How to Punch Through Brick

Intro: How to Punch Through Brick

Have you ever wanted to be able to punch through a brick wall? Well you probably can. All you need is a pair of heavy duty gauntlets to add some weight and focus all the force to a narrow point. It is like wearing a sledge hammer on each arm.

This project was inspired by Instructables user NightHawkInLight. I saw his project "How to Punch Through Concrete" and I just had to build my own version. So I would like to thank NightHawkInLight and recommend that you check out some of his projects.

STEP 1: Watch the Video

Here is a video walkthrough of the project.

STEP 2: Materials

Here is a list of materials and tools that you will need for this project:

Materials:

2 x 4 Lumber - 28" Long

10" Strap Hinge

2 x 3/8" Bolt - 2 1/2 Long

16 x 3/8" Washer

2 x 3/8" Nut

2 x 1/4" Bolt - 7" Long

4 x 1/4" Washer

2 x 1/4" Nut

1/2" Hex Bolt - 7" Long

1/2" Nut

4 x Wood Screws - 2" Long

1/2" PVC pipe

Foam Pad

Leather Strap or Belt

2 x Wood Screw - 1" Long

Tools:

Wood Saw

Drill and Bit Set

Ratchet Set

Crescent Wrench

Belt Sander (optional)

STEP 3: Cut the 2 X 4

The first step is cutting the 2 x 4 into pieces that are the appropriate length. I based these measurements on the size of my hand and arm. You may need to make some minor changes to fit your hand.

The gauntlet is made from four pieces of 2 x 4 lumber with the following dimensions:

One 11 1/4" long piece

Two 5" long pieces

One 6 1/2" long piece

The 11 1/4" piece forms the arm brace and the hinge mount. The two 5" long pieces are attached to the sides and are used to mount the handle. The 6 1/2" long piece mounts to the front side to cover the hand and helps to hold the other pieces together.

STEP 4: Drill Holes for the Mounting Bolts

Next we need to drill holes in the boards so that they can be bolted together. All these holes need to be straight for the pieces to fit together properly. So I highly recommend using a drill press if you have access to one.

On the narrow side of the 11 1/4" long piece, drill two 1/4" holes through the board about 1 3/4" apart. The first hole is spaced 2 3/8" from the front of the board. The second hole is spaced 4 1/8" from the front of the board.

On the wide side of the 11 1/4" long piece, drill two 3/8" holes through the board. The first hole is spaced 3 1/4" from the front of the board. The second hole should match the position of the second hole on the hinge. Then go back and use a 3/4" bit to bore out the holes just enough so that the heads of the 3/8" bolts will be flush with the surface of the board when they are installed.

On the wide side of the 5" long pieces, you need to drill two 1/4" holes and one 1/2" hole. The 1/4 holes should be spaced 3/4" from one end of the board and 1 3/4" apart. The 1/2" hole should be centered and 3 1/2" from the end of the board (or about 2 3/4" below the 1/4" holes).

STEP 5: Bolt the First Three Boards Together

We are ready to begin assembling the gauntlets. Start by sliding a washer onto each of the two 1/4" bolts. Now insert them through 1/4" holes on one of the 5" board. Next, push the bolts through the 1/4" holes on the 11 1/4" board. This may take some force is the holes are not perfectly lined up. Lastly push the bolts through the other 5" board. Insert a second washer onto each board and tighten them in place with a pair of 1/4" nuts.

STEP 6: Attach the Last Board

We are going to attach the 6 1/2" board with wood screws. To ensure that the board will line up properly with no gaps, I drilled pilot holes for each screw.

First I took the 6 1/2" board and drilled 3/32" holes in each corner. These holes should be about 3/4" from each side. Then I clamped this board to the front of the two 5" boards. The holes in the 6 1/2" board will be used as a template for drilling the guide holes in the 5" boards. Redrill each hole and drill into the 5" board as far as your drill bit will allow. With the boards still clamped in place screw a wood screw into each hole.

For extra security, I used a second set of screws to attach the 6 1/2" board to the 11 1/4" board. I drilled 3/32 pilot holes through the top of the 11 1/4" board and into the top of the 6 1/2". These should be 3/4" from the front and sides of the 11 1/4" board. Then I screwed a wood screw through each hole.

STEP 7: Attach the Hinge

Insert the 3/8" bolts through the bottom side of the 11 1/4" board. Then slide on one side of the strap hinge. Add washers onto the bolts until you are able to close the hinge and have the two plates parallel to each other. I used 8 washers on each bolt. Then close the hinge so that the bolts are going through both sides of the hinge with the washers in between them. Secure everything in place by tightening a nut onto the end of each bolt.

STEP 8: Apply a Foam Pad to the Inside of the Gauntlet

To help avoid bruising and scratching my arm, I added a small foam pad to the inside of the gauntlet. I just cut a strip of foam that was 3 1/2" wide and glued it to the bottom side of the 11 1/4" board. Be sure to use a glue that will not damage the foam.

