Using a maul

[gtwister09]

Skip,

The squaring off of the top of the tools has already been mentioned. One of the things that I have done for several people to is cut a flat on side of the maul. You could also place it flat on a grinder. Usually it winds up being a little over a 1.5 - 2 square inches. After they got used to the maul all of them so far have stopped using it but it helped them get started.

Regards,

Ben

[bruce johnson]

Skip,

A few other things from training myself, a kid, and two wives. Don't treat it like a hammer, just let it fall. No swinging of the arm to start with at least. Keep the handle crosswise to your forearm axis and kind of twist your wrist and let it rock. As you get the aim down, then you can add a little more force if necessary for a bigger stamp. After a while you will have a couple weights of mauls if you use a lot of different stamps. Keep your elbow in closer to your body. Some people can rest their elbow on a surface, I have to keep it by my side. This became especially important after I messed up my right rotator cuff. Set your stool or chair to the most comfortable height for the bench, nothing will mess my aim up more and make me miss than the shorter stool and then not hitting the stamp flush. I also fatigue a lot faster.

For really severe cases and as the staff knows during times of computer server issues here, I have a tin foil union suit - that seems to help too.

[Bree]

Bruce hit the nail on the head. I use different weight mauls for different tasks. I want to pretty much let the maul fall and allow the weight to accomplish what arm force would have accomplished.

The reason why I have different weights is because different tasks require different amounts of force. Choose the right maul weight, aim it, and let the tool do the work.

[skipj]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I've been holding the maul perpendicular to my forearm, as I seen other folks do, but I'm trying to hit the stamp, rather than just using the maul's weight. I've broken my marble stone twice so perhaps I'm hitting it too hard?

Perhaps someone could show their foil hats so I can make one correctly. Is it like the hat the guy on Monty Python, whose brain hurts, wears?

SkipJ

Edited February 18, 2009 by skipj

[gtwister09]

I've broken my marble stone twice so perhaps I'm hitting it too hard?

SkipJ

Skip,

There are several maul related posts that have been discussed. They discuss usage, position, weights, configurations as related to balance and so forth.

As far as breaking "marble"...well marble is not the best surface to tool upon and especially if it is a thin piece as well. Granite works a whole lot better. There are posts on using headstones and surface plates with many different ideas where to get some granite from like monument places, counter top shops, quarries and so on. Enco, Grizzly and several other places have been mentioned as places to get surface plates (B grade with a ledge works great).

No foil hats here

Regards,

Ben

[skipj]

Ben,

Thanks for the info re: marble. I've since gotten a granite surface plate from Grizzle I use. I just suspect I'm also hitting the stamp too hard. Perhaps the leather isn't wet enough to take a good impresion when I stamp.

I always have had a problem casing my leather. Have trouble carving and don't know if it's the casing, my swivel knife or tough leather :-)

SkgnJ

[gtwister09]

Skip,

There are many posts on casing, techniques, formulas, swivel knife techniques, stropping methods and so on that can help you.

Regards,

Ben

[Double U Leather]

I'm going to throw my 2 cents worth in here as well. I just got done doing some basket stamping on a guitar strap and was thinking about the posts regarding the use of a maul. That being said, I was trying to be conscious of how I was holding the maul, etc. The one thing that I noticed more than anything else was that I hold my maul more like a rock than a hammer....meaning I actually grip the maul part instead of the the handle. It seems I have more control that way, and it doesn't cripple me to stamp for hours at a time. Anyway, just something that popped into my brain. Good luck.