Playing With Fire
Disclaimer: Please be careful if you try this at home. We take no responsibility for your actions. Obviously throwing a flaming hammer is dangerous, and might cause damage or injury.
We all love throwing hammers. And fire is pretty awesome too. Combine them together and you get a night of fun throwing flaming hammers.
This is hardly a new idea, just search YouTube for “flaming hammer throw” and you’ll find a ton of hits. But it is about time I write about. I first tried this in 2008 by draping a sock over the hammer, dousing it in lighter fluid, and lighting it on fire. Hammer thrower and George Fox University throws coach Greg Gottfried emailed me his new take on it: throw a hammer with steel wool. As he explains it: “It is a simple process of attaching a wire cage to the swivel with a zip tie, filling the basket with steel wool and then shorting the steel wool with a 9V battery.” Rather than producing a whooshing ball of flame you get a glittering comet. Either method makes for some cool photos.
Me throwing a simple flaming hammer with some teammates back in 2008.
Greg Gottfried throwing the hammer with burning steel wool.
And it looks even cooler in action, with sparks flying everywhere. The photos and video are courtesy of Erik Graham Photography, who did a wonderful job shooting the Gottfried’s throws. They really bring out everyone’s inner pyromaniac. Feel free to add your tips and links to photos or videos below.
Hammer Throw :: Fire Catch from Erik Graham on Vimeo.
I don’t know if this has been mentioned before, certainly alluded to with the throwing over a river thing. And I credit Nick Symmonds for the inspiration: when will someone make a non-sanctioned flaming hammer event? Like Symmonds’s logic with the beer mile: it’s got the views on youtube so that is where the interest lies. I wouldn’t pay to watch a bunch of people throw around 70m, but I would totally pay to watch a bunch of people throw 65m with a flaming hammer. Gas up the field so they randomly spark cool designs. Do it in the fall so people can bring their piles of leaves to get burned. Make it a spectacle.