Cascabel

To do it right, a few things are sort of specialized. Spring vise, well fitting screwdrivers, a way to grind and polish properly, a proper heat source, a decent vise, place to work, etc. Not really something I want to undertake outside of my shop with all the proper equipment close at hand. Most good gunsmithing is outside of the realm of "field repairs". "Making do" is not something I'm comfortable with. >>>> Cascabel

If you're talking about an actual live gunsmithing demonstration, it wouldn't really be practical without my own equipment. I could easily do a presentation on this and other practical gunsmithing tips, but it remains to be seen what the scheduling will be like. I will of course be available for anyone at any time to answer questions about this or other issues. >>>> Cascabel

Now THAT was funny !!!! Ya done good, Shipmate.... >>>> Cascabel

A word about hardening of parts is apparently in order at this point..... "Case Hardening" is the process of creating a thin skin of hardened surface on an otherwise soft steel part. The purpose is to create a wear resistant surface on many gun parts, for instance, the tumbler and sear. It also makes for a frizzen surface hard enough to create sparks when struck by the flint. The hard surface only goes a few thousandths of an inch into the metal, and therefore eventually wears through. Being that the hardness is only on the surface, the part will not be brittle and shatter when stuck. A case hardened part will not need to have the hardness reduced by "drawing" the temper. Case hardening is most easily done using Kasenit (but that is not the only method). Motor oil alone will not do it for you !!! "Through Hardening" is another matter entirely. Many times, the parts in reproduction guns are made of heat treatable steel, and can be hardened (or re-hardened) without the use of a case hardening compound. The hardness goes all the way through, rather than just the surface. There is really no easy way to tell what kind of steel your parts are made of, other than to attempt the heating and quenching process without case hardening compound first, and checking the results with a file. This is a quick and simple "no-brainer". If it turns out that you are dealing with a heat treatable steel, then you will need to "draw" some of the hardness to prevent brittleness and breakage of the part. If heating and quenching have no or very little effect, then go ahead and do the case hardening. If the frizzen had been originally case hardened, there may be enough extra carbon left in the surface after dressing the gouges out to re-harden it, but it is likely to have soft areas, so just re-do the case hardening job. >>>>> Cascabel

The life span is such that it will probably outlive the owner !!! You only need to give it attention if it quits sparking reliably. Eventually, the face will need to be "dressed" to get rid of the wear, and possibly be re-hardened. >>>> Cascabel

Indeed, you can check it with a file. You need to bear down hard with the file for a reliable test. If the file refuses to bite into the metal and just skids across it, then your frizzen is properly hard. If it bites into the metal at all, it is too soft. If you determine that the frizzen is hard enough, then you need to look elsewhere for your ignition problems. The India made guns are subject to a whole host of issues. Sometimes you get a good one, sometimes not. For instance, very often the frizzen spring is way too stiff. This can cause gouges in the frizzen surface, shorten flint life, and prevent reliable sparking. >>>> Cascabel

Before you drill, you need to check to see if the breech plug is seated overly deep in the barrel. You don't want to be drilling into the plug. The hole wants to wind up just forward of the face of the breech plug. Plug depth is sometimes variable with these India-made guns !! The hole sould be about 1/16" in diameter. It should be centered in relation to the pan, and a little above the bottom of the pan, about even with the top edge. It should not be so high as to not be covered by the frizzen when it is closed. >>>>> Cascabel

Well...... Think Victorian technology, steam powered everything, primitive electrical stuff, lots of brass, polished wood, Victorian era clothing styles, mad scientist stuff, even time travel...... Let your imagination and creativity run wild !! >>>> Cascabel

Local laws vary considerably about black powder (and many other things). Keep in mind that sometimes asking the authorities can open quite a can of worms, and possibly put you in the "spotlight". .......... Properly warned, sez I. >>>> Cascabel

It is spelled Pyrodex. It is absolutely NOT black powder !!! Pyrodex is a black powder substitute, and performs very poorly in flintlocks, if you can get it to ignite at all. It can be made to work (sort of) by using a small "booster" load of real black powder to get it going. Very much more trouble than it's worth. Real black powder is also considerably cheaper !!! Pyrodex can be satisfactorily used in percussion cap weapons, however. The reason that you see Pyrodex commonly, is that it comes under an entirely different set of regulations regarding transportation, storage, and sales. It is classed as a "flammable solid", same as modern smokeless powder, and requires no special license for a store to stock it. Real black powder is classified as an explosive, and the regulations are much more trouble for a dealer to comply with, and that is why you don't see it everywhere. Before the advent of nitrate type explosives such as dynamite, black powder was the only choice available, including for blasting in mining operations. There are a few other black powder substitutes available, such as Shure Shot, Clean Shot, and maybe a few more, but none of them are REAL black powder, and none will work well in a flintlock. There are not many brands of real black powder available. The most popular are GOEX, and Elephant. It really makes no difference for our purposes of blank firing which brand you choose, as long as it is REAL black powder. The formula and manufacturing process is essentially the same. >>>> Cascabel

Try corn ??? Yes indeed, I've tried corn, and I like it. With butter and salt !!

