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| Messages 1 - 26 of total 26 in this topic |
ryanb
climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 9, 2009 - 07:40pm PT
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What is this thing? Just bought it at Second Ascent in Seattle (awesome used and new gear store) and plan to use the sh#t out of it on new/less traveled routes in the cascades and olympics.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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rad dirt digging tool
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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"plan to use the sh#t out of it on new/less traveled routes in the cascades and olympics."
What, no trowel attachment?
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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It's a Forrest Mjolnir alpine hammer with interchangeable picks - there are six different pics for it - three flat ice, one tubular ice, one rock cleaning, one short funkness hole tab.
EDIT: Never seen one with an angled grip base before - interesting. One with a flat grip base and a full complement of picks is going to be auctioned off at the benefit for Tarbuster later this month.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Yup, that's a gardening tool alright. Gets dirt out of NW cracks better than just about anything.
And the beer ain't bad either.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Handle looks sorta weird. Haven't seen one before with the slanted end like that.
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ryanb
climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 9, 2009 - 09:29pm PT
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Cool , thanks for the info everyone.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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It might be a retro-fitted handle. Forrest was into sky blue for a surface color on most of his offerings.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Forest made several different handles for the Moljinor. He made a straight-handle grip which is what a nail hammer uses and also an axe-handle grip which is what you find on wood chopping axes. I believe the idea was that the straight-handle was better as a rock hammer for nailing while the axe-handle was better as an ice hammer.
This looks to be the axe-handle grip which has been modified to file down the "inside" to allow it to feel more like a straight-handle grip.
BTW, I once changed the handle on my Moljinor with instructions from Bill Forrest(I lived nearby). I used heat to loosen the epoxy that bonded the head to the handle then used fresh epoxy (well, duh) to attach a new handle. There are scallops in the slot in the hammer head to keep the head from flying off if the epoxy loosens.
Bruce
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Is that knott a mjoninor? My spelling may not be right, but I thought that was the name.
Edit: oops, bhilden is already there.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Apr 10, 2009 - 11:07am PT
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Same model that Thor used to swing!
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RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
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Apr 10, 2009 - 11:21am PT
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Hatchett handle that has been cut down in front as the previous poster mentioned.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 10, 2009 - 12:46pm PT
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In 1976 I had a blue straight handled version with a solid head and pick.
I'm certain on that date because I used it on an ice climbing trip where I "encountered" my 16th birthday, on a loop from Mendel to the Palisades.
The head and pick were chromed; non-interchangeable.
At the same time my buddy had the dark green handled version with hatchet handle and interchangeable picks.
Somehow I thought the hatchet handle superseded the straight handle;
But the sequence of the ads shows the reverse, meaning that the hatchet handle may have preceded the straight handles.
As my solid head/pick version has a straight blue handle, I figured the dark green handles with hatchet & interchangeable picks came later.
Not sure about it now.
From Mountain 58, November December 1977:
From Mountain 66 March April 1979:
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couchmaster
climber
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Apr 10, 2009 - 12:53pm PT
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Nice find Roy. Looks like you have a Mjollnir 2.
Sadie May, the trailer park floozie wants it too, seen here as the Guardian of all good things and the hammer collection too.
Wait: here's one.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Apr 10, 2009 - 01:34pm PT
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At some point, probably 1978, in Lee Vining we were exchanging tools to see how they worked and a buddy of mine broke the pick.
Subsequent to that I loaned it to another pal to climb Leaning Tower and he beat the hell out of the handle...
I've since placed many bolts with this,
Amended lots of old 1/4" belay stations with 5/16" & 3/8":
The long fiberglass handle gives a nice swing and provides good damping.
Head weight is a little light, but not too much so.
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middle joe
Trad climber
OC
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Nov 19, 2012 - 11:09pm PT
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Does anyone know the history of this Ice ace/tool? It's 55cm, with a fiberglass wrapped handle. I picked it up on ebay for $35. It looks great on my office wall now.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Nov 20, 2012 - 12:05am PT
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History of that Forrest axe? My bet is that it was NOT used on Trotsky..
Looks like a Lifetime Axe with a Vector II pick.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Nov 20, 2012 - 12:19am PT
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That angled bottom one is really sweet, wish I had one.
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middle joe
Trad climber
OC
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Nov 20, 2012 - 12:20am PT
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It obviously hasn't see much use, maybe a climb or two. Looking more for Manufacturing dates, model name, and other fun facts.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Nov 20, 2012 - 03:31am PT
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If there's interest among hammer collectors in a hatchet handle version of the Mjollnir, I remembered my wife has one:
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Nov 20, 2012 - 04:11am PT
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That one should definitely go to a collection versus being put to use.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Nov 20, 2012 - 04:28am PT
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I agree, Joseph - the box and unused condition could be appreciated by a collector.
It's not going to be used by us, although Chris Cantwell seemed to like drilling bolts with his Mjollnir last October:
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 20, 2012 - 10:53am PT
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I've got one of those, Clint. I actually liked mine for nailing. Yeah, it is lighter, but it works fine.
The ice picks are nigh worthless, or at least I never spoke with anyone who actually used one for an ice tool (and I hung out with a good number of ice climbers).
What I eventuall did was take one of the long picks and put it on a grinder and made it a couple of inches long. Then it was perfect for getting copperheads started. It ruled for that.
I still have it. It has a hatchet handle like yours.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Nov 20, 2012 - 11:02am PT
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The ice picks are nigh worthless, or at least I never spoke with anyone who actually used one for an ice tool (and I hung out with a good number of ice climbers).
I used mine a fair bit for ice climbing, with the tube pick. Had the hatchet handle version, but, was stolen in '86 or so. Same handle as the original Lowe Hummingbird. I think I have the straight rubber handle version now. Used it as a third tool for years.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 20, 2012 - 11:19am PT
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I hated the Lowe Hummingbird picks. They were easy to break, for one thing.
I remember owning a Hummingbird Axe, as opposed to a hammer, and it had a normal drooped angle pick. That pick was super good but just never caught on. It stuck without a lot of hacking, and it was super easy to remove.
I dunno why that pick never caught on.
I would use that axe with the straight hammer head on the back instead of that crappy tubular adze, and a Chical in the other. When I got to a belay I would put in one screw and then pound the Chacal in all the way for the other anchor point. Worked great.
Does anyone know of the Lowe pick that I'm talking about?
I need to dig up that Mjaulner that I used for nailing. Cutting that ice pick off and then grinding it flat on the end was perfect for copperheading. It always seems like you need three hands to get a head started. By filing that pick flat on the end (it was about 1/3 inch thick), it was perfect for heading.
The head's of those Forest hammers were of a softer metal than the Chounard wall hammers. Mine is really rounded off at the corners of the hammer face.
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Banquo
climber
Amerricka
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Sep 11, 2013 - 08:03pm PT
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More junk
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