Sledge Hammers Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Murl Mitchell’s Hammers

Posted on Monday, August 13th, 2018 by John Wood

Interesting thing happen around here on a pretty frequent basis… Over a year ago I put up this post of Mr. Murl Mitchell of Los Angeles who was shown levering these unusual sledge hammers in an old issue of Strength and Health Magazine. A few months later I was contacted by Marilyn and Marjorie, his two daughters, who informed me that they were still in possession of Murl’s Hammers.

I asked for a recent picture of the hammers and asked if it would be OK to post it (shown on the right.) Marilyn and Marjorie said sure, their Dad would have gotten a kick out of being included among so many strength greats. Murl used to load up these hammers with buckshot until they were the desired weight. He was using well over 20 pounds in each hand back in the 1940s. They were proud of their Pop!

Marjorie informs me that Murl was good friends with many of the York Gang and they used to stop by and visit frequently when on the west coast. In addition to his hammer exploits, Murl won the 1945 California lightweight weightlifting championship and placed second in the 123-pound class in the 1945 senior nationals. Murl also had some heavy axes that he had specially made for levering, which I will feature at a later date.

The 25 Pound Sledge Hammer

Posted on Friday, March 25th, 2016 by John Wood

Ever seen a 25 pound sledge hammer? Now you can say ‘yes’ if someone else asks you that question. Note the thicker reinforced handle on this beast — needless to say, you can get a lot of force behind it. This hammer is used for levering and not for clobberin’ stuff — and it’s a good one. This hammer had to actually be imported from a foreign country. You won’t find one of these at a local hardware store, this hammer is not exactly “street legal.”

The Hammer Man’s Hammers

Posted on Friday, November 21st, 2014 by John Wood

Took this shot a few years back at a special dinner honoring Slim the Hammer Man. That’s Slim’s Challenge Ax on the left followed by his two sledge hammers with their distinctive markings on the handles and chromed weights. They are sitting on Slim’s special oak carrying case. If those hammers could talk I bet they could tell some stories…

Slim The Hammer Man

Posted on Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 by John Wood

Slim The Hammer Man

A rare shot of Slim The Hammer Man doing his thing on the streets of New York, circa the early 1970’s. During a visit to Slim’s place I had a chance to try these very same hammers without any added weight and couldn’t budge them an inch – Slim was (and is) the real deal. There’s more to “Strength” than just sets and reps. As a protege of The Mighty Atom Slim learned how to channel his mental energy into physical strength~ a pretty unique skill to have. No one else has even come close to The Hammer Man’s records so it’s safe to say this is a skill that few people are in possession of…

Fritz Brust

Posted on Sunday, March 24th, 2013 by John Wood

Fritz Brust

Here’s a new take on the “human anvil” feat from the German strongman Fritz Brust, circa 1928. Usually an anvil or large rock is placed on the chest of the “hitee” which helps absorb the force of the sledge hammer blows. In Fritz’s case, he does have a rock on his chest, but is also suspended in midair between two cars while assistants pound away with hammers ~ now THAT is tough!