trigger job, different type of hammer cut

[niknare]

I am new at trigger jobs, I have done one that came out very good, I used a wilson value line hammer and sear, set the angles and polished every thing, I was so happy that I decided to do a trigger job on my 76 ccombat commander, looking at the sear and hammer they are not cut like all of the instuction videos I haave seen, I bought this gun new so no one has messed with it. Is any one familar with waht I am talking about, the hammer hook is not cut at 90 and has a different angle that meets the sear, my question is can I cut the hammer at a 90 and reangle the sear or should I just buy neew partts and do my trigger job on new parts.

[Jolly Rogers]

Niemi will probably check in but the blueprint angle is not 90 deg if I remember correctly. Check out this thread:http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=55806
and read his posts as he has an illustration of this angle.
Joe

[niemi24s]

Recutting hammer hooks from the USGI (Ordnance Dept) 86° to 90° is much more difficult than working on the sear nose. Keeping them perpendicular to the sides of the hammer is the primary challenge and I wouldn't even attempt it without a jig of some sort. In addition, the files and stones needed must be of exceptional quality - good, nearly perfect, 90° corners.

The jig can be a home-made affair. All it needs to do is position the file & stone to cut perpendicular to the sides of the hammer, perpendicular to flat by the hammer hooks, and such that the flat is not cut into (this would increase the hook height).

But, give it a whirl. It's only a hammer. :D

Cheers

[Lazarus]

Well, I'd like to see a photo of the kind of jig that Niemi is describing. He's correct that squaring the hooks (hammer hook vertical surface) takes some skill. Some members who have vertical mills in their shop claim milling is the only possibility. But then, they also claim that the 90 degree hook angle carries some magic powers that I have yet to discover.

My primary concern these days is the disappointing and horrible condition of the hammer hook faces on even the most expensive hammers. I always get the same answer that EDM is the greatest way to do everything. Making the hammer hooks, in my opinion, is a great example of what EDM cannot do.

Brownells sells a hammer squaring file that will work. I find that the job is easier without the use of a vice or jig. First, I flatten the smooth sides of the file using glass and sandpaper - that is your guide surface. Then I carefully move the hammer against the file (not the other way around) until all the EDM grooves and ridges have been removed. Sometimes these grooves can be more than .005" deep. Yes, it takes some practice, but nothing is perfect. Then I smooth the hammer faces the same way with an India stone. In my opinion, the better hammers should arrive in this condition to begin with, cut square and smooth.

Final tweaking on the hammer faces is also done by hand using medium to fine stone to even up the sear face contact with the hammer faces. Keep your felt marker and your magnifier handy.

Lazarus

[niemi24s]

Well, I'd like to see a photo of the kind of jig that Niemi is describing.
It's nothing fancy, just a drill press vise clamping the hammer flats flush with the tops of the jaws . . .
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p232/niemi24s/P089070005c.jpg
. . . and a piece of steel clamped to the bottom (left) of the vise to fix the file or stone at 90° to the side of the hammer.

[Edited: And for something a little fancier and higher tech, the steel plate could be replaced with a roller mechanism like this one . . .
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p232/niemi24s/P089080001b.jpg
. . .which is a magnetic tape transport system roller/guide, IIRC.]

I never could do anything like this without a jig to fix the tool. Guess I never developed that shaper-like arm that some folks have.

Cheers

[Lazarus]

I have ruined lots of hammers by clamping them in the vice like this. I think one of the tricks is to use a rather light weight file (such as the hammer squaring file. If the hammer and the file are about the same weight, it is easier to get a "feel" for keeping the parts aligned as you work. But, let's say your jig works and the hooks are square and perpendicular. There is no guarantee that the pins in the gun will be cut the same way. That last step will always involve hand fitting and tweaking to make it all work in your particular pistol.

Lazarus

[niemi24s]

I have ruined lots of hammers by clamping them in the vice like this.
Does the vise ruin them by pinching the strut slot closed a little bit?