I'm planning on re-contouring the front sight and hammer on a beat-up Model 26 I have on the way and am shopping for metal checking files. How many lines per inch are used to serrate front sight blades and checker hammers. I was thinking 20 LPI for the hammer and 50 for the sight.

BROWNELLS METAL CHECKERING FILES | Brownells

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low speed, high drag

Count the lines in a 1/4" of the checkering and front sight serrations and multiply by 4. That'll give you LPI.

The front sight and barrel rib are 40 LPI if I recall correctly.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

The front sights are 40 lpi. About the hammer......considering the fun I've had chamfering the edges of hammer spurs, I expect you're gonna have issues trying to checker the spur. Unless, of course, you get down through the case hardening.

Thanks for the LPI info and for the warning. It's got me a little worried.

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low speed, high drag

What's got you worried, the case hardening on the hammer?

Case hardening is only .003" thick.

If you grind off the hammer checkering and start over with a checkering file, you'll be well past the the hardened layer. And the checkering doesn't need to be hardened, it's only important on the other end of the hammer.

Or pick up a thin wedge shaped stone that fits the checkering lines. Stone thru the .003" layer of surface metal and then use the checkering file like normal.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I'm planning to semi-bob the hammer, cutting off the checkered part and then checker the part just in 'front' of that, which is currently smooth (and hardened).

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low speed, high drag

Just use a Dremel tool with with a medium grit polishing wheel and polish off the hardened surface. When the checkering file 'bites' into the metal, you'll know you're thru the thin hardened layer.

You can also just polish off the hardened layer by hand with 400 grit paper. Use an eraser as a sanding block and it will help maintain the curved surface of the top of the hammer. Or mount the hammer in a padded vise and use a 1/2" strip of emery cloth like a shoe shine rag.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Thanks, Hondo. I'll do that.

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low speed, high drag

I don't know what the profile of the hammer is, but I wouldn't remove too much of the hammer spur. You do want some leverage if you have a condition that requires you to cock the revolver to rotate the cylinder.