Sledgehammer

Lore & Background

The word sledgehammer is derived from the Old-English 'slægan', which, in its first sense, means 'to strike violently'. The English words 'slag', 'slay', and 'slog' are cognates.

In Their Own Story

Conker hefted the Sledgehammer, its head scraping the ground with a dull *grind*. 'Right,' he slurred, wiping sweat from his brow, 'time to do some... redecorating.' A cracked wall loomed before him, covered in graffiti that read 'BEWARE OF LEOPARD.' He took a breath, wound up like a pitcher in the ninth inning, and swung. The hammer connected with a thunderous *CRUNCH* that echoed through the cave, and the wall exploded inward, revealing a dark tunnel. 'Job done,' he said, then promptly dropped the hammer on his foot. 'OW! SON OF A—' He hopped on one leg, clutching his foot, as the hammer lay there, mocking him.

Reader's Guide

The handle can range from 50 centimetres (1 ft 8 in) to a full 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) long, depending on the mass of the head. The head mass is usually 1 to 9 kilograms (2.2 to 19.8 lb). Modern heavy duty sledgehammers come with 10-to-20-pound (4.5–9.1 kg) heads. Sledgehammers usually require two hands and a swinging motion involving the entire torso. They are often used in demolition work, for breaking through drywall or masonry walls, in mining operations, to dislodge trapped objects, for fracturing concrete, for driving fence posts, by police forces in raids, and by blacksmiths. A smaller variant called a drilling hammer, club hammer, lump hammer, crack hammer, mini-sledge or thor hammer allows one-handed use for light demolition, driving masonry nails, or use with a steel chisel. Another variant, the post maul, is meant to drive wooden fence posts or tree stakes into the earth.

Did You Know?

• The 1986 Peter Gabriel song 'Sledgehammer' repeatedly mentions the tool and one is depicted being swung on its cover art.
• In professional wrestling, the sledgehammer is a widely popular weapon, mostly associated with the wrestler Paul 'Triple H' Levesque.