PETEE!! About time you dragged your sorry carcass back here! How've you been?? Indeed, Suh !!! Where in 'ell have ye been Lad ?? >>>> Cascabel

Holy Crap !!!!! That is absolutely freakin' ridiculous !!! I hardly think that the general public equates the current situation with old-time swashbucklers like us.... >>>> Cascabel

As a matter of curiosity, is there a purpose or a reason for the slanted sides ? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through on a simple utilitarian item when a straight sided box would do nicely for an ordinary working man..... >>>> Cascabel

Very sorry to hear that you are leaving. I enjoyed working with you, and I wish you all the best. Fair winds to ye !!! >>>> Cascabel

Blank springs can be had from Dixie Gun Works, and other suppliers of black powder gun parts. You can also get strips of spring steel in various thicknesses to make springs from scratch. The blanks come in several sizes, and are already formed to the basic shape. The anchor area is left oversize, so that the anchor pin can be located according to the location of the hole in the lockplate. They need quite a bit of work to complete the fitting operation, including possibly thinning down as required. Sometimes it's easier to make one from scratch, but if one of the blank springs comes close to what you need, they can be a time saver. In any event, you will need to do the heat treating after getting it to fit properly. The job is not very suited to the inexperienced. Properly warned, sez I...... >>>> Cascabel

I just watched another good one last night..... "Island at the Top of The World". Really great steampunk-looking airship in it, and a pretty neat story line. >>>> Cascabel

I took a look at a friends percussion yesterday and what I could see was simple using a coil spring. I found this which looks like whatim looking for, however it has a flat spring. Which would you use? It depends on what you want, as the spring would not be visible in the assembled weapon. A flat spring is what the old originals used. Coil springs are a modern innovation, and were never used in the old days. >>>> Cascabel

The mechanism is incredibly simple, but you may not be able to find diagrams. It is very similar to the way a single action revolver works, without, of course the cylinder rotating and locking parts. You should be able to find diagrams for that. The way it's made is that the half-cock and full-cock notches are cut directly into the bottom curve of the cock (hammer), much like the notches in a flintlock tumbler, and the top of the trigger itself is made to directly engage the notches without any other parts involved, like a separate sear. The mainspring usually bears on a rearward extension of the cock, and pushes upwards on it. I hope that explains it somewhat. Again, take a look at single action revolver diagrams while reading this explanation. Lots of info out there on Colt single actions, so you should find a diagram. >>>> Cascabel

My gawd Suh !!! I think your wife has been unfaithful !!! He bears an incredible resemblance to Winston Churchill !! Just look at the lad..... round face, scowl, balding head, etc. Well done, sez I !!! >>>>> Cascabel

If I read this correctly this would mean if you have say a flintlock with a frizzen that isnt hard enough you obvioulsy can't fire it but then you also can't even wear it as a non-operational gun as part of a costume? If it happened to be me in charge of black powder safety, I would consider such a weapon as non-functional, and tell you to go ahead and wear it as a costume item. That is most certainly not a safety issue. I would hope that anyone in charge of safety is sufficiently knowlegeable to distinguish between a safety issue as opposed to a reliability issue. In such a case, I would NOT allow you to load and attempt to fire such a piece, as you could wind up with a loaded gun that you could not easily render safe by firing the load. (a good reason to not use wadding !!) >>>> Cascabel

O.K., lads !!! Now we know the correct date...... Is the location secret ?? Complete info on this stuff is helpful. >>>> Cascabel

From what movie comes that picture? Are you sure you're not asking for documentation of a fantasy piece? Not that I can offer any historical documentation for this, but I suppose a stock could be made for a swivel gun; I suppose the 4 bore elephant gun had to start somewhere... The pictures are from 'Cutthroat Island'. A great many of the props in that movie are non-functional items. Most were for sale a few years ago, and I had a chance to look them over. Many of the "firing" effects were simulated. You can't always rely on what you see in movies.....

Just a thought........ Do you suppose it's nothing more mysterious than poor spelling on the part of the person that made the log book entry, and he meant "caulker" ? Further reading of the log may reveal other "unusual" spelling variations. There seems to be lots of spelling variations in some of the old writings, which can cause confusion among modern readers that are used to "standard" spellings of words. >>>>> Cascabel

Well...... since you asked. I was the neighborhood "mad scientist" when I was a kid. I had one of those six-inch thick library edition dictionarys for my recreational reading. I looked up "gunpowder", and got the formula from there. (remember, this was in the early 1950's, before there was such a thing as the internet with easily available info). I did a bit more reading in encyclopedias at the library, and found a lot about proper procedures, like finely grinding your ingredients, and properly blending with a bit of dampness, and then drying and screening the results. Mine worked quite nicely, to the point of the local law enforcement types scouring the town looking for the perpetrator of random explosions. Mostly harmless, but attention getting. Anyhow, soon all the drug stores in town were told by the police to NOT sell certain chemicals to young boys, even if they had a note from their mothers !! They never did find out who was at fault, but that effectively put a stop to things. Other kids that I was acquainted with tried it with less spectacular results, being that they just mixed the ingredients dry. Their experiments worked, but not really well. I don't remember anyone getting hurt beyond singed eyebrows from being too close to the action. Most home made powder that I was aware of back then (other than mine) was rather weak in performance. I remember hearing of kids getting badly injured from experimenting with home made bombs occasionally, but this was usually reported as being pipe bombs using a whole lot of match heads as the explosive. Most of the newspaper reports at the time stated that the explosions occurred during assembly. I do remember reading somewhere about buildings at powder mills being lightly constructed to keep damage to a minimum in case of accident. >>>> Cascabel