glue for hammers

[John Delacour]

At 11:36 -0600 16/1/08, Ron Nossaman wrote:

>>If a good knurler is used and the shanks are properly knurled, 
>>there is no problem in dry fitting them in such a way that they can 
>>be aligned fore and aft etc. Then the expansion of the shank makes 
>>a tight fit to the hammer bore hole, as you say.
>>
>>Jurgen Goering

>Yes, pulling the hammer back to the drill angle and away from where 
>you had it aligned. At least that was my experience.

That would be my experience too if I relied on other people boring my 
hammers, but I haven't bought bored hammer heads for over 20 years 
and when I fit them they need no "fore and aft adjustment" -- I want 
them to be where the boring tells them to be because that's the right 
place, which give the angle I have calculated and according to which 
I have bored the hammers.  I don't want or need any slack.  I bore 
the hammers so that the shanks as I get them are a tight fit in the 
bore.  As I come to glue each hammer I knurl it so that it will be 
sufficiently loose in the bore for about half a minute after the glue 
has touched the knurling.  Any radial adjustment is done within this 
time frame.  If occasionally more force is needed than would be good 
for the centre, then I grip the shank with a pair of smooth 
broad-jawed pliers.

JD