The oldest thing in the shop has nothing to do with the closet full of vintage motorcycle skeletons. Lo and behold, it's the hammer. Based on discoveries in Kenya in 1969, the most accurate assumption we can make about the hammer is that it was invented by some nameless man (or chimpish man) about 2,600,000 years ago. In other words, it's old. Indeed, it is in our nature to hit things with other things, to forge some sort of terroritory for ourselves in the minor eternity of things that need to be hit...

It is the oldest known tool; used equally to unite and obliterate objects, the hammer is an enigma. Combined with coffee, it is the heartbeat of man's ability to shape his world. And then of course, at some point we figured out it was pretty good for bashing other people in the head. In the Middle Ages. When our armor (forged via hammer!) became too tough to be penetrated by edged weapons and blades. The only thing capable of trumping a finely forged defense was the very object that was pivotal in its creation... The hammer is a force amplifier. The weight of the head and the length of the handle compound with the swing of our arm. The hammer is an extension of ourselves. 


*Photos: A lovely collection of Ball-Peen and Mallet specimens.

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