# So... what do I do with a rock hammer? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 4, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363 "2014-07-04T19:58:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/21 "2014-07-05T03:25:37Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Do you have a big poster of Rita Hayworth too? 😕 OK, I’m whoosed. ETA: Oh, _Shawshank Redemption_. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/22 "2014-07-05T03:52:09Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Correct, most survivalists aren’t very realistic. They tend to greatly over-emphasize threats like human or animal attacks while being under-equipped for much more pressing concerns like water and fire. A rock hammer could be useful but it would rarely mean the difference between life and death Its very useful … you use it to break into a locked cellar … ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/23 "2014-07-05T04:28:41Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > You can do a lot of things with it. It is a good tool for breaking hard things into small pieces. You live in Minnesota. One of the best uses there would be chipping ice to make drinking water or to make a hole in lake ice for ice fishing. Ok, that’s good > [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Is there hard clay under your topsoil? > > Maybe they were implying you’d use it and the shovel in tandem to dig some sort of fox hole? That’s good too; some gravely soils need a pick more than a shovel. > [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > You can use it to cut and shape rocks for building shelter and fire pits. Also, if you locate deposits of flint and chert, these rocks are useful in making stone tools, and primitive weapons. If I’m going to be carrying a steel tool, how about I just take a good knife and axe instead of making stone tools? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/24 "2014-07-05T05:06:17Z")
You won’t be able to see this later on, but its the Forth of July, about 10pm pacific, and the number of people who post in this thread that are _online right now_ is amazing. Survivalists? Fuck, more like shut-ins! Me included. Goddammit. We all need to get out more. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/25 "2014-07-05T05:22:55Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > If I’m going to be carrying a steel tool, how about I just take a good knife and axe instead of making stone tools? 😛 You aren’t getting into the spirit of being a survivalist; as a survivalist you have to be willing to think both outside and inside the box. The stone you quarry and any tools you fashion from it can be used as post-apocalyptic currency. They’ll be other bands of survivors roaming around that might need some arrowheads or flint. Thus, those stone tools can then be used to foster a synergistic-integration between your two tribes. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/26 "2014-07-05T07:01:34Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > You won’t be able to see this later on, but its the Forth of July, about 10pm pacific, and the number of people who post in this thread that are _online right now_ is amazing. > > Survivalists? Fuck, more like shut-ins! Me included. > > Goddammit. We all need to get out more. Not everyone who posts here is American. Or in your time zone. ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/27 "2014-07-05T12:38:08Z")
> [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > Dig out of prison? The only reason I opened this thread was to see how long it took before this joke was made. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/28 "2014-07-05T17:03:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > When all you have is a rock hammer, everything looks like a rock. I came to say this, but got beaten to the punch. And my Rock Lobster joke isn’t worth the time it would take to type. :o (\<- what the fuck is that smiley supposed to be?) ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/29 "2014-07-06T02:24:28Z")
Did you fight the law and the law won? You can break rocks in the hot sun. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363/30 "2014-07-06T02:43:29Z")
> [@MentalGuy](#): > > The only reason I opened this thread was to see how long it took before this joke was made. It’s sad that people aren’t taking this thread seriously. Rock hammers are an essential part of a well balanced survival kit. If I could gut punch the Pvt Jokers and make the Pvt Pyles choke themselves, I most certainly would. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-i-do-with-a-rock-hammer/692363.md?page=1)