digging spike - where can I get one

How about asking a farmer for a spike from an old silage fork?

AJH

A specalist tool shop, not you B&Q's but a pro tool shop, normally found on industrial estates, and where you empty your wallet several times over - cause of all the sexy toys.

There is one in Chester behind B&Q if you are in that sort of area.

I reckon any half decent smithy will make you one. I have one, about 1

Rick

A few (well, quite a few!) years ago the GPO used to have a "percussion pick" (they called it a "Picks Percussion"), which was a sort of slide hammer with "chisel" and "diamond" bits for the end, designed for breaking up concrete. It might be worth looking for something like that, although Google only brings up musical references!

I know them as fencing bars although they do go under different names, including crow bars. There are many different sizes, weights, and end configurations available (I have two different types for different jobs). You could try any agricultural suppliers, fencing suppliers, forestry suppliers, etc.

There is one called a crow bar here:

Look on this page of the Cromwell Tools catalogue is this what you are after?

I think he means *crow bar*. The one I use has the date 1914 stamped on the shaft. Presumably ex. WD.

Point of information...

Lorry half shafts are a source of cheap hardenable round bar. I use them a tines for my Manitou muck fork.

regards

Yes this is the sort of thing, some of the links Joan was pointed to carried price tags of GBP80+, the lorry half shaft may be a bit short but any piece of en34 steel should be ok. I used a buck rake tine welded to a scaffold tube to hammer a hole under the drive then inserted the water pipe, all for no cost and a days sweat (mostly digging the approach trench.

AJH

They don't show pictures but they are at the bottom of link.

What you want is one of these

Get one of those, angle grinder the end off

Personally I'd keep it double ended. If I wanted something to chisel on, I'd use something a lot shorter and controllable.

================= If it's actually to be used for digging and clay breaking then the chisel end is far more useful than the spike end. The spike end on mine has become a 'mushroom' head from much serious bashing. You'll probably need to use a sledge hammer with this bar rather than a lump hammer if you're doing any really heavy work.

The one from Machine Mart (shown in printed catalogue) is Item CHT328 at:

Cic.

Thanks to everyone who replied. It's good to know there are so many helpful people around. I think I will go for the spike/chisel one and grind one end down.

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Joan Riley wrote: I am looking for a digging spike (or whatever it is called). It is similar to a wrecking bar but is straight and about 5 feet long with a spike at one end and a flat at the other for hitting with a hammer.

I bought one at Hunter Tools of Godalming, Surrey. I also thought the flat end was for wacking with a sledgehammer, but I was told don't do this - that end should be used as a tamping tool, and might crack if hit with a sledgehammer.

CRB

You could always cut the end off.

If you've got a five foot steel bar in your hands why do you need a hammer anyway?

Because we have very rocky ground, rocks ranging from an inch or two across to large boulders (a couple of feet across) with only 3 inches of soil on top.

Joan remove 'spam' from email to reply

If you are planning to bash this with a sledge hammer, forget it.

But hitting this bar with a hammer won't do anything. It weighs much more than the heaviest sledge-hammer, so all that will happen is that you will get very hot.

======================= I think you're looking at the wrong tool if you want something for rock breaking. This bar is best used in conjunction with a spade to break up compacted ground rather than serious rock breaking. There is another tool which has a sliding / impact mechanism which may be more suited to your purpose. I can't remember the name or give you a source but I'm sure somebody here will give you the details.

If you could give some idea of what you want to do (dig postholes....?) there might be better suggestions for a suitable tool.

Cic.

If you are planning to bash this with a sledge hammer, forget it.

Actually, that can work quite well. I needed to break up some large flint rocks when I was digging out a soakaway underneath my now-redundant in-ground swimming pool, and this was the only way I could think of to reach 4 feet or so under the pool with the required force. Despite the advice I received not to hit it, I made up a wooden box that fitted over the tamping end to contain any steel bits that might break off, lightly wedged the tool in place, donned a face mask and hit away. After some effort, the flint broke up nicely and I fished out the small bits with a modified garden hoe. But you are right , it is hot work.

CRB