33 lb hammers

Some 33 lb hammers take a while to warm up. In my opinion this is because the piston rings are tight in the ram bore, and the ram does not have enough mass / inertia to overcome this friction until the hammer is hot and 'loosened up'. I modify the piston rings on a belt linisher to change the external profile. I leave a 'land' in the middle that is still flat & thus proves the pneumatic seal required. If you are going to do this do it 'little by little' untill the hammer feels right. There is a knack to removing the piston rings. I forge the ends of a few nails flat on the anvil and use them as little 'tire levers'! - its still easy to stab a screwdriver through your hand removing them (yup, ive done it) so be careful! - hopefully the sketch below makes this clearer.