We supply a metal wedge with every Crucible Lump Hammer in case the head ever comes loose because of heavy use or extremely dry conditions.
I’ve rewedged dozens of hammers, sledges and axes since my days on our Arkansas farm. But some of our customers have some trepidation about the process. This morning I noticed the head of my personal hammer was loose after four years of use. So I asked Megan to record the process.
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Clamp the handle in handscrews and place the hammer over a leg of your workbench. Position the wedge perpendicular to the hammer’s existing wooden wedge. Drive the metal wedge in with a sledge or heavy hammer. It will take heavy blows. The hickory might crack a bit. That’s OK.
Sink the wedge as much as you can. If you want to preserve the patina of your hammer, stop here. If you want to tidy things up, file the wedge flush to the wood. To get the surface finish back to the same sheen as the factory, sand the head with #220-grit paper. Then finish the head with a grey 3M woven pad and some wax.
After you see how easy it is, you’ll want to wedge all your other tools. And the neighborhood bully.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. If you need steel wedges, go to any half-decent family hardware store. Wedges usually cost 30 cents.
Source: lostartpress.com