diff --git a/include/fc/crypto/ripemd160.hpp b/include/fc/crypto/ripemd160.hpp
index 2539412..3200873 100644
--- a/include/fc/crypto/ripemd160.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/crypto/ripemd160.hpp
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 #include <fc/fwd.hpp>
 #include <fc/io/raw_fwd.hpp>
 #include <fc/reflect/typename.hpp>
-#include <fc/string.hpp>
 
 namespace fc{
 class sha512;
@@ -26,14 +25,14 @@ class ripemd160
     static ripemd160 hash( const string& );
 
     template<typename T>
-    static ripemd160 hash( const T& t )
-    {
-      ripemd160::encoder e;
-      fc::raw::pack( e, t );
-      return e.result();
-    }
+    static ripemd160 hash( const T& t ) 
+    { 
+      ripemd160::encoder e; 
+      fc::raw::pack(e,t);
+      return e.result(); 
+    } 
 
-    class encoder
+    class encoder 
     {
       public:
         encoder();
diff --git a/include/fc/crypto/sha256.hpp b/include/fc/crypto/sha256.hpp
index 9a06bd7..c40c83a 100644
--- a/include/fc/crypto/sha256.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/crypto/sha256.hpp
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #include <fc/fwd.hpp>
 #include <fc/string.hpp>
 #include <fc/platform_independence.hpp>
+#include <fc/io/raw_fwd.hpp>
 
 namespace fc
 {
@@ -20,12 +21,13 @@ class sha256
 
     static sha256 hash( const char* d, uint32_t dlen );
     static sha256 hash( const string& );
+    static sha256 hash( const sha256& );
 
     template<typename T>
     static sha256 hash( const T& t ) 
     { 
       sha256::encoder e; 
-      e << t; 
+      fc::raw::pack(e,t);
       return e.result(); 
     } 
 
diff --git a/include/fc/io/raw.hpp b/include/fc/io/raw.hpp
index 8aa5558..7e58330 100644
--- a/include/fc/io/raw.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/io/raw.hpp
@@ -486,6 +486,15 @@ namespace fc {
       return tmp;
     } FC_RETHROW_EXCEPTIONS( warn, "error unpacking ${type}", ("type",fc::get_typename<T>::name() ) ) }
 
+    template<typename T>
+    inline void unpack( const std::vector<char>& s, T& tmp ) 
+    { try  {
+      if( s.size() ) {
+        datastream<const char*>  ds( s.data(), size_t(s.size()) ); 
+        raw::unpack(ds,tmp);
+      }
+    } FC_RETHROW_EXCEPTIONS( warn, "error unpacking ${type}", ("type",fc::get_typename<T>::name() ) ) }
+
     template<typename T>
     inline void pack( char* d, uint32_t s, const T& v ) {
       datastream<char*> ds(d,s); 
diff --git a/src/crypto/sha256.cpp b/src/crypto/sha256.cpp
index 1c06108..ae1d6af 100644
--- a/src/crypto/sha256.cpp
+++ b/src/crypto/sha256.cpp
@@ -40,10 +40,16 @@ namespace fc {
       e.write(d,dlen);
       return e.result();
     }
+
     sha256 sha256::hash( const string& s ) {
       return hash( s.c_str(), s.size() );
     }
 
+    sha256 sha256::hash( const sha256& s )
+    {
+        return hash( s.data(), sizeof( s._hash ) );
+    }
+
     void sha256::encoder::write( const char* d, uint32_t dlen ) {
       SHA256_Update( &my->ctx, d, dlen); 
     }