Is it within the realm of possibility for a smith to heat and bend a case hardened hammer so that the "spur" is lower. Almost like a Bisley hammer. I have short fingers/thumbs and it's hard to reach unless I grip the grip higher up.
this is good adviceIt's pretty simple to do + if you wrap the hammer head and shank with a wet towel and do the heating quickly you won't effect the temper on the oimportant parts, the spur doesn't need tempering, it won't bend from normal use. BTW, mapp gas won't get hot enough you'll need a mixed gas source for the heat.
Acetylene gas alone, no, with oxy-acetylene yes, but you can also cut it off if not careful.Would acetylene get hot it hot enough? Sure does burn holes through copper if you aren't careful!
I do the Colt cap and ball hammers by milling the back side so it is closer to an even thickness. If you don't do this before heating to bend then they will not bend where you want them to and they will "bow" out at the thickest point. Then of course I re-checker them. This is what I did for msavit's 1860....Is it within the realm of possibility for a smith to heat and bend a case hardened hammer so that the "spur" is lower. Almost like a Bisley hammer. I have short fingers/thumbs and it's hard to reach unless I grip the grip higher up.