Changing the Angle

[Slip6]

I want to change the angle of the hammer on my traditions .32 cal Crockett rifle to fit over a musket cap replacement nipple..

Can I heat the hammer with a small butane torch ?
If so, do I dip it in oil or water after making the correction or just let the hammer cool.

I could also grind the nipple to fit by shaving the side that is catching on the hammer. This would be my first attempt at bending a hammer.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

You will need more heat! Acetyleene/Oxygen torch with a small welding type tip will do the job. Heat area till red, bend to suit. I have let them air cool & quenched in water and didn't see any difference.

 

[rich pierce]

There is no reason to quench. Only bad things can happen with a quench. You don’t want it hardened.
Most cocks can be bent cold.

 

[stikshooter]

But heat as described is better/safer ! I do it often and have never had to hope to find a replacement and the finished job assumes the color of the factory color . /Ed

 

[doubleset]

You will need more heat! Acetyleene/Oxygen torch with a small welding type tip will do the job.

Whoa! Surely oxy/acetylene isn't needed. You don't need welding temperatures here. And someone who's asking if a little butane torch will do the trick isn't about to go out and buy an oxy/acetylene outfit and learn how to use it. Shouldn't a propane or MAPP torch work for this? Or if really necessary a little oxy/propane torch? I guess if I were to try it, I'd use my air/acetylene outfit (just because it's hotter than my propane/MAPP stuff), but not everyone has one of those.

 

[LANEY REECE]

MR. SLIP6 you can do a search on what other people have done. I done mine after reading. Hope this helps.

 

[Timber Wolf]

I ruined a CVA SXS shotgun hammer many years ago heating it before attempting a bend. The replacement hammer fit fine and did not require any adjustment. Over the past few weeks I have successfully cold bent two old CVA Mountain rifle hammers to center them on their respective nipples. I only had to bend them a little, one in and one out as I recall. As to bending them for more or less of a “crook” I don’t know if I would attempt that. I clamped them in a vice and tapped them with a big hammer, didn’t take much. One I got right the first time, the other took two tries. Seems I am getting better (gentler, more patient, smarter) with this stuff as I get older.

 

[doubleset]

I clamped them in a vice and tapped them with a big hammer, didn’t take much.

Around here, we call that the "tractor calibration tool", although it's more generally useful, of course.

 

[LANEY REECE]

I did what MR Timber Wolf did on mine.

 

[Steve Martin]

I thought I needed a bit more "crook" in the hammer of my Pedesoli Plainsman but when I replaced the nipple with a shorter one the problem was solved because of the slightly longer "arc" the hammer had to travel. So the OP might consider a shorter nipple if it looks like that might help.

 

[necchi]

Can I heat the hammer with a small butane torch ?

No, you'll need propane. Those hot little "cigar lighters" can't heat a large enough of an area to make a decent bending point. You'll risk making a small spot too hot and "burning" the metal.

if so, do I dip it in oil or water after making the correction or just let the hammer cool.

just let it cool.

I could also grind the nipple to fit by shaving the side that is catching on the hammer. This would be my first attempt at bending a hammer.

Sure, but there is a limit, the hammer cup still needs enough metal to do what it's supposed to and that's to stop chard's of exploding copper from flying sideways.
Keep in mind that when making a drastic change like this with ignition source,, you will also need to align the hammer cup "face" to match the nipple.
If you make that change, you will need to be sure the hammer cup strikes the full face of the nipple.
That's where the dremil and a small stone comes in handy

 

[illinois old fart]

Shorting the nipple worked very well for me and easier.

 

[deerstalkert]

depends on where the cup is hanging up on the nipple as to whether you can cure it by nipple length.
a propane torch is plenty of heat . concentrate on the narrowest part of the neck of the cock and heat to a dull red. slowly bend in the direction needed. if you make a cardboard pattern of the cock you can adjust it to your arch and save repeated heating and cooling. the more you work that piece the weaker it gets.
good luck. have done this multiple times. every thompson flintlock i have ever had in fact!

 

[Jake2454]

Whoa! Surely oxy/acetylene isn't needed. You don't need welding temperatures here. And someone who's asking if a little butane torch will do the trick isn't about to go out and buy an oxy/acetylene outfit and learn how to use it. Shouldn't a propane or MAPP torch work for this? Or if really necessary a little oxy/propane torch? I guess if I were to try it, I'd use my air/acetylene outfit (just because it's hotter than my propane/MAPP stuff), but not everyone has one of those.

ihave done it with MAPP on a triditions like cock(hammer) with no problems.
quenching is not required

 

[doubleset]

if you make a cardboard pattern of the cock you can adjust it to your arch and save repeated heating and cooling. the more you work that piece the weaker it gets.

Making patterns for this sort of work is highly under-rated, and often overlooked.

 

[J. Paul]

Whoa! Surely oxy/acetylene isn't needed. You don't need welding temperatures here. And someone who's asking if a little butane torch will do the trick isn't about to go out and buy an oxy/acetylene outfit and learn how to use it. Shouldn't a propane or MAPP torch work for this? Or if really necessary a little oxy/propane torch? I guess if I were to try it, I'd use my air/acetylene outfit (just because it's hotter than my propane/MAPP stuff), but not everyone has one of those.

The cva kits that I assembled in the late 70's had instructions on how to use a propane torch to heat and bend hammer and where to bend safely

 

[jeff b]

TRY SHIMMING THE SIDE PLATE . TOP FOR RIGHT, BOTTOM FOR LEFT. VERY SLIM SHIM

 

[deerstalkert]

TRY SHIMMING THE SIDE PLATE . TOP FOR RIGHT, BOTTOM FOR LEFT. VERY SLIM SHIM

may work for port and starboard misalignment but not fore and aft.

 

[BadDaditood]

I use propane because it’s cheep (and so am I)
If that don’t do it I switch to mapp gas
If still not enuff I make a tiny kiln out of fire bricks
If that won’t do it I take it to a professional

 

[deerstalkert]

the firebrick kiln in conjunction with a propane weed burner is my last resort. if that doesn't work it goes in the scrap pile!