Seized seatpost bolt on a 1998 Trek, hammer trick vs heat debate

So I got this old Trek in last Tuesday, seatpost clamp bolt was rusted solid, not even a hint of movement. I tried penetrating oil overnight, then a breaker bar, then a cheater pipe, nothing budged. A guy at the shop swore by hitting the bolt head with a hammer and punch to shock the threads loose, another guy said no way, just apply heat with a propane torch for 30 seconds. I went with the hammer first, it actually cracked the rust free after about 15 taps, then the bolt turned easy. But now I'm second guessing if heat would've been safer for the frame or if my luck was just good. Has anyone else had a seized bolt where the shock method worked but you still wonder if heat was the proper call for the metal? What do you use when a bolt is totally stuck on an older steel frame?

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