# Forum More Stuff At the end of the day  Isn't this bloke an idiot

## Bros

Someone should tell him you never strike an hammer with a hammer.  Police seek help to identify alleged Canberra car wash burglar - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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## r3nov8or

Probably not the only reason he's an idiot...

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## havabeer

> Someone should tell him you never strike an hammer with a hammer.

  mythbusters disproved this in episode 67 and again in 75

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## Marc

Don't know what mythbusters did, they use very subjective methods most of the time, but that is not a hammer but some sort of hatchet or cleaver. The hammer side is not particularly hard so no real danger there. As far as modern day hammers, they are made soft for fear of being sued so a hammer today is rather soft and so no dangerous metal chips ... most of the time.

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## Bros

I was always taught never to hit the face of two hammers together. I think this bloke never heard of this and he has failed his chosen profession as he was clearly him and car caught on camera, some never learn.

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## Sir Stinkalot

> I was always taught never to hit the face of two hammers together.

  I was always thought, cover your face from the camera and park the car out of view  :Smilie:

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## goldie1

Yes

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## pharmaboy2

> mythbusters disproved this in episode 67 and again in 75

  They concluded if the hammer breaks when hit by another hammer it will also break in use - so the unbranded $2 shop hammers may or may not be so good.

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## PlatypusGardens

I don't believe it
A CCTV camera ACTUALLY got a clear shot of someone's face!!!??!?

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## Marc

> They concluded if the hammer breaks when hit by another hammer it will also break in use - so the unbranded $2 shop hammers may or may not be so good.

  Which is of course total bull s, not unlike many of their 'conclusions' 
Hammers are hardened to 45 RC but used to be hardened to 55  and 60 RC so that they don't mushroom and don't get marks from hitting punches or other tools. At 55 RC and higher hardness, a hammer can chip if hitting something harder and the chips can fly at very high speed. I got one of them in my left forearm. It was a very flat piece like a fish scale and it cut in my arm about 15 mm deep and it was a pita to pull out. 
Manufacturers get sued from time to time due to this and so now they harden the hammers not more than 45 Rc 
The result is that the hammer will mushroom but will also be less dangerous. 
Of course the worst offenders are cheap low carbon steel hammers that have the face case hardened.

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## havabeer

I think they tried a variety of hammers, they even hardened the absolute @@@@ out of a couple and it seemed the neck would bend before chips would fly off. but you've obviously got first hand expirence of the chips everyone keeps talking about. I guess its just easier to say "why risk it" and not go bashing two hammers together. 
how much money could have been in those machines any way... $500 worth of change?

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## Marc

Well ... it's a tv show. 
Hammers don't spit chips after 5 hits or every second carpenter would be one eyed. 
The hammer's steel moves with every hit a fraction of a micron and after thousands of hits, the steel eventually mushrooms. 
 If the hammer is too hard, the surface on the face stretches but the body does not follow. this develops a horizontal crack. Further blows will make this surface particle flat and flatter and eventually it will let go, squeezed between the hammer body and the part that is being worked on. if the piece of work is mild steel or red hot, the chip will most probably come off uneventfully, however if you miss your piece and hit the anvil or another hammer, the chip will fly off at great speed and you better not be in it's way.  
There is a long history of court cases against hammer manufacturers.

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