catch for a wooden sliden patch box

[yip]

    after pull'n most of my hair out, on makin butt cap for a wooden sliding patch box lid, i can now pull the rest out now on a catch fer the *&$@#* thing. hard to figure this out, when i made several others before. i guess old age and hip surgery, grand kids hollering and things fall'n on the floor that ya constantly pick up or lay down on the bench, than your hair falls in your eyes, and smash a finger. DARN, i just love building black powder rifles. if any of you fellers have ideas on catchs it please pass it along, something different please.

[Long John]

I make these out of the 1/8 x 1/2 inch mild steel that I by at my local hardware store.  I cut a piece that roughly the shape of a capital T with a 2.5 inch verticle part and a 1/2 inch long top part that is also about 1/4 inch wide.  Heat it red-hot and bend over the top so it is at an acute angle to long part.  The angle should match the angle that the butt plate makes with the side of the stock.  Keep in mind that the angled part of the latch goes along the butt end of the BP lid, NOT the butt plate - that is why it is an acute angle, bent more than 90 degrees.  Now I just file it to the shape I want.  Put a hole through it for a small attachment screw.  I hammer harden the long part to make it a littl more springy.  It doesn't bend much.

When I get back home I'll add a photo to this string.

JMC

[yip]

   thanks long john; sounds great, but a pictures worth a hundred bucks. please send pics  thanks     yip