The Art of Spitting Tacks
May 5, 2016 7:20 PM   Subscribe

"My training involves tongue techniques that were taught to me by older masters." Master Upholsterer Kevin Kennedy demonstrates the dangerous art of spitting tacks.

Tack spitting has been a dying art for over half a century. Here's Reese Hart of the Associated Press profiling the iron-stomached, nimble-tongued Old Pros at Tack Spitting, already facing pressure from stapling guns back in 1965. Come for the high stakes chewing gum skills -- stay for the engaging theories about human digestion.

Want [even more inside]? See if you can guess how many tacks Paul DeVito, Jr. has in his mouth while narrating this video.
posted by john hadron collider (14 comments total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
He's no Sherilyn Fenn.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:33 PM on May 5, 2016 [2 favorites]


...and remember, if you can balance a tack-hammer on your head, you can head off your foes with a balanced attack.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 7:41 PM on May 5, 2016 [7 favorites]


My dad used to do this. Really weirded me the hell out.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:46 PM on May 5, 2016


I can't be the only person who was hoping that he would spit out tacks with such force that they would stick into the target, like a human blowgun.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:08 PM on May 5, 2016 [48 favorites]


Unfortunately I can't find the clip from Buffy The Vampir Slayer where she pegs a fly with a thumbtack.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:22 PM on May 5, 2016


I can't be the only person who was hoping that he would spit out tacks with such force that they would stick into the target, like a human blowgun.

Yep, me too. I suppose "The art of tack-positioning-on-the-end-of-ones-tongue-with-the-head-pointed-outwards" isn't catchy enough.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:32 PM on May 5, 2016


"My training involves tongue techniques that were taught to me by older masters."

I really wanted this to be a Mae West quote.
posted by rokusan at 8:41 PM on May 5, 2016 [8 favorites]


Shemp shows why you don't want to try this at home.

They did this in another episode (which I couldn't find) and tried to get the tacks out by turning him upside down.
"They went in, but they won't come out!"

"They must be in-come tacks!"
posted by eye of newt at 8:57 PM on May 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


i cringe at the amount of contaminants and/or heavy metals the upholsters exposed themselves to.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 9:01 PM on May 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


He doesn't seem that angry to me.
posted by unliteral at 9:38 PM on May 5, 2016 [4 favorites]


I had no idea that the phrase originated from a professional skill. I'm always amazed at the wondrous things people learn to do through the quotidian activities of their day-to-day. Although I'm no luddite, it's a little sad that this is no longer a useful skill due to technological advances. Somehow I don't think that super-complicated excel spreadsheets or mad IDE skills will have youtube videos made of them after they become obsolete.
posted by sid at 10:31 PM on May 5, 2016 [2 favorites]


That explains why old boxes of tacks I have found declared them "sterilized".
posted by boilermonster at 11:16 PM on May 5, 2016 [5 favorites]


"Now, I don't want to brag, but one day I shot a fly out of the air with a staple.

That's badass! (Even if he was using a staple gun at the time.)

I love this post.
posted by Omnomnom at 2:26 AM on May 6, 2016


Awesome find!
posted by cleroy at 3:36 PM on May 6, 2016


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