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178
THE PRO’S
ADVICE
MAKE YOUR HAMMERS WORK HARDER
JOHN DAVIES
CARPET FITTER
GRIP AND STANCE
FINISHED TRIM OR BENCH WORK
WITHDRAWING A NAIL
HOLD THE NAIL UNTIL FIRMLY SET
SMALL PANEL PINS
SAFETY
Hold the handle near to the end of the grip so that your little finger
rests up against the ‘hook’ shape at the extremity of the handle; this
will enable you to maintain a secure grip without having to use all the
strength in your hand to hold on. For best performance a right-handed
user should place the left foot forward and the right foot set back a
little and at right angles to the left. Move the position of your feet to
adjust the height of your shoulders; ideally you need to be striking the
head of the nail horizontally. If your right hand is too low you will tend
to bend the nail away from you and if too high it will bend towards
you.
Take care not to damage the surface by over hitting the nail. Use a
Stanley Nail Set to drive pointed head panel pins flush or even below
the surface. The countersunk pin can then be filled for a perfect, invis-
ible fixing.
This can be done with a claw hammer in two ways; either by hooking
the nail head into the claw of the hammer or by making the claws bite
into the shank of the nail. If you are pulling a long nail it is best to
engage the nail as near to the point where it enters the wood, place
a piece of waste material under the front curve of the head to avoid
damaging the wood, then lever toward you gently, avoid jerking on the
handle. As the nail emerges either reposition the claw lower down the
shaft or insert a thicker piece of scrap to ensure that you continue to
pull the nail vertically.
Position the nail and while still holding it in place tap it a few times to
set it firmly into the wood, at least 12mm for a 75mm nail, then raise
the hammer a little higher and strike more firmly until the nail is flush.
Small panel pins are hard to hold
in place when starting. To make
it easier press the pin through
a piece of cardboard, hold it in
position with your fingers a safe
distance away and then tap the
pin in place removing the card at
the last minute. There are many
other devices both commercial and
improvised that will serve the same
purpose.
• Never strike anything with the cheeks of the hammer head, because
they are not hardened
• For hardened masonry nails use a club hammer and never a normal
nail hammer
• Only use a club hammer for striking cold chisels and always wear
safety goggles and gloves
• When striking cold chisels or punches the hammer head should be at
least 10mm larger than the area to be struck
• With a new hammer it’s a good idea to remove the protective
lacquer on the striking face with medium grit glass paper in order to
reduce the risk of the hammer slipping off the nail head
