Burning Shanks

[Tunethepno@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 7/13/1999 2:56:44 AM US Eastern Standard Time, 
John.Woodrow@pil.com.au writes:

<< Simple question, is it OK to drop the
 strike point by burning and bending the shank. >>

In addition to the regulating and strike angle problems, burning the shank 
enough to bend it down will likely weaken the shank and make it more apt to 
break. Bending takes more heat and pressure than twisting. I tried this once 
and wasn't particularly happy with the result. It's better to pop off the 
hammer, trim the shank, and reglue the hammer. 
My $.02 worth,
John Stroup