Miracle tool

[Alan Wheeler]

After reading Gords amusing post in the Galley, I thought it prudent that we should talk about tools for the sailor.

Save weight by taking one multiversal tool. The mighty hammer. It comes in a range of sizes, and for the average sailor, two hammers, one small and one large, should be all that is needed.
In the tool of choice for the amature.

It can be used as a screw "driver"
You can carry out "percussive maintanace" where one tool "hits" all.
Should something not work, hey, just hit it with a hammer. It may/maynot make the thing work, but it sure as heck feels good.
And of course, if at first you don't succeed, hit it with the bigger hammer.
Got a loose nut, smacking the bolt with a hammer will mean the nut will never come loose again.
Need to remove that same nut, continue hitting the bolt and eventually it will just fall right out of there. If you are lucky, the component you are trying to remove may just fall right off as well.
Have no idea about why or how something works, or isn't working?? well just wildly tap around random area's with a hammer. Eventually the problem may show up. If it doesn't, then at least you haven't been wasting your time just sitting there looking. And with an ounce of luck, another potential problem you didn't know existed, may rear it's head.
Plus, by hitting things while down below, the wife will think,
1: you are busy
2: you seem to know what you are doing and thus feel at ease
3: that you have worked so hard, she will cook the most amasing meal to repay the hard work her husband has been putting in down in those cramped areas below.
4: even if you aren't doing anything at all, the odd tap of a hammer whilest reasting will still make number 3 work like majic.

And should one day things go really wrong and someone gets injured or takes ill, you can use it as an anesthetic.
It can be used to stunn fish and as protection against Pirates
Arrr the trusty hammer. The miracle tool.

[Greg B]

Hammer might be second best, but not THE best. You can't fix a roll of duct tape with a hammer but you can fix a hammer with a roll of duct tape

Greg

[patio]

well, if you have the two most impotent(sic) tools, then one might as add the the final tool to make the

COMPLETE TOOL KIT

swiss army knife .

it's all Mac ever needed to fix/make anything, even a welder as i recall.

[Strygaldwir]

See, I always though as a hammer as a tool, and duct tape as a supply/ building material!

One goes in the tool box, the other in the spares locker!

both are great to have!



Got a leatherman, left my swiss army at home! I guess I'd better go back and get it.

[Alan Wheeler]

A Swiss Army knife doesn't count, except for when using it as a welder. But it's just adding weight you see. See you can save weightwith just a trusty hammer. The hammer can do all the swiss army knife can aaand more. Hey the Hammer can also be used as a welder. I can't think of anything ole Mack did that he couldn't have done just as equally with a Hammer in his pocket. Instead of nearly running out of those precouse seconds trying to defuse a bomb and doing nothing for his stress levels as the second deminish to the last one or two, he could have just smacked the timer with a hammer and stopped it dead and probably had time to have a cuppa afterwards
Now that Duct tape, thats a tuff one. I think it has its merrits.

[patio]

not too sure how to pull that cork, with a hammer, in the bottle of vino, without getting glass in that cuppa.

you were refering to wine, eh?

gotta love the cork screw.

[Alan Wheeler]

A claw hammer mate. Just grab the cork with the claw and out she pops. Also a bottle top remover for the ole cold refreshments.

[irwinsailor]

My special boat hammer was used yeaterday taking the hot tub cabinet out of the saloon. It worked perfectly as allways. Don't leave the dock without one.

[Alan Wheeler]

Now we are getting it.
You see, a Swiss army knife is a good tool, but it is still limited. There is simply no job a hammer can't do. It even has a place in the fishing tackle box. It can be used to kill the catch of the day after they floated to the surface with the TNT carge, err ooops, did I say too much
Yup, I just can't think of a more versatile tool than a Hammer.

[GordMay]

The Swiss Army reveals predilection it’s by putting TWO roach clips in the end of their famous knife. They give you both a long pointy one (like a toothpick) and a plier type (like tweezers).
BTW: being an electrician, I’ve never needed a hammer - I have pliers.

[irwinsailor]

If you don't have a hammer, ho do you get the wires through the walls Gord?

[GordMay]

To make holes in bulkheads, you place the pointy pliers (diagonals) point-first against the surface, then pound on them with the heavy pliers (linesman’s side cutters). Then you clean up the whole hole (ream), again with the pliers.
Then you open your beer - with the pliers (either set will work).

[Alan Wheeler]

Hmmmm, Gord makes a strong argument there. BUT!! the hammer would make a clean and quick job of the hole manufacture, and it means one tool against two to make it. And hey, you don't need a crimp tool, you place the wire in the terminal and belt it with the hammer. Wire in the screw connection and belt it with the hammer . Wouldn't need to strip the insulation, it would get squeesed out and seal the ends Hmmm, don't know Gord, argument is looking weak again :

[seafox]

My mate is a builder. He uses a hammer to get a cork out of a wine bottle. That is after he screws a screw in with his power drill. Then he puts the claw around the screw and gives it a pull. Looked pretty impressive.

[GordMay]

But it’s rather difficult, and somewhat painful, to remove nose hairs with a hammer.