Cracked nipple

[Chocktaw Brave]

Does this just happen when they get worn out, or is this a sign of something going wrong?
This is cracked in two places, almost like a chunk of it’s getting ready to blow out.

Thanks

[Daryl]

Interesting. That nipple also appears to be bent.
I've never seen a cracked nipple before. Usually what happens when a nipple "wears out", is the small hole burns out and that in itself
will ruin accuracy.

[Bob Roller]

That nipple was too hard from the start and that would cause a crack and it DOES look bent.
See if a sharp file will cut it.
Bob Roller

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

From the looks of the nipple, it appears that the hammer cup is not at ninety degrees to the axis of the nipple.  In other words, the hammer may not be striking the nipple squarely.  That, over time, will bend the nipple and put more strain on the contact side of the nipple while the other side gets no strike.  Examine the cup of your hammer to see if there is a complete circular indent from the nipple.  If not, adjust the inside of the cup with an end mill (I made mine from a drill bit, and can post pics again, if that'd help)

[Chocktaw Brave]

Here’s a picture of the angle.

It is slightly off.
The nipple did not cut with a file, and I think the angle of the photo makes it look bent, but I think it’s fairly straight.
I have a small endmill that I could try. Is the hammer fairly hard material?

[bob in the woods]

Has that drum been removed in the past ?  I wonder if it's been torqued in before, and now has been reinstalled , and although tight, isn't in the same position as before. I've seen those things that seemed to be installed by gorillas.  [ I'm not a fan of the drum /nipple system ]

[bluenoser]

I think I would start by seeing if I could rotate the drum a few degrees clockwise.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Here's a series of photographs of the cutter I made to re-cut the cup on Hawken hammers.  As cast, the cups are too shallow and are at the wrong angle at the seat to strike the nipple squarely.  My cutter enlarges the inside diameter of the cup too and tapers it so that it is thicker at the seat and thinner at the edge of the cup.
There pictures show a brand new drill bit and the one I reshaped, and finally the result of reshaping the cup on a hammer.  Run the cutter at as slow a speed as your drill press will allow, and be sure the hammer is clamped well in a vise, and the spur is supported.  The whole affair only takes seconds to accomplish, and makes a world of difference.

[Chocktaw Brave]

“I think I would start by seeing if I could rotate the drum a few degrees clockwise.“

I thought about that but then I didn’t want to scratch it up terribly. Is there a good way to do that?

That “endmill” looks slick. When I tear it down to clean I will look closer at the inside of the hammer cup.

[bluenoser]

I have not had a lot to do with caplocks, but I would start by replacing the nipple with a solid bolt having the same thread.
 I would then fold a thin piece of copper or aluminum around the drum so that the bolt is sandwiched between the ends.  Put an adjustable wrench around the protected drum such that the end of the jaw fetches up against the bolt and nudge the drum clockwise.  Be careful how much pressure you apply. You don't want to chance shearing the bolt off or distorting the drum.  You can avoid the aluminum or copper smearing on the drum by putting some scotch tape or similar on the face of the metal in contact with the drum.  A pair of vice grips with the pipe clamp jaw section would be a better fit than an adjustable wrench, but you would want to avoid tightening them down to the point you are clamping the drum.  Chances are, someone with more experience with drums will have a better approach.

[Daryl]

“I think I would start by seeing if I could rotate the drum a few degrees clockwise.“

I thought about that but then I didn’t want to scratch it up terribly. Is there a good way to do that?

That “endmill” looks slick. When I tear it down to clean I will look closer at the inside of the hammer cup.

Same here.  Use thin leather for turning the drum, or wrap it in wet/dry paper, 320 grit will work and use channel locks.
That's how I would attempt to turn it to line up with the hammer/s nose. It won't take much. You might have to file just
a tich of material off the drum's inner surface. Won't take more than a thou. I would think.

[P.W.Berkuta]

Before you start to "tweak" the drum you need to see if the hammer and nipple face are parallel to each other. Apply soot, Prussian Blue or other marking stuff on the nipple and drop the hammer on the nipple to cause a mark to appear on the hammer striking surface. The mark needs to be at least 90% to 100% in contact with the hammer if not do as Taylor suggests. Leave the drum alone  --- unless you want other problems.

[Chocktaw Brave]

Well turning the drum didn’t work, even with a piece of leather I put a nice gouge in it.
I’m going to mill the face on the hammer.

[Daryl]

Opps - another thing you could do, is to measure the throw you need and buy a new hammer from Track with the correct throw. - center of the hammer/bolster screw to the center of the nipple is the "length of the hammer's throw". as I understand it.

[bluenoser]

I believe that would mean going with a slightly taller hammer - which would result in the drum needing to be rotated even further clockwise.  A straight line drawn through the center of the cleanout screw and up through the center of the nipple should, ideally, fall along the arc of the hammer fall.  The existing hammer appears to be just slightly shorter than ideal and, although I think the drum should be rotated clockwise, I believe Taylor likely has the best solution for dealing with the misalignment.
On a side note, I consider it wise to avoid using leather to protect surfaces when using a clamping device having serrations or teeth due to the possibility the leather would be cut through.  In my experience, copper, brass and aluminum are safer alternatives.

[Chocktaw Brave]

A picture of the hammer cup to show the nipple contact.




So it looks like I should cut down where it’s hitting heavier than where it’s not.

[bluenoser]

It appears contact is at the bottom of the cup and heaviest contact is at the top edge.  A slight clockwise rotation would likely correct that.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Yes, determine where the hammer is striking the nipple and where it is not, and then machine the inside of the cut to make the surface strike flat.  Remember that removing metal from the bottom of the cup will allow the hammer to rotate a little further, and you must be mindful of where the tip of your mainspring rests in relation to the bottom of your lock inlet.  You don't want the mainspring striking the inside of your inlet and knocking out a piece of wood.

Then, replace that nipple.

[RAT]

Another good option is to replace the drum entirely. Don't buy one that's already drilled for the nipple. Make, or buy, a blank drum. Then you can mark it for proper nipple placement to allow the hammer to strike the nipple square.

[Chocktaw Brave]

Well I took the modified drill to the hammer pocket, but that must be hardened because I could not even scratch it with a drill bit. So I found my valve grinding paste and used that. I could probably go a bit further but I wanted to see how it worked.
It was slow going but it did good. Here’s what it looks like now, and I hope to go try it tomorrow.
With a brand new nipple.

[bluenoser]

kinda changing the subject, but something has caught my eye.
I noticed the nipple is seated against the curved side of the drum.  Is that how they are usually set up?  I would think it better to establish a flat area on the drum for the nipple to seat against. An endmill or modified drill bit in the drill press could do that pretty quickly.  If I am not mistaken, doing that now would undo some of what Chocktaw Brave has accpmplished.

[Chocktaw Brave]

I may get ambitious this winter and decide to replace this drum. If I do so I will take that into consideration.
Just finished shooting it seem to do a whole lot better. I’ll know more when I get home and clean it.
I was trying out some different patch/ ball combinations. It did not seem to shoot real accurate with conical bullets.
The pillow ticking shot good but boy was it hard to get the fourth and fifth shots loaded. Of course it was 10° this morning. I’m sure that has a lot to do with it.

[Bsharp]

Have you thought about bending the hammer back?

[Chocktaw Brave]

I’m sure that would require heat, and I’m not sure I want to go there right now. I think I’ll just use it best I can till I finish building my flintlock.

[Pukka Bundook]

I don't know if you got the rifle new or not Chocktaw, but nipples usually look like that when they have been dry fired.

Best,
Rich.