One way to make a patch box.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

In view of all the interest in making brass patch boxes and especially the hinge, I'm posting this for your entertainment. This is the box I made for my Kuntz rifle, following my reference material verbatim, including using 1/32" thick brass, which I won't do again...too thin and no room for filing (read mistakes.)  Acer has posted a great set of pics to show how the hinge is actually formed, so I'll begin at that point.



You will note that the 1/32" brass is still flat and straight.  there is yet no curve in the hinge.  the 1/62" drill bit is still in the joint, later replaced by 1/16" piano wire.

I placed the full sized photo of the box on the wood to make sure the fit was right.


All the pieces of the box have now been cut, and drilled for their attachment screws and nails.


All the brass has been inlet into the stock wood, and the hinge bent to the curve of the stock.  Brass on the underside of the assembly between the knuckles has to be relieved to allow the bending to take place and to allow the lid to open without binding.  This lid opens straight up to 80 degrees. 
Note:  there are only two knuckles on the lid and three on the head.  The knuckles themselves are nearly flat, but the brass on the outside of them has been bent down to make the whole looked curved.

this is the release mechanism and the kicker spring (hacksaw blade)

[Acer Saccharum]

Oh, that looks so easy. I bet I could do that now! 

Holy Mackerel, Taylor, that is an amazing job you did. I'd be awake all night with bad dreams before starting that job.

Most excellent set of photos.

My wish is to combine the two threads, and any other threads on patchboxes into one thread in the tutorial section.

Wow, I am blown away. Thanks, Taylor.

[VP]

This definitely is a good tutorial. I would hope it gets moved to that section. You did a good job in putting the sequence together for those of us not fully trained. Thanks for the good work.

Van

[California Kid]

Taylor, how did you do the nails for the sideplates? I'll be doing one soon, but with iron nails. The original  I'm going by looks like they have small domed heads.( Hawken in the library). Thanks in advance.

[Dphariss]

Excellent work.
I am keeping copies of the photos

Dan

[AZ Longrifle]

That is not only a fantastic tutorial, but, I've been a Jeweler and Watchmaker for 20+ years and that is as fine a skill work as anything I've ever seen.
Beautiful work! Thank you for sharing it!

[B Shipman]

California, I use small picture hanging nails. I have  drilled in a 1/4 in. piece of steel. I bang the head of the crude nail into it so I have a nice  flat underneath the head, then round off the head.

[Randall Steffy]

That is most impressive work, Taylor. The pictures showing the progression of the project gave me a real thrill, wow. And complementing a nice guy for awesome work is so easy. You should be well pleased. That series will get any builder's creative juices flowing. Thanks.

[Birddog6]

   Wow...................  That is Truly impressive  !!  I couldn't
 even cut that out, let alone engrave it so beautifully.  

Absolutely  Outstanding display of work, I must say.

Keith

[Tom Currie]

The thing that impresses  me is the patience and skill level required to inlet that patchbox. Holy cow. Thanks for showing us your work again.

[rick landes]

WOW! You literally brought that piece of brass to life.
Thank you for sharing it, I shall be moving these pics to my own files

[tbailey]

Great job Taylor, could you please show how you made the patchbox release.
 
JUST OUTSTANDING WORK!!!!

T.BAILEY.

[caliber45]

Wow, Taylor, that's mind-boggling. And the result is mouth-watering. I've been afraid to try a patch box, but -- as mentioned by others -- you sure make it a tempting possibility. Thanks! -- paulallen

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Thanks so much for all your kind words.  I found this particular rifle to be extremely satisfying.  The task was made much easier thanks to help from Tom Curran and Eric Von Auschwege in the research and reference material department.

Regarding the use of the attachment nails:  I used fine escutcheon pins of brass.  I drilled a clearance hole in a piece of mild steel and used a fine countersink to make a forming tool.  Then I reshaped the nail heads from domed to countersunk, nipped the nails off at about 3/8" length and cut barbs into the shanks.  To do this, I ground a pair of side cutters flat across the bottom of the jaws so that when I nipped off the nails, the point was a good chisel shape.  Then I gently put series of nicks into the shafts of the nails with the same tool so that they would grip the predrilled but tight holes in the maple.  Once these puppies are tapped flush, they are not coming out.  I used the same countersink on the patch box pieces as I did on the jig plate.


This is the final sketch I made for the lid release mechanism.  I made quite a few before I settled on this one which was the simplest and most straight forward.  On the original and on my version, there is a circular button that you can see in the photos, at the butt end of the upper side plate.  On the original, it shows up well because the spring that keeps it tight against the side plate has either gone soft or is missing - the button has dropped down a bit revealing the purpose as a release button.  Otherwise it would have looked like a bit of engraving and I would still be at a loss to determine how Kuntz built his release.
The button itself has a flange that prevents the button from coming too high out of the side plate.  The hook release lever looks like an "L" and it is kept in tension against the button's shaft by a thin leaf spring set into the end grain of the stock close to the pivot.   The catch has enough tension to hold the lid closed, but the button does not require huge pressure to cause it to release.
I chose to include the "L" hook right in the box for ease of installation and service.

[t.caster]

Did anyone say EXQUISITE yet?
Awsome shaping, inletting....everything!

[KLMoors]

Holy cow!

[Meteorman]

Good Lord. 
I've only been watching these boards for about 2 years now, and have seen some amazing stuff --  that rates right up there with anything I've seen.

[smylee grouch]

Thanks Taylor, you ansered some of my questions before I could ask. Whould you recomend brass as thick as 40 or 50 thousands thick for the patchbox?  I was wondering if those push pins would work for the pins that you use when you inlet the rascal. Any thoughts?     Gary

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I used brass escutcheon pins but even brass wire could be used.  You would have to grip the wire in a vise and upset the head into a swaging plate, as Bill Shipman has described.
I used 1/32" brass sheet for this project to try to replicate Kuntz work...never again.  I much prefer 1/16" thick stock.

[smylee grouch]

Thanks Taylor,  I think I remember that from a previous discussion. It probably goes without saying that you anneal the brass befor you do the bending and cutting, etc.        Gary

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Absolutely, Gary.  Heat the sheet in the flame of a propane torch 'til it is dull red, and quench it in water at room temperature.  It will now be very soft and take the finest bends.  You may want to repeat the annealing half way through, as bending the brass will harden it again.