |
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understand though that while these are great methods and a homemade hammer can be a great training tool, it just don't fly or handle like the real thing. definitely put it on your Christmas list.
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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.
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Dragon wrote:
