Hawken style tang bending, methods

[PPatch]

Gentlemen, salutations;

Those cast Hawken tangs, what are your methods of bending them straight and plumb in preparation to inletting them? How forceful in bending, hammering, them can you be before you break them? Any tips or insight on the subject is appreciated.

dave

[Herb]

Though this is bending a Hawken trigger plate, I use the same method for bending the tang.  Notice that I have the pins in the trigger plate so it doesn't crack at the pin holes.  I think you could put the tang in a vise and twist it with a wrench to straighten it.  If there is a hump in your tang, that probably would require red heat to flatten out.  If you can, just file it flush. 

[David Rase]

Though this is bending a Hawken trigger plate, I use the same method for bending the tang.  Notice that I have the pins in the trigger plate so it doesn't crack at the pin holes.  I think you could put the tang in a vise and twist it with a wrench to straighten it.  If there is a hump in your tang, that probably would require red heat to flatten out.  If you can, just file it flush. 

Herb,
Perfect timing with the picture of you bending your Hawken trigger plate.  I have one I will be bending this weekend.  Normally I just leave the pins in like you mentioned, put it in the vise and bend it by hand and with a wooden mallet.  I repeat this process changing the position of the trigger plate in the vise until I get the curve I need.
David. 

[PPatch]

Thank you Herb. Love those Hawkens you build.

dave

[Herb]

When I built my .58 flint plains rifle, I needed a flint plug and tang for a 1 1/8" breech.  I could not find one and did not want to use a flint hooked breech.  I finally used a flint 1 1/8" fowler hooked breech, but this has a tang shorter than a Hawken, which I was copying.  So I had a friend weld a piece of a Hawken tang I cut off onto the end of the fowler tang.  It is shown in the photo here.  You can see the notch in the side about two inches from the back where the joint is.  I had to keep that outside the vise so it didn't crack off.  The hump was too high and I had an awful time flattening it.  I should have heated it red but I think I cold bent it as shown.