The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-02-25
AGE OF THE HAMMER.
PROFICIENCY ATTAINED IN THIS
IMPORTANT TOOL.

fui,
The mechanics hammer Of today is
essentially an American product. This
is the age of hammers, in view OF the
fact that this age sees the hammer in
It's greatest state Of proficiency, says
the American Exporter. Exactly when
the hammer came into use is not told
In history, but II Is certain that some
rude form of the instrument must
have been used In the earliest days
of handicraft. OF the hammers made
In America today there is no end.
There is the tiny little tack hammer
which weighs only few ounces, and
Is Indispensable in house, store or fac
tory. Then there Is the 20 and 30 ton
hammer driven by steam and used for
making immense forgings. The num-
berless effects which are due to its re-
markable force of impact has made
the hammer necessity in all trades.
Immense manufactures. employing
thousands Of men, are grinding year
In and year out making hammers
while 10 times as many wholesale
houses are busy putting the product
on the market The industry has ad-
vanced to such stage that many gen.
eral hardware firms in the United
States have thrown out the hammer,
leaving II to the houses that deal in
tools exclusively.
Hammers are made In variety of
shapes, the most in demand being the
claw hammer. This and the shoe
makers hammer have retained their
shapes for hundreds of years. One
gold beating firm relies on them en-
| tirely. The sheets OF leaves OF gold
| are hammered to such exceeding thin
ness that 100000 are required to make
up the thickness of an inch. Another
| odd product OF the hammer factory Is
the butchers hammer, used, for kill
| ing cattle. 1t is capable when proper
| Iy welded OF carrying a very heavy
blow. Then there are the stone cut
| ter's hammer, the carpet layers ham,
mr., the wood carver's mallet and the
plumbers odd implement. All of these
have a good sale in the markets Of the
world. because they possess a "some.
thing" which users cannot find dupli-
Gated in the output of other countries.
In the South Sea islands tree fell
Ing contests are Of such importance
that specially made axes are imported
for the work from America. It is re-
ported by way Of illustration that a
difference of half an ounce in the
theft" Of an axe lost the champion
ship to one skilled chopper who had
retained 1t for a quarter of a century.
He was compelled to accept an axe Of
European make, and although 1t was
to the eye of the layman equal In ev-
cry way to the Yankee product, some
thing was missing, and all sorts Of
tests were made to discover what it
was. The heartbroken ex-champion
finally agreed that the difference lay
in slight curve of the handle and
an excess weight of half an ounce in
the head. So skilled are these wood
men of the South Sea; in telling tim
Der that dozen blows on the trunk
Of a tree will show but the one cash,
as though done by single blow Of
mighty power.
In the manufacture of claw ham,
mers the American foundryman sees
to It that the instrument balances per
fectly before 1t is passed as being o.
X. By balancing is meant that the
centre of gravity, when the hammer
Is standing on its head, runs from the
apex of the claw diagonally through
the handle, just touching the very
edge of the end surface. II the in
strument fails to pass this test 1t is
rejected and either sold for low
price, without name. or consigned
to q scrap pile. Small as such a de-
feet might seem in itself, the amount
Of excess energy required to WELD the
implement would run up into several
horse power in the course of the life
Of one hammer alone. A mechanic of
today Is a man of brains as well as
muscle, and the same tension or
"edge," requisite in artistic piano
playing, oil painting and billiard play
ing is necessary in the crafts, al
though naturally in a lesser degree.
The manufacture of tools for the
various divisions Of labor has, there
fore, become in this country some
thing more than an output of units In
enormous quantities. There must be
spirit of harmony between maker
and user, and the needs of the latter
taken seriously into consideration. An
illustration of this was shown in Eng
land recently where American brick
ayers amazed the native worker by
laying fully GO percent more bricks in
one day than the best British rec
ord. Investigation disclosed the fact
that the bricks were made on the
American plan. somewhat smaller in
every way than those in general use
in England. The cry went up that no
comparison was possible. in view Of
this glaring discrepancy, and the
trade press was occupied with the
controversy for many days.
Our English cousins failed to take
into consideration the fact that the
extra energy required to handle a
brick, somewhat unwieldly and over
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