Right hammer choice
One of the tools that I took time to master in my childhood days was the hammer. I had the opportunity of using several kinds of hammers thanks to my father’s well stocked tool box. The household also had a 6-pound hammer, the one used to break stones!
For one reason or the other, there was little strictness on the use of these tools. I am tempted to think that unlike other tools, the hammer has a longer lifespan; hence, the owner of the tools saw no need to defend the hammer because it would ‘defend’ itself. Its wear and tear cannot be easily noticed. Even the 6-pound hammer that breaks stones maintains its shape even after the most challenging assignment against the unbreakable nsangalabwi rock.
Many a times I hit my fingers and silently placed back the hammer in the tool box without telling anybody. Some of the hits left marks that were evident up to just a few years ago.
As I read about hammer sizes during the week, I learnt that the different weights are there for a purpose. I saw a cloud of ignorance getting lifted from my eyes.
Aha! So, I hit my fingers because the hammer was too big for the nail I was targeting to hit? I told myself.
Imagine, if you are replacing a broken window pane on a wooden frame, you do not need a striking tool as heavy as 6-pound hammer to drive a less than 1 inch nail. It will be unsafe for both your fingers and the glass.
On the other hand, you it would not be wise to use lightweight hammer in quarry stone making project.
You need to know the exact striking tool requirement for the project you would like to undertake.
Next time you enter a hardware shop ask the shop keeper the exact type of hammer that you require. In the event that you do not have the exact specifications for the hammer in terms of weights explain to the hardware dealer the project that you would like to undertake. Do not be embarrassed to ask. I will be a bigger embarrassment to hit your finger because the hammer and the task were not equal.
Go strike on the nails with the right hammer and not your fingers. I wish you a week full of activity. Remember an idle mind is the devil’s workshop!
