Thursday, February 9, 2012

A Well Balanced Hammer (plus a free game)

There is a great game I have been taught called "Stump". To play you will need a stump (preferably hardwood),  a hammer, and a nail for each person who is playing (16 or 20 penny in length). Each person starts his nail into the stump. You want most of nail still exposed but started deep enough that it won't just pop out if it's hit weird (that's one way of losing the game). The goal is to knock everyone else's nails into the stump before your own nail gets knocked into the stump, the last nail standing wins. The hammer makes it's way around the circle of people playing and each person tosses for strikes. This is where it is both fun and dangerous, use your intelligence and give the person throwing plenty of space. The person throws the hammer and must catch it again on the handle. The rotation of the handle is a multiplier, one rotation x1, two rotations x2, three rotations x3, four, well I've never seen that happen so do what you want with it. The base number depends on the throw, straight up in front of you is 1, thrown from under the leg is 2, thrown behind the back is 3. So if I throw the hammer from under my leg (2) and it has 3 full rotations (x3) I get 6 strikes I can use to pound in other peoples nails. If you don't catch the hammer at all or if you don't catch it on the handle you don't get any strikes. When your nail is completely pounded in beneath the surface of the stump you are out. Enjoy this great little game and my newest pipe, The Well Balanced Hammer. 

The Well Balanced Hammer is an amazing sitter. The pipe balances on what would be the claws of the hammer and has such a light and beautiful look. DeProfundis suggest making my pipes look lighter by having them curve under towards the bottom and I think this one fits the ticket.