Articles & Significant Threads - Making hammer boots, by Tony Dziepak

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Making hammer boots, by Tony Dziepak

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Topic: Making hammer boots, by Tony Dziepak

Posted By: Mr. Natural
Subject: Making hammer boots, by Tony Dziepak
Date Posted: 1/29/08 at 4:36am

From http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/8682/heavy/equip.htm#hamm ers

Hammer spikes

Material: I would recommend 1/4" thick by 1 1/2" wide steel ribbon. I would recommend a length of 6 inches extended beyond the toe of the boot. Alternatively, one could look for an old, long lawn mower blade cut in half, or two shorter lawn mower blades with one side cut off. Try to get a fairly flat blade, but all blades will have a bit of bend in them.

You can use straight blades or bent blades. If you are going to use straight blades, you should fasten the blade to the ball so that the back of the blade does not extend to the heel. You want the blade to be slightly downward-pointing, parallel to the ball of the foot. But the toe of the boot may curl up away from the blade.

The bent blades are preferable, but they require more work. The steel ribbon must be bent approx. 75 degrees up for 1 1/4" and then 75 degrees back to parallel, and then there needs to be a five-inch platform underneath the boot with two holes spaced 3-4 inches apart (see figure).

Select a boot with a high heel. Your heels should be on the ground when your spikes are inserted in the holes. Some elect to go to a shoemaker to add up to an inch to the heel.

To shape and sharpen the blade: make two 45-degree cuts to make the point. Then use a grinding wheel to grind a point on the tip of the blade. Bevel the point on both sides. Finish with a file. It doesn't have to be sword-sharp.

Very important: The welder will have to heat the steel to bend it. This will weaken the steel and make it prone to bending. In order to harden it, after the bends are made, the entire blade should be heated with a torch to an even cherry red color. Then the blade should be completely submerged into a bucket of used motor oil or warmed vegetable shortening. The blade should be allowed to cool in this oil for at least one hour. Do not let air dry, or the blade will be too soft and bend. Also do not douse in water, or the blade will be too brittle and possibly snap (break) when you are leaning back.

Use nuts and bolts to fasten the spikes to the sole of the boot. If your boot has an insole, pull it out first. Select 1/4" bolts with round or rounded edge heads. One bolt should be under your second toe just in front of your ball of the foot. The other bolt should be about 3-4 inches back, behind the ball, under the arch. The bolts should not be directly under pressure points of the foot or toes.

Use large fender washers inside the sole to keep the bolts from breaking through. Use self-tightening nuts underneath. Bolts should be short enough not to extend more than 1/4" after nuts are tightened.