How can I smooth out a sharp hammer?

[ulflyer]

Had not shot my S&W Mod15 for several years but got it out the other day and
really enjoyed shooting it. Its renewed my interest in wheel guns again after shooting only auto's for a good while. One issue that bothered me was the knurled? hammer hurting my thumb when cocking it. Its a case hardened finish and I don't want to file the sharp edges off and take a chance of marring it.

Is there some product I can put on the hammer to smooth it out that can later be removed? Only thing I can think of is JB Weld but not sure that
stuff could be cleanly removed later on.

Open to ideas.

 

[rcmodel]

Wrap some black vinyl electrical tape around it till your thumb toughens up.

rc

 

[ulflyer]

Great Idea RC, why didn't I think of that! Sometimes the most simple things are overlooked.
Thanks.

 

[TruthTellers]

I would think JB Weld will cause more harm than using a stone and smoothing the edges down.

A file may not be hard enough to scratch the hardened case, but a machinists' stone is literally hard as a rock and leaves a smooth finish. They sell them at Harbor Freight. It's a permanent deal, but this is just to knock down the sharp edges and will be hardly noticeable.

 

[RON in PA]

Shoot the the gun as God intended, DA.

 

[GarySTL]

My bowler friends used to put some kind of liquid bandage stuff on their fingers to prevent blisters. But I think the suggested tape probably works better.

 

[BYJO4]

The electrical tape should do the job until your thumb toughens up. The choice if that doesn't work is to smooth the rough spots with a file. I've watched my gunsmith do this to both triggers and hammers and the end result was excellent. Just go slow and take off in small increments until you get the disired result.

 

[Fremmer]

Don't do anything, just enjoy the pain from shooting a real revolver.

Did I just say that out loud?!?

 

[Twiki357]

Try some “ShoeGoo”. It’s intended for repair of rubber, plastic, etc., but it’s kind of like that rubber stuff used to hold mailers closed. Put a blob on a paper towel, hold the gun upside down and dip the knurled part of the hammer in it and let it set over night. If you don’t like it, it can be peeled off without too much difficulty.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

That knurling is deep like that for a reason. See if you can find somebody who has an older Smith, one with the old long throw hammer. Like this:



Notice how shallow the knurling is. On a hot summer day if your hands are sweaty it is real easy for the thumb to slip right off the hammer spur. That's why the knurling is so deep on more modern Smiths. That deep cut in front of the hammer spur is there for a reason too, to allow the tip of your thumb to rotate down while cocking the hammer.

In fact, even though I like Smiths better than Colts, I have to admit that the old hammer design of a Colt was better than the old hammer design of a Smith. Much less likely for the thumb to slip off the hammer or an old Colt than an old Smith.

I must say, even though I like the old Smiths better than the new ones, my thumb never slips off a modern hammer. Never bothered me how sharp the knurling is either.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

It's sharp for a very good reason.

The only sharp checkering I ever had problems with is on the bottom edge of the old style cylinder thumb piece.

They eat my thumb joint up on the hard kicking calibers!

I've never even considered the hammer checkering being too sharp!!

rc

 

[BCRider]

If the checkering is overly sharp I'm not above LIGHTLY polishing off the crests with some very fine abrasive. A few swipes with some 600 grit wetordry sandpaper than a wipe with a patch with some cold blue will remove a touch of the sharpness without greatly affecting the grip.

I know that is blasphemy to some that have posted already but if it makes the gun nicer to shoot for you then what the heck. With the sharp peaks just topped off until they look like the worn peaks on the S&W in Driftwood's pictures it will be a lot more comfy for your thumb but won't affect the grip by a whole lot.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

The sharp trigger edges of my CZ-52 pistol would start to sting my trigger finger by the third target of the military match (7.62x25 recoils fast and sharp and I suspect there's backslap on the trigger as the hammer cocks). Four years ago I placed a section of black plastic shrink tubing (used for wire connectors) over the trigger and hit it with hot air from a hair dryer until it shrunk down tight. No more trigger sting, no permanent change to the military issue gun.

I suspect that a piece of shrink tubing slipped over the knurled/checked hammer spur would reduce the discomfort and still give a non-slip surface for cocking the hammer.

ADDED: Oh, JB Weld epoxy is not temporary. Think of it as semi-permanant assembly, like the riveted triangular handguard/heatshield of the original M16. JB Weld does NOT come off easy.

 

[hoghunting]

BCRider.....A few swipes with some 600 grit wetordry sandpaper than a wipe with a patch with some cold blue will remove a touch of the sharpness without greatly affecting the grip

His S&W hammer is case hardened so a few swipes of 600 grit anything will have no effect, just as the cold blue will be ineffective.

 

[BCRider]

You'd be amazed at what a few swipes of some silicon carbide sandpaper will do for taking the worst of the points off.

I know the bluing won't take well too. But it'll at least shade up the shiny points so they don't stand out.

Been there, done it just as I posted and it's still working well and looking good 5 years on.

 

[MartinS]

Blue over case hardened? Sparing the thumb and butchering the gun? Sacre Bleu...