STEP 9: Attach the Handle

Now we need to attach the 1/2" bolt that will act as a handle. Insert the 1/2" bolt through the 1/2" holes on the two 5" boards. Then screw the 1/2" nut onto the end. Don't tighten it too much or you will deform the side pieces.

Pick up the gauntlet by the handle and see how it feels. If you would like the handle to be wider, you can put a 3 1/2" long piece of PVC pipe around the bolt between the two side boards.

STEP 10: Attach the Arm Strap

The last part that we need to add is the arm strap. This will help to secure the gantlet to your arm. For this, I used an old belt.

First I added a hole to the strap of the belt so that it could be tightened around my arm. Loosely wrap the belt around your arm and see where the bar (or prong) lines up. Use a punch a nail or a drill bit to make a new hole at this location. Then a few inches past this spot, cut off the rest of the belt.

We are going to attach the belt to the 11 1/4" board with a pair of screws. So I drilled two pilot holes about 3/4" from either side of the board. Then I made holes in the belt to match holes in the board. Lastly I screw two 1" long wood screws through the belt and into the board.

STEP 11: PUNCH THROUGH BRICKS!!!

Now your gauntlets are complete and you are ready to punch through bricks like the Hulk. When finished, these gauntlets weigh about 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms) each. It is like having a sledge hammer on the end of your arm.

It's time to try it out. Make two small stacks of bricks that will act as supports. Then place the target brick across the gap between them.

Stand over the brick and line up your shot. You want to hit the brick in the center. Go through the motion of punching the brick at few times. Make sure that your body (especially your back) is lined up in way that you will not hurt yourself.

When you are ready, bring down your gauntlet and smash the brick. It may also help if you yell something ridiculous like "HULK SMASH!!!" This is a lot of fun. I highly recommend it.

Comments

[mchau2]

the increased momentum and steel hard narrow punch, formula for destruction! I would love to see it in prettier more durable form, might be good for rescue mission!

[seamster]

Nice! Also good for zombies, right?

[ElectroFrank]

No ! No ! No !

If you value your life, please don't let zombies see this instructable [:-O

[gravityisweak]

Thanks for also adding the written tutorial in addition to your video. Some of us can't always view videos from certain locations because they are blocked, and we only have the written descriptions to go off of.

[hvweezel]

@gravityisweak: Take a look at : https://hola.org/

[Gamer Guy]

I would add one more piece of padding, just in case your hand slips off the handle so you don't punch the wood. Awesome project! Definetly sounds fun to go punch through walls!

[nachoelasturiano]

it would be better if contact point was in line with the handle and forearm

[wobblycogs]

If your goal was to punch through a brick wall then I think you'll need to revise the design as this one would break your hand long before you would get through a wall. Really all your doing is increasing the force by reducing the contact area. For a brittle material like brick that would almost certainly put you in the breaking range.

It would be interesting to measure the total energy of the impact. My guess is that you'd find it was lower as you would naturally pull the punch slightly due to the fact you are transferring most of the force via the bolt in your hand. Your knuckles and the back of your hand are going to be better at dissipating the energy up your arm and your design could be greatly improved by mimicking that force transfer e.g. strengthen the wrist and transfer the force of the blow directly to the lower arm.

[DIY Hacks and How Tos]

It also add weight (about 7 pounds). In the tests that I did, the forces transferred pretty well. It didn't hurt my hand or arm at all.

[JoshJ3]

I don't want to be mean but this looks a lot like this from nighthawkinlight 2 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Wmi6o1s9s

[DIY Hacks and How Tos]

Yes. In the introduction I openly state the NightHawkInLight inspired this project and I link to his original video and his instructable page. This is my just my version of the idea.

[nvancleve]

These look great for pumbling a thief or break-in.

[tjk1939]

Nice, what's the point?

[DIY Hacks and How Tos]

It is fun.

[johnstat000]

This looks... Dangerous...

[jproffer]

your breakfast spoon is dangerous too. please use spoons responsibly.

[NightHawkInLight]

Nice job! Great instructions

[fzumrk]

You can actually break a typical patio block with your bare hands pretty easily. You want to strike with the heal of your palm, not a normal punch with your knuckles. Set the block on the supporting blocks to maximize the space between the supporting blocks, which maximizes the span of the patio blocks. Strike the middle like you are going to punch through it, not to it. The patio block has relatively low tensile strength which makes it easy to break in bending.

I wouldn't try it with a normal size brick as it it thicker which gives it higher flexural strength, and the span is going to be much shorter reducing the flexural moment you apply with your strike.

If you really want to impress your friends, stack multiple blocks together with pencils in between them at the ends for spacers. It doesn't take much more force to break them since the momentum of the top block transfers to the lower blocks. The spacers are important. They keep the stack of blocks from acting monolithically as one thicker block, which would be much harder to break.

PS: Try at your own risk. Wear some heavy leather gloves if you are unsure of your skills.

[Bard]

Interesting design,

to be honest it kind of looks clunky but it does seem to function well.

Have you tried a control test like trying to break the bricks without the gauntlet?

oh If it was zombies one might want to add a blade where the hinge goes.

[M3G]

Awesome!