Turning a Small Siler Lock Into an English Lock

[smart dog]

Hi,
I am building a small English fowler for a petite woman and needed a small flintlock.  The gun will represent a good quality fowler from 1760-1770.  I wanted a nice small flat-faced English lock made just prior to the time when roller bearings, water proof pans, and stirrup mounted tumblers became the fashion.  I thought the small Siler had enough extra metal to work with so I modified one. It took a little welding, chiseling, filing, and shaping but the result looks OK.  I need to clean up details, tune it, polish it, and engrave it but I am ready to inlet it and will stop working on it for now.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.

dave

A small Siler:


Modified Siler:

[jerrywh]

 The molded edge on the hammer needs to be on the plate also.

[Curtis]

Looking quite good so far Dave!  I would second Jerry's comment, however I am most curious about where you had to do some welding?  You did well and it does not show...  I only ask for my own educational purposes.  I would love to see more photos as you progress!

Curtis

[Tom Cooper]

I'm not Dave,

 but it looks to me like the welding was done to build up the tail of the lock to allow for a more rounded profile.

then again its late.


Thanks for the pictures , will file that away for later.

[smart dog]

Hi Thanks for looking,
Jerry, I am thinking about it.  In some spots there is not much room to play with before hitting screw holes. It has to be a very fine border molding and you only have one shot at it because there is no room for corrections.  The welding is around the pan bridle to add metal allowing a nice round end surrounding the end of the frizzen screw.  Then there is weld pooled to fill the depression on the top of the pan to give the top a convex shape rather than concave.  Another place I may add metal is behind the top of the flint cock to add thickness that can be rounded off.

dave 

[Tom Cooper]

It was late

[P.W.Berkuta]

Dave -- your hammer border and re-shaping of the hammer is wonderful such fine detail as is the rest of the lock . Be sure to post pictures of the completed gun.

[jerrywh]

smart dog.
   It would be impossible with that hammer to do the plate the same way. It would make the plate look way too small. On the English locks the sear spring  screw was way more forward and almost under the hammer. Their sears springs were a lot longer. Other wise you could make a dead end hole for the sear spring that would not show on the outside.

[Marcruger]

I appreciate your work on the pan. 

[Elnathan]

That pan bridle is very well done, and it caught my eye right away as I rather dislike the stock version.

[Ed Wenger]

Good work, Dave!  Hope you can post some more photos of the progress.


       Ed