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Forward with Hammer and Chisel
For centuries, miners worked with simple hand tools such as hammer and chisel to make their way through the hard rock. Often, they managed to advance only a few centimeters during an entire shift. The crossed tools became the symbol of mining. To this day, they represent the craftsmanship, physical strength, and endurance required for work deep underground.
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For many centuries, miners had only simple tools at their disposal. Nevertheless, they used them with great skill and efficiency. The actual tunneling work was carried out with hammer and chisel. In the Jeremias Glück mine, miners using these two tools managed to remove only 3 to 10 cm of rock per shift.
The crossed tools – hammer and chisel – remain the most famous symbol of mining to this day. Anyone who has seen how laboriously a tunnel was driven into the rock using only these simple tools can appreciate the enormous achievement of the miners.
While working, the miner placed the tip of the chisel against the rock with one hand. With the other, he struck the hammer powerfully against the chisel to loosen the rock piece by piece. A miner would take up to 15 chisels with him on his shift. They were carried on his shoulder strap. After work, the blunt chisels were taken to the mine forge to be sharpened again. Often, the hammer and a used chisel were left behind in the mine at the end of the shift – as a lucky charm for the next working day.
In addition to the hammer and chisel, the pickaxe was also used. With its pointed edge, it was particularly suitable for loosening softer layers of rock. Since a lot of space was needed when swinging the tool, the miners always had to keep a sufficient distance from one another to avoid injuries.