After forty-some years in the family, an unfortunate encounter with the vacuum cleaner left Eddie without his hammer … and without his arm! Our friend Chris and her husband found Eddie on a Caribbean beach on the last day of their honeymoon. Eddie’s creator told them that he used shoe polish as a finish after he had carved Eddie.
The biggest challenge to this type of repair is coming up with a method to clamp the pieces back together while the glue is curing. Several elastic hair bands proved to be the ideal clamping solution for Eddie’s predicament.
Eddie the One-Armed Blacksmith was looking a little sad on the day he arrived in my workshop
Eddie the One-Armed Blacksmith was looking a little sad on the day he arrived in my workshop
Eddie’s hammer … and hand … a really clean fracture with no missing pieces made this repair relatively straightforward
Eddie’s hammer … and hand … a really clean fracture with no missing pieces made this repair relatively straightforward
The arm and hammer had two attachment points, one on the arm and one on the shoulder
The arm and hammer had two attachment points, one on the arm and one on the shoulder
I used a tiny rasp in the Dremel to add a few grooves it the fracture plane to give the adhesive more “bite”
I used a tiny rasp in the Dremel to add a few grooves it the fracture plane to give the adhesive more “bite”
Grooves on the other side of the repair
Grooves on the other side of the repair
The JB Weld 4400 PSI two-part five-minute epoxy is the strongest adhesive I have ever used
The JB Weld 4400 PSI two-part five-minute epoxy is the strongest adhesive I have ever used
Uniform squeeze out indicated a consistent layer of epoxy between the two pieces
Uniform squeeze out indicated a consistent layer of epoxy between the two pieces
Existing lines on Eddie’s arm made the repair joint look like it had always been there
Existing lines on Eddie’s arm made the repair joint look like it had always been there
Eddie the Blacksmith was back in business
Eddie the Blacksmith was back in business
It might just be me, but I think he looks a lot happier now
It might just be me, but I think he looks a lot happier now
Some of the carving details
Some of the carving details
Eddie’s anvil and tongs, where he might have been making a spoon or a small shovel
Eddie’s anvil and tongs, where he might have been making a spoon or a small shovel
Eddie the Blacksmith preparing for his next well-placed hammer strike
Eddie the Blacksmith preparing for his next well-placed hammer strike