256 THE YOUNG FAKMEK'S MANUAL. 



and then endeavor to keep the hammer as nearly in that position 

 as possible at every blow. A skillful laborer will usually strike 

 truer and more effective blows by grasping the handle at the hilt 

 with loth hands, and swinging it at arms length over his head. 

 But this manner of swinging a heavy sledge-hammer is much 

 more fatiguing and laborious than to slide one hand towards the 

 ' sledge every time it is elevated. (Read paragraph 339.) 



STONE MAULS 



336. Are sometimes made of cast-iron, for the purpose of break 

 ing stone ; and instead of a flat face, one end of the pattern is 

 rounded off to a kind of conical obtuse apex, while the other end 

 is rounded in the form of a pyramidal apex, not brought to a 

 sharp edge, but in the form of a blacksmith's swedge for making 

 a circular groove. A hammer of this form will stand a vast 

 deal of hammering without breaking, but it would be a worthless 

 tool to drive posts or stakes with, because it would indent and 

 bruise and split the end of a post, without driving it but little. 

 There are several other kinds of hammers, a notice of which does 

 not seem to come within the province of this work. But as every 

 farmer needs a hammer, besides the claw-hammer, for riveting, a 

 few words with reference to 



THE RIVETING HAMMER 



337. May not be out of place, which for ordinary purposes 

 should weigh about one pound. If it be too heavy, rivets are 

 very apt to lend in consequence of too heavy a blow, when spread 

 ing the ends of them with the hammer. The face of a riveting 

 hammer should be a little convex, and the edge of it should be 

 acute enough to dent or spread the ends of a rivet readily ; and 

 it should not be so sharp as to cut the iron when riveting. Light 

 blows made with a light hammer are more effective in spreading 

 a rivet than a blow of an equal momentum made with a heavier 

 hammer. A riveting hammer should have a longer handle than 

 an ordinary claw hammer, in order to give a greater velocity to it 



