Make the most out of your Harbor Freight rip hammer

[@simon-patrickjohnson]

Your videos never feel like a waste of time to me because you always include useful information throughout the video. It's honestly a godsend to have someone such as yourself on this platform, thank you

[@pocket83squared]

Appreciated. Thank you.

[@SavvasPapasavva]

oh no - you voided the hammer!

[@evilcanofdrpepper]

No you're a pendant

[@BRPEngineering]

"First, let's address the wooden handle." Hello, wooden handle! How are you today?

[@BionicleFreek99]

"Ribbed for your discomfort" Oh my.

[@vincentscianna2926]

Your content is the best. I love that you are unashamed in buying and using tools and gear that are value focused, and then proceed to max them out with thoughtful modifications. Also, your narration is the best. I could listen to you teach and explain anything. Thanks for the content.

[@gizanked]

So if you remember "jack handy's deep thoughts" this reminded me of one of my favorites that says " If you go through a lot of hammers, it might not mean you are a hard worker. It might just mean you have a lot to learn about hammer maintenance" I'm off to jump down the rabbit hole now.

[@zero_gravity5861]

I am early to the video. I am become the pendant. I am pendant! I really do appreciate the usage, and your videos are always a good watch.

[@pocket83squared]

The destroyer of words!

[@mr.mickles]

That sound when you cut the inner tube with the shears was just lovely. I really like that kind of thing.

[@Supermuttt]

I just checked yesterday when the last upload was from you, nice to have you back.

[@DaveScurlock]

Your videos always have so much value beyond their initial premise

[@pocket83squared]

Glad you see that. Thank you. Around here, it's almost like value doesn't count unless you brag about it. Call me idealistic, but I keep hoping the clickbait bubble will burst, leaving me ahead of the curve. But it just keeps getting bigger!

[@mulholla]

@@pocket83squared yeah but the clickbait susceptible generation is growing and taking with it all hope of a bubble burst. But please hang in there. I, for one, appreciate your content highly.

[@mctrucks8825]

I always find useful life knowledge in your videos. So happy to see you making videos again. Glad to have you back Pocket. Looking forward to seeing more from you.

[@PSUQDPICHQIEIWC]

Back when I used to work retail, the cheapo claw hammers we'd get weren't even worth this effort. I don't know what HF sells, but the ones we had were some sort of low-grade cast steel. The heads would mushroom and chip. Trying to use the claw on anything significant would either break one side off or you'd rip a chunk out of the middle. I guess it was better than a rock.

[@pocket83squared]

These are softer than an Estwing, but I've been using one on a probationary period for a year now, and it's taken some mild use without issue. If it were to break, this channel would hear about it! That's unacceptable for a hammer.

[@michaelmangino9819]

Exactly right!

[@jiracerev]

Man, after what it feels like a lot of time of not seeing any videos from you, i remembered how much i love your videos, they are always useful in a way or another, or at the very least, a refreshing kind of entertaining. Thank you for all the work!

[@snupmadra3787]

A microfibre towel/cloth is absolutely excellent as a grip. It will harbour dirt and oil but it's grippiness is out of this world. Infinitely better that a PU sports grip.

[@actionjksn]

I tuned up my cheapo HF hammer as well. I cleaned up the cheap casting marks on the head like that. I sanded the handle and put wood stain and varnish after using a grinding disk to cut grooves about 1/2 inch apart for grip. I didn't do the rubber but might try that sometime. I also used really coarse sandpaper and did a criss cross pattern on the head. This makes it where it doesn't slip off the nail while hammering. The one part where they actually polish the metal is exactly where you really don't want it to be all smooth and slick. I've done the clean up thing in their cheapo bench brushes and wire brushes as well. Those cost about $1.00 when they're on sale and a few minutes with a sander and leftover stain and varnish makes them look like they are actually decent quality.

[@Richard-mz7qu]

Well done! I like to use a blowtorch on the wood to bring out the grain prior to boiled linseed oil. I have never heard of the use of inner-tubes, interesting thought.

[@NostalgicNate]

Nice dude, love seeing stuff like this!

[@therook6139]

Me: Ah, 3 minutes of pocket flipping a tube inside out Pocket: "You didn't think that was going to work" Me: F*** off pocket! Damn wizard that one...

[@timothymagee6643]

If you don't have an air compressor, you could install the tube by the inside out method and roll it onto the handle.

[@virginalax44]

Why not post on your main channel?

[@CheveeDodd]

I think I have two hammers in my shop. One clawed and one peening. I don't know that I've ever thought about having hammers scattered all around before. 🙃

[@pocket83squared]

It's worth it just to keep a mild one in the house. Back-and-forth trips are wearing me down!

[@CheveeDodd]

@@pocket83squared agreed. In fact, I think my claw hammer is currently somewhere in the house!

[@rhp9797]

Oh I loved the splash text on 2:34! Brilliant as always!

[@Wordsnwood]

Came to the comments for the MC Hammer / Hammertime puns... Sigh. The innertube is a neat trick, thanks, btw.

[@fouroakfarm]

I knew my shop snow cone machine would come in handy

[@SpamMusubi308]

Have you tried doing a mustard patina to prevent rust and give it an aged look?

[@jacobframe8769]

Never have I ever considered doing this much work to make a hammer a slightly better hammer...

[@pocket83squared]

It all depends on what you're using it for. I don't do hack work anymore, so there's no need for hack tools in my shop. What good is a hammer that'll ding a piece of finish plywood, or a claw that leaves scratches?

[@largemammaloutdoors4503]

How long is that handle on the harbor freight hammer

[@cjhoyle]

I was just watching your video about the wooden toy dinosaur and found that the link to the cutting template doesn't seem to be valid anymore. If you still have a copy of the image, would you be able to re-upload? I'm hoping to build this as a gift for my nephew. Also, sorry to leave this comment here, but the comments on that other video are disabled.

[@pocket83squared]

Ok, fixed. Let me know if you still have trouble. Here's a quick link for you: postimg.cc/image/3ojtwf6fn/

[@cjhoyle]

@@pocket83squared Amazing! Thank you very much.

[@pocket83squared]

@@cjhoyle Certainly. Let me know it if you end up making one successfully. It's a really interesting design.

[@cjhoyle]

@@pocket83squared Thanks again for the cutting template and the inspiration. I finished making mine this evening. You were right that it would be a ton of work, but I enjoyed the challenge (everything except for tying the pieces of elastic cord). For drilling the holes I added some straight lines to the template beforehand. I used a drill press vice to hold the pieces while drilling and positioned the lines perpendicular to the top of the vice. I drilled about 3/4 of the way through from both sides and then connected the holes together. Only 1 of the pieces needed to be remade because of poor drilling. I shaped the bottom of the main body piece using a sanding drum like you suggested in the video.

[@cjhoyle]

@@pocket83squared Not sure if I'm allowed to share links, but here's a video of mine completed. As you can see, I went for an extremely basic paint scheme. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpnXkqemadKaetU

[@haydenfox3116]

Hey pocket, I came across the exact model of your Go board on eBay the other day and it may give you insight into the board itself, the seller knows quite a bit about the board and is a game board seller on the West Coast

[@votingcitizen]

you were on the right track with the flap disk. Why switch to the file? Easier to just run the flaps over all the head edges.

[@chiefkeef_news]

What kind off oil can i use ? Does it have to be linseed oil ?

[@pocket83squared]

There aren't really any rules. Linseed oil is certainly one of the better choices, but any oil or wax will do. Avoid paints and lacquers. Don't use anything that will peel. A drying oil is considered the gold standard: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drying_oil But beeswax or mineral oil will still work fine; they'll just require additional coats periodically. Just be sure to use something that agrees with your skin, and be sure that you like the scent if it has one.

[@maxximumb]

Nice work.

[@rothgang]

Any tips for left-handed hammers?

[@pocket83squared]

Sure. Practice in the mirror.

[@lukeb1751]

Actually I think the tape could be used to make the grip more ergonomic

[@Nono-hk3is]

I totally didn't think that would work

[@filippopic4610]

Nice video

[@Ignaz1894]

How do you get an ALCOA shirt? Every time I see their name I think of the giant hydraulic presses, several stories tall.

[@MyUnquenchableThirst]

amazing content as always

[@petal2metal884]

Can you do another flea market tool score video

[@pocket83squared]

Haven't been to one since the virus. Maybe this spring. There's one around here that boasts 20 acres of market space!

[@petal2metal884]

Sounds good I look forward to it

[@VagabondTE]

I like adding a 550 cord Loop to the bottom of my hammers. Makes them easy to hang.

[@Asertix357]

I drill a 3/8" lanyard hole through mine, and then insert a piece of copper tubing that I file, contour, ream, swage, and polish.

[@VagabondTE]

Is there any utility in a hammer with a broken claw? Can they be repurposed into something else? Or just not worth the trouble?

[@pocket83squared]

Jeez, that's a tough one. That's the sort of thing that would float around the shop for six or seven years before I finally pitch it. Let's ask ourselves the question this way: is there anything that a broken claw can do that a whole claw _can't?_ Probably no. Further, the imbalance would just be too much. It had a good life, but time to let go ;)

[@drportland8823]

@@pocket83squared Grind off both claws. Every once in a while a stubbier bangy thing comes in handy as a special use tool.

[@VagabondTE]

@@pocket83squared LoL yea.. It's always hard for me to throw away metal but its for the best. I simply can't do anything with it.

[@pocket83squared]

​@@drportland8823 That's the spirit. Now it needs a technical name, like 'axle hammer.' Market this as being great for confined spaces. Oooh! A 'confined space hammer.' That's a good one. Sounds pricey. And of course, for the specialist: the 'onychectomy hammer.' Very precise. Lemonade from a lemon, right?

[@drportland8823]

@@pocket83squared The final piece in the puzzle, of course, is finding a use for the ground off claws.

[@Ajax7051]

Nice vid. Here's a sub.

[@RichardT2112]

2:34 was the best part of this video! I think I peed a little!!

[@fireprooffox3664]

Yes best way to start my morning!!

[@Asertix357]

0:10 That's a 12 ounce Estwing ripping hammer. Still made today, still very useful. 0:46 On my rehanging projects I've just been peeling the labels off, then using friction and an old washcloth to rub the brown goo right off. It can't penetrate the clear lacquer all that well so it doesn't have much staining potential.

[@drhfhs]

missed you pocket

[@lolojr1]

no other person id rather watch sand a hammer

[@mikewerner3797]

It is still a Chinese hammer! I had a 3lb sledge made in China and the metal head started splintering and large chunks were breaking off and becoming shrapnel. Threw it out before I injured myself of someone else.

[@pocket83squared]

It amuses me when people conflate China with poor quality. It's not as though I don't get a chuckle out of the old chinesium punchline, but if I'm being serious, that's a really 2D way to think of things. Look-y here, my man: I can't speak for your sledge hammer; that's a different product. But to what I will attest is this cheapo $4 HF hammer. I gave one a trial run in the shop for a year. It's totally worth it. And that's coming from a guy who has way more carpentry experience than is conducive to any person's well-being. Now at the risk of sounding redundant, please go watch the follow-up video if you'd like to understand my reasoning. Otherwise, adieu.

[@Gunbudder]

Have i also been banned from this channel?

[@John..18]

Yep,, I really have to get a new hammer,,, maybe a 16oz Estwing Rip... I've only got around 7 or 8, so obviously, that's not nearly enough, !! Thanks for the invaluable hammer video,,

[@lequejoaquin7861]

ribbed for your discomfort....🤔🤔🤔

[@IcatchTuna]

If you work in shop, you know that guy who just has to modify his tools, have this tool this way always tinkering. Yet is just useless at his job, im not saying thats this guy but boy it reminds me of those guys.

[@danr1920]

Do this to a good hammer. A cheap HF isn't worth the effort. I'm going to do this to my old good hammer.

[@pocket83squared]

Watch the second video.

[@Gunbudder]

I think this is the last channel on youtube that replies to me and hasn't banned me. I've been banned on many channels, and youtube also has an AI filter that scans my comments for "negative comments" and deletes anything i say that it determines is negative (ignore things like sarcasm). This is a huge bummer to me because i'm extremely sarcastic and cynical, which makes me an undesirable in youtube's eyes. I wouldn't have expected that to matter to me at all, but its actually super depressing to just get silenced because of how you naturally are. It makes me question if regular people just hate talking to me, and makes me wonder if i am just this abrasive guy that bothers everyone. Even now, i'm heavily censoring this comment because it will be deleted if i use profanity. i love profanity, and using all caps on certain words for emphasis, and it really bothers me to have to change my voice to be heard. Pocket, if you read this, i really appreciate you putting up with my nonsense over the years. my co workers and i still sometimes argue about why spinning water creates a parabola instead of a catenary (a discussion that came from me arguing with you). I've always liked your videos, and you usually respond when i have some comment, even if its cynical. I've only discovered this filtering AI today, and the more i think about it, the more it bothers me. KZbin was kind of the last place i would post things online to interact with a bunch of people (i don't use social media). I guess i'm just done with youtube now? I could stand to completely change my voice; that's not how humans work. Isn't it extremely gross that youtube is trying to force people to change how they talk? Who made youtube god of communication? Whatever, i've typed enough in this comment that it will almost certainly be flagged and deleted before any human can see it. Its a bummer to be shunned by a robot

[@pocket83squared]

Yes, your comment was just pulled out of the spam box. Most likely for its length. There's something that people like you and I really need to consider in order to keep sane: original ideas are necessarily borne of non-normative thinking. But that doesn't make normative thinking a _bad_ thing. Divergent thinking is sometimes a great way for simple, non-AI minds (like ours) to get around some processing limitations. But there are still minds out there that have even more limitations than ours do, so it's just not rational to expect the mass of people to appreciate divergent behavior. Thus, it's also not rational for them to try to tolerate strange behaviors, either. Erratic behaviors are a red flag for a reason; unpredictable creatures are dangerous. Accordingly, we've adopted societal convention as a sort of filtering mechanism for removing valueless ideas (those that might really become dangerous) from the discussion, and cursing is sort of a collateral damage in the process. Swearing, like any other emphasis, requires a large amount of contextual clues in order to prevent the paired message from degrading by the time it reaches the recipient. You can't expect a place like this-where people who don't know each other are crossing poorly-worded streams of sarcasm-to be receptive to any nuance. If it looks hostile here, it probably is. Or at least it will be treated as such. My advice is for you to try to change your behavior in the direction of the following pattern: curse only when you're certain that *the message will be clearly understood.* If you and I are ever drinking beer in the garage, I expect we'll both swear like pigs, and we'll laugh doing it. But that's' a _really_ different scene from where we are right now. Context. Play the game, and your expression _can't_ be contained.

[@pocket83squared]

This is a second reply. Your comment had me thinking, and I probably didn't respond correctly to what you were _really_ saying. Let me try again. Outside of profanity, if you're finding expression on KZbin to be stifling, don't let it bother you. Most uploaders are spoiled prima-donna types with severely inflated self-importance. It's simply easier for them (us) to block unfavorable criticism than it is to respond to it. You're not necessarily an unlikable person just because you're getting booted from conversations around here; the sensitivity dial has been turned up to 11 so that we don't accidentally offend somebody whenever we're trying to critique an idea. Better 'safe' than sorry (sarcasm). Hey, conversation is an art. Don't expect for it to go well every time. Most people really just don't think about what other people say. Also note that censorship here is much more because of a channel's owner than it is the AI. There's a wide-spread myth that KZbin is an enemy of 'free' speech, but I find it to be quite the opposite. Unless you're inciting actual violence, you can voice most any idea here-- though you may become hated for it. Remember, uploaders have a customizable blocked word list--so if you're deliberately pressing buttons by being argumentative, don't be surprised if you're getting lumped in with the proper trolls. There are a few (mean) commenters who I *hope* will say something sooner or later that justifies blocking them: some of them really walk along the line of what's decent. You aren't one of them.

[@Gunbudder]

@@pocket83squared I can't tell you how much your reply means to me. I feel like i'm going insane lately with the isolation from the pandemic. I was relying pretty heavily on social contact in youtube comments without realizing it, which is obviously a bad idea. To discover that some of my comments were just being tossed out with no explanation was a stab right in my sanity. I'm careful not to accuse youtube of "censoring" me (or at least i try not to word it that way) because you are right in that it does get thrown around a lot. I was researching the parameters of the anti-harassing AI that youtube is using, and i only found posts from conspiracy theorists who were correctly identifying the filtering, but then attributing it to various wacky things. I don't think the filter is malicious; i think it is there to make money. The filtering is surely there to make youtube more advertiser friendly (as a whole). I think its just an unfortunate by product that my particular way of speaking gets caught up along with more malicious users. I've been testing my theory about the filtering with some other channels, and yours is the first where my message went into your spam folder. The others they were simply deleted (only visible to me when i'm logged in). I have been thinking about my issues with being filtered since i made my post yesterday, and i've come to realize that i am essentially complaining that there is no me-shaped hole to fit into, and that i must change my shape to fit in. I normally don't worry about such a thing because i've never fit in really anywhere since i was very young. That's something i've just learned to deal with. I learned early on to not express myself the way i want to in most situations in public because other people will find it offensive, and that i have to save that kind of expression for my personal friends or even just myself. The reason youtube filtering me bothers me so much, and seems different, is that i get absolutely no feedback from youtube. I wasn't told "you can't curse that much" or "you shouldn't write so much text." It was worse than that, in that youtube goes to some length to actually trick me into thinking i haven't been censored, when i actually have. The trickery is there to defeat spam bots (more or less) but it has the unintended affect of just giving me no feedback. The feedback from being offensive is what has saved me in life. I have a very, very dark sense of humor and i learned early on to just not make jokes because people would get offended, and then tell me why. The telling me why they were offended was extremely important to me. I could swallow having to change my outward appearance because i knew that i just had to not make jokes in the future and i would be fine. And that worked well for me. I went from being extremely unlikable to easy to get along with by the time i finished high school. And its not just that i am not being told why i get filtered, but its being secretly filtered combined with an honest effort to be civil on my part. I would actually expect to be filtered if i was intentionally being rude (which i have done before). Or if i was teasing and giving someone a hard time, i would expect to possibly be filtered because the AI can't understand that i might be on friendly terms with a particular channel. I know i've been intentionally mean to a channel before in comments because i got super upset over a video, and i would expect to be banned then; i am banned for life from commenting on the Tested channel because i came unglued on Will Smith. I deserved to get banned from Tested though because i was being unreasonably rude, even if Will Smith deserved to be read the riot act. But it was me reaching out to a channel and being filtered (without being told why) that really got to me. I suppose this is just a new thing i have to learn to deal with. I can't know what to do to avoid being filtered by the AI, but at least now i can expect that it will happen for seemingly no reason (at least none i can discern). At any rate, i really appreciate you responding to me. This turned into way more of an introspective philosophical problem than i expected. I haven't had something online actually upset me in a very long time. You responding is why i consider you one of the best channels i'm subscribed to on youtube.

[@pocket83squared]

It's a strange time. The world feels more detached than usual. That invisible comments thing is just downright cold. Talk about an uncaring policy; it's as though the users of this medium were objects, right? It reminds me of that _Twilight Zone_ episode where the guy had that thing put on his forehead for being disagreeable, and so everybody ignores him. Jeez, that one was hellish. Well, feel free to message me anytime. But do keep in mind that the commentary here is still a poor surrogate for actual human discussion. This forum has been built to further only those communications that are pointlessly inane, complimentary, and/or otherwise benign. Meaningful conversation is just not good for the medium's reputation, because anonymous public argument tends to converge on mob-like disagreement, which is bad for business. Thus the cesspool, and the attempts to correct it. Being continuously immersed in it, I suffer the same problems. It would be nice if this were more like writing little letters to distant friends-occasionally disagreeing-and less like defending back-of-the-bus graffiti. Outside of my own channels, I'm well aware that my commentary sometimes becomes invisible. It's an insult--and a type of crazy, for sure. And in my opinion, channels that aren't defending against this new seizure of expression are just as guilty of permitting it as anybody else. Since you and I are noticing this trend without trying to ascribe it to some sort of conspiracy, I guess we should probably be (politely) pointing it out to other people. In the long term, maybe we'll regain some of that good old tolerance for intolerance. Or, we can just continue to pretend as though certain ideas never cross our minds! Like we're all friend-bots.

[@josephstalin9705]

Pog

[@JThriftybee]

:)

[@TylerSnyder305]

I wouldn't touch this thing with a 10ft pole if someone payed. I had a cheap import hammer chip sending a fragment to cut my cheek when I was a kid, so I do not use cheap hammers anymore. The risk of danger in a piece of crap I can't trust just isn't worth it. If I buy a new hammer today it's made by American made Vaughan, I won't touch anything else in a brand new hammer and I even own a number of vintage Vaughan hammers going back to the 50's.

[@pocket83squared]

This comment belongs over in the follow-up video. My reasoning is better explained there. The Vaughan was mentioned. As for fragments ejecting, that's not going to happen with this hammer, since the metal is too soft. Perhaps the hammer that did that was some sort of junky cast? Perhaps you were striking it against a piece of hardened steel? Either case, unconditional brand loyalty is silliness. One swallow does not a summer make. Application and context are what matter with tools. If you have further disagreement, at least watch the hammer video before you voice it here.

[@yoyopg123]

Loved every part about this video, except for the fact it started with crap made in CCP land. The modifications are well thought out and would benefit any hammer.

[@pocket83squared]

Don't be so childish. This isn't some partisan circle-jerk. Honestly, what was the goal of making such a divisive, ill-informed categorization here? For one, where a poor quality tool happens to be made is incidental; your statement was political, and has to do neither with utility nor economy. Secondly, this "crap" product has just seasoned an entire year of shop use with little wear. Worth $4 of non-gold-backed borrowed tender in my collective-minded opinion, eh comrade? Watch the second video if you care at all to understand my reasoning. But please, take the garbage-can fires elsewhere.

[@michaelmangino9819]

Haha real quality carpenter's go with Estwing . I'd never buy that piece of junk. Let alone waste time make a piece of junk look better. Lol, I've seen it all now. Again spend the 20$ and get the Estwing✌

[@pocket83squared]

Saw you coming a mile off, toughguy. There's a follow-up video that better explains my reasoning. "[R]eal quality carpenter's," eh? uh-huh. I'd love to see some of your work.

[@michaelmangino9819]

@@pocket83squared yea like 45yrs experience ass hat.. Your a joke

[@pocket83squared]

@@michaelmangino9819 Time served doesn't make you any good. The way that you write tells me that you're a hack. It takes brains to be a good carpenter. Be honest now: in those 45 years, have you ever bothered to learn the math for a stringer, or do you still just use a square? Same for a bastard hip, right? You're not clever; you're the boss's dim brother, at best. Beard, chew-ring, loud truck. I've known a dozen dozen of you. 45 years, and still not smart enough to climb out of the ditch. Go cover up the plywood-it's gonna rain.