If I had a hammer . . .

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:57 pm

All--

I am not exactly a newbie on this board, but I am a newbie on this forum. I am both a wannabe machinist and a wannabe gunsmith. I am too old to ever be either. (And a wannabe some other stuff, as well.)

My great, great, great grandfather Mr. Van Sandt (first name lost in the mists of time) gave a double barrel, smoothbore, flintlock that had been converted to a percussion gun some time in the 1850s to his 14 year-old son, my great, great grandfather (also called Mr. Van Sandt for the same reason). However, upon the giving, his statement was verbally recorded: "Here Boy, protect the property" and off triple-great went to the Civil War. It is not known if he returned. (Probably not; we are Southerners; as you may have heard, it didn't turn out well for us.) Anyway, the gun is approaching two centuries old.

Some years later (a LOT of them), upon the demise of my great grandmother (same line, but I skipped a generation in this narration), my father attended her funeral about 60 miles from his home in Louisiana. While at the funeral--well, after it was over when folks gathered at my double great's house--double-great gave the now-percussion smoothbore to my dad and related all the above.

When Dad turned 90 two years ago, he gave the gun to me. There were no locks, hammers, or ramrod. The nipples were there, but totally ruined. The rust even made me want to cry and I didn't know anything about antique guns, although I am an avid shooter.

I have spent the last two years, off and on, reading, researching, and finally working on the gun. I built both locks using modified L&R back action internals. The L&R lock plates were far too short. I built my own. I took the rust off EVERYTHING and found beautiful scrollwork, much to my surprise. (This was a gun that should have been in the trash can a century ago.)

Yesterday, I went to work on the right hammer at 10:00am and finished at 4:00pm. I had already built the left hammer, which was, coincidentally, the first hammer I had ever built. (And, I will scrap it, the right hammer is far better and I will copy it to make the left hammer; practice makes perfect, or at least better.)

I do not have any "real" machine tools. (I told you I was a "wannabe.") I built the hammer using a six inch grinder and some files. (A mill is DEFINITELY in my future!)

Here it is . . .

It works perfectly and they are actually easy to build once you learn there is only ONE measurement that makes much difference. The rest is artwork. (It "cocks" very well; feels good.)

I would appreciate any comments for improvements or better technique or just anything.

--Bill

pockets · Post by **pockets** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 4:58 pm

Bill,
Don't disparage the "Dutch Mill". Learning to use and expanding your collection of, files is a worthy exercise. There are a lot of, so called, machinists out there who don't know a double cut mill from a lead rasp.

Draw filing, alone, is worth the time it takes to master.

Greg B.

kurt · Post by **kurt** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:20 pm

Looks darn good to me. Remember when it was built a file was all they had. No bench grinder.

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:46 pm

kurt and pockets--

Thanks for the compliments. When I started this project, I barely knew what a "grit" was!

I have learned quite a bit, especially about old guns. In fact, I did my first trigger job and didn't even know I had done one! I have also learned about the controversy surrounding the restoration of antique firearms. The extremists on both sides are, of course, wrong. But, we need them so we can live and work in the middle.

However, I think I have discovered a THIRD class, one different from both the ultra-conservatives that demand that nothing be done to a piece of history due to the danger of re-writing history and the fast-buck crowd (few?) that will do anything to an antique to make a dollar.

My Dad gave me this gun. Today, I am 57 and he is 92. When he gave me the gun a couple of years ago he asked me if I could make it look like it might have looked when it was new, or at least fairly new and functional. I told him I would, not knowing about the "controversy."

I talked back and forth with experts around the country that simply did not want to do anything radical to the gun--like make the locks, hammers, etc--because that would be changing history. I saw their point, but I had also made that promise.

So, I pondered it a bit. Soon, I realized that this was MY gun. This gun can be traced directly from me to my triple great grandfather. It is REALLY mine. Therefore, I should be able to do ANYTHING I want to it as long as I document it and my intentions are to keep the piece in the family. (I have already told my 22 year-old baby son that it is his when I croak . . . along with all my other guns.)

So, maybe there is a THIRD category. One in which I fall. I am sure the number of folks that do fall in it are few, but they should be able to restore--or not--their family firearms as they wish.

Maybe I am wrong, too.

In any case, if you have read this far, I have a question. I am a little worried about the tiny scratches I can see in the hammer and the other one I will build next weekend that are sure to be there. These are VERY tiny scratches put in nice, shiny steel by 400 to 600 grit sandpaper and a few stupid slips of a tiny tool. When I brown the hammers, will the browning process fill in those scratches, making them invisible?

Thanks for any wisdom you have time to impart, on the scratches or anything else.

--Bill
ps Hmmm. Just typing this makes me think that if they need to come out I could take them out with 600 grit and some cutting fluid.

pockets · Post by **pockets** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 7:39 pm

Bill,
I can sympathise with your concern about scratches. I am an advocate of getting the metal as smooth as possible before any plating or coating processes are attempted.

I'm not sure where you live, but if it's a metropolitan area, there will be bodyshop supply houses around. You just stopped too soon, at 600 grit. Go to one of these supply houses and get some 800, 1000 and1200 grit wet or dry. Use it with a light (3 in 1) oil. For the sides, lay the paper on a piece of glass (or surface plate, if you are so blessed) and dribble on some oil. Lay your workpiece in the oil and with moderate finger pressure, move the part in a figure-eight pattern. Keep at it until all of the scratches remaining are from the grit you are using. Then move up. I have gone as far as 2000 grit.

Yes, it's slow. It also works.

Hope I helped,
Greg B.

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 7:58 pm

pockets--

Sir, I have been in the higher education business for THREE DECADES and you just did what the highest of my caliber strive: Educate!

Thank you.

I live in Kansas City, Kansas; The Land Of Oz.

--Bill

Barlow L · Post by **Barlow L** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:41 am

Bill,

Screw the "purest". You are not changing the history of that firearm, you are continuing it.
Family heirlooms are priceless. Someday, you'll be the Great Great Great Grandfather that saved this heirloom from demise.

Please post a photo of the rifle.

Lee

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:16 pm

Lee--

Here it is with the WOODEN hammers I built some time ago as models for the real hammers which I had no clue how to build. Of course, that is Dad. (At this point, I had not silver soldered the barrels back together, thus the duct tape!) . . .

And the pretty young lady serving as a barrel brace is my charming wife . . .

One more picture: See the wooden hammers? They sure helped me build the real thing . . .

In the picture above, there is still a bit of rust; you can best see it on the tang. Today, everything is spotless. I will brown one of my cast-off hammers to learn the process. One of the things I want to test is what happens when I brown part of it then come back later and brown some more.

--Bill

pockets · Post by **pockets** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:12 pm

Bill, check your PM's, at the top of the page.

Greg B.

Al_Messer · Post by **Al_Messer** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:59 pm

Bill, you are to be congratulated on a job well done. Restoration of antique firearms is quite an art and you have done well.

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:59 pm

pockets--

Thanks for telling me where the PM is . . . check yours.

--Bill

seal killer · Post by **seal killer** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 3:02 pm

Al--

Thank you, Kind Sir!

When I finish the old piece, it is my hope that my great, great, great, grandfather could pick it up and say, "Gee. I don't remember putting those hammers on it."

--Bill