Saddest tool loss

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
The best tool find put me in mind of an old Stanley tack hammer I inherited from my Dad. I think he'd picked it up well-worn from a street market decades back, and its wooden handle was worn smooth with use, with slight ridging where the grain was just starting to stand out, and the weight was perfect and the head was tight on the shaft and it was a joy to use and....I've no idea what happened to it. *sniff*
 

threebikesmcginty

Corn Fed Hick...
Location
...on the slake
I've lost both my hammers at the moment. When I built some kitchen units the other week I ended up using the back of the axe head, I though the lump hammer was a bit over the top.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
Mine will be (i havnt lost it yet, but it will probably wear out)..my Facom flat bladed screwdriver. It just sits so comfortably in the hand, the tip is spot on and sits in a slot beautifully even though i have dressed it once to regain a straight edge. It gets abuse as well, prodding, chiselling etc etc, it doesnt deserve it. I will miss that one...and if it does go, i will immediately replace it with like for like.
Sounds silly, i have a toolbag full of reasonable quality tools, Facom, Britool, Wera, Knippex etc etc...but i love that screwdriver.
 

arch684

Veteran
The best tool i have ever lost was a cotter pin press.I had let so many people borrow it i could'nt remember who had it.I had a look for one on ebay they were selling for 90/100 pounds
 

cosmicbike

Perhaps This One.....
Moderator
Location
Egham
I know 2 of my hammers are residing under the floorboards of our old house, along with a 12" adjustable spanner.
 

Levo-Lon

Guru
For me its my shovel..I spend several years wearing it to suit me then it breaks..
I usually say a few kind words and lay it to rest, then curse at the new one that is blunt and horrible to use
 

cosmicbike

Perhaps This One.....
Moderator
Location
Egham
Are they still stuck in your ex-wifes body? :ohmy:
Not yet:laugh:
 
Location
Loch side.
Don't get me started on tools. OK, you just did.

The loss of a good tool is a sad affair indeed.

@swee'pea99 Was it a real tack hammer? Slender, curved (magnetic) head. Tiny tack-sized claw at the back. One piece head and shaft with wooden inserts on the steel handle? If so, what did you use it for? I appreciate it's elegance but it is tiny - not much use in the general workshop?
 
OP
OP
swee'pea99

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
Don't get me started on tools. OK, you just did.

The loss of a good tool is a sad affair indeed.

@swee'pea99 Was it a real tack hammer? Slender, curved (magnetic) head. Tiny tack-sized claw at the back. One piece head and shaft with wooden inserts on the steel handle? If so, what did you use it for? I appreciate it's elegance but it is tiny - not much use in the general workshop?
It was similar to like this one, tho' the handle was more interesting - rounded, rather than a stick - and the head rather more delicate. The thing it was really good for was things like tapping in small pins or tacks...you could hold them in position loosely between a thumb & forefinger, and there was just enough space for the thin end to go through the gap and hit the head of the nail.
$_12.JPG
 
Location
Loch side.
It was similar to like this one, tho' the handle was more interesting - rounded, rather than a stick - and the head rather more delicate. The thing it was really good for was things like tapping in small pins or tacks...you could hold them in position loosely between a thumb & forefinger, and there was just enough space for the thin end to go through the gap and hit the head of the nail.
View attachment 85942

upload_2015-4-17_14-29-39.png


This is the one I'm talking about. Very slender. The hammering tip is probably 8mm in dia. The back is a claw for removing tacks.

Reason I ask what you used it for is just last week I had to fix someone's old couch and when I turned it around, I saw it was assembled with tacks. These have long been replaced by staples. Upholsterers used to use tack hammers and to watch them work was something else. They would put ten or so tacks in their mouth and then produce them flat side out so that the hammer could pick them up on its magnetic head. Each tack was driven in with a single swing. Swing spit swing spit swing spit.

The hammer you lost was a panel pin hammer, hence my surprise that you miss yours.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom