MY HAMMER FROM HADES...

[LeMat1856]

.
. nov 8 / 1:55am


first, many thanks to birddog6 for suggesting the diamond grit files.. they worked like magic.. i might suggest to anyone else using these that they get the set(s) with variable grit.. mine had 180, 260, and 360.. however, using coarser grades like 60, 80, 100 could be too much (even on case hardened parts)- better to start in the mid-range and use more "elbow grease" than find that you've gone too far too quickly with the coarse grades.

but, my problem isn't solved yet.. this really is the hammer from "h - e double hockey sticks" which was purchased to replace a defective original for a jp murray, .58 rifled musket, euroarms, made in 1989.

it's the 1989 that seems to be the problem, according to euroarms.. they claim that the machinery used to make these has changed and the new ones are slightly different.. are they ever !

the opening for the lock stud was too small on the new one so i had to file away some of the interior with the diamond files (about .005") which was finished easily enough.. then i tested the alignment with the nipple.. the nose doesn't reach the cone - short by 1/8"..

i've tried unscrewing the original nipple and even installing a new, somewhat larger one but neither technique work..

since euroarms uses the same hammer for murray's as zouave's, there supposedly isn't any other part i can use, but i wondered if there was a way to fill in this gap and with what ? all i have in my tool kit is a soldering iron with some generic solder.

any suggestions ? is there a longer "nose" hammer out there (possibly 1863 springfield) that might fit ?

thanks, and i'll take my answer on the air.

~d~

 

[texcl]

Sounds to me like you need to heat the hammer red hot and bend and or stretch the hammer till it fits. I wouldn't fill in the nose as it protects you from flying debris from the cap. After it fits you will need to re-caseharden it.

 

[bioprof]

This is easier said than done. I had the same problem with a rifle that I built myself. It required the use of an acetylene torch to get it hot enough. A propane torch probably won't get it hot enough to stretch.

 

[texcl]

I agree not an easy task.

 

[LeMat1856]

.
. nov 8 / 5:30pm


heating and bending *is* the recommended solution per one of my hobby gunsmithing books, but that just puts me back to square one - no acetylene torch equipment..

could someone who does have the equipment - but not necessarily be a gunsmith - do this if i explain it, that is, how difficult is it on a 1 to 10 scale ?

actually, all i needed for the original was to heat and straighten which would be easier than heating, stretching, and keeping straight plus rehardening.

i might even ask brownells for a quote from their gunsmith service..

~d~

 

[Capt. Fred]

Have you tried MAPP gas? It burns a bit hotter than propane.

 

[jr06]

Find a friend with a MIG welder. Cone the mounting hole on the back side with a grinder. Fill with weld metal. Drill and file a new hole in the proper location.

 

[LeMat1856]

.
. nov 12 / 11:30pm


uumm, this is getting way outta my league - mapp gas, mig welding... i'll have to go back to the books and find what those are and see what i can do from there.

...all this for an $18 hammer ! ! live and learn, i guess.

thanks for the ideas,

~d~

 

[chipper]

I had a problem with my CVA mountain rifle where the hammer didn't quite hit flat on the nipple. I used two propane torches to heat it up and bend it. It took me several tries to get it right. All my friends said replace the lock. The lock was fine and I saved 140$.

regards
Loyd

 

[Capt. Fred]

Sorry LeMat, I should have explained a little more. Mapp gas is a gas that comes in a bottle just like propane. You can get a torch head for the bottle that will work with the Mapp gas and as I recall they aren't too expensive. The one I've got handles both propane and Mapp so I can use it for either.

Mapp just burns a little hotter so you can get stuff good and hot to aid with the bending of said piece. I had to use the Mapp to bend a hammer for a hawken I was building. I put the hammer in my big vice and stacked some scraps of steel around it to act like a heat sink. Heated it till it was really red and it bent without too much trouble. I have no idea what kind of steel it was made out of and if that would be the same as what you are trying to bend but it may work for you.

Good luck and keep asking questions. :thumbsup:

 

[RADeO]

LeMat1856, can you post a picture of your problem hammer?

I'm right across the Bay from you, and I have an oxy-acetylene torch and a 5" bench vise.

 

[LeMat1856]

.
. nov 16 / 10:20pm

sorry for not responding for so long and thanks for the additional info.

i will try to post a pic but it might not be very high quality because the only digital camera i have is a $10 vivitar mini from walgreens - more of a novelty than a serious camera.

as for the mapp gas, now i know what you're talking about and i've seen them used in some gunsmith videos i have so that is a possability except for the lack of a real workroom and tools.. i'm sure i could do it if i just had a place and a little practice, but you see, that's why i had to buy the replacement - no way or no where to work on the original.

first, let me try to post a good photo or two with this vivitar.

~d~

 

[Parzifal]

Hello, How about tracing on a bit of paper the proper angle you need, then cut the troublesome hammer in half.
Then do a sprite of a spot holding bead on it to hold it together, then you put the hammer on the lock and bend it into proper position take it off and fill the rest of the gap in with weld.

Grind it smooth and finish it with files and emery cloth.

It may sound hard but really its not.

If you can hold off a few weeks I can show you when I have to fit a repro hammer to a origional 1816 percussion conversion carbine.

Cheers

 

[ZUG]

This is the second best fix -- the first is to trace the hammer on some stiff paper and send it to Dixie Gun Works and ask them if they have a hammer that is 1/8" longer :thumbsup: