lock molding

[billd]

Kind of hard to describe but here goes.    How do you finish the lock molding behind the hammer and frzzen?  The chamfer, or bevel, on the lock plate ends at these places.  I trim the molding to the same heigth as the bevel. Does the molding get higher?

I tried to find a picture off this but to really show it you would have to take a picture of a finished gun with the ffizzen removed.  Maybe a top view with the hammer cocked and the frizzen down would show it too.

I talking about a late ketland I'm working on right now.

Thanks,
Bill

[George F.]

Bill, What I do is use a gouge and scoop out the part from the tang, to the top of the lock moulding, which is on the diagonal barrel flat line (Side Plate side). On the lock side I scoop it out to the top of the fence, that is how deep I go, as for how far back I go, it's like 1/4" ...I hope ya follow what I'm saying...Geo.

[Acer Saccharum]

I've beveled the panel in toward the barrel, as seen in this view. Then you don't have the notch cut in the wood behind the cock. This is a Continental practice, can't speak for English.

[billd]

Tom,   
Thanks for the picture.  I'm not concerned about the panel between the plate and the tang as George described.  In your picture looking straight down I see what I'm looking for. The flat edge of the lock plate from the pan to the hammer is exposed above the wood. That's what I was asking about. I was thinking about filing a bevel there to match the rest of the plate.

What about the area from the front of the pan to where the bevel starts on the lock plate? Same way?

Thanks,
Bill

[Dave B]

Bil,
The Lock panel is what you are referring to. It should be perfectly flat regardless of what the edge of the lock plate is doing, be it beveled or squared. All of the original I have seen have flat lock panels. The area forward of the frizzen is all apart of the lock panel and would be the same thickness as the portion behind the cock and pan.  THe width of this area is variable as you can see in pictures of originals but when you pick them up you will see they will all ways be flat across the face of the panel.

[Jim Filipski]

Bill I wouldn't file a bevel on the plate there because in most cases that is the secondary point for the cock to bottom out ( the other being on the inside of the bridle. If you look at the lock with the cock down you will see that it rest on this flat ledge or very cole to resting there
Jim

[Benedict]

I always thought that the IDEAL was that the cock bottom out on the plate and the bridle at the same time.  Failing that, the plate was the primary point for the cock to bottom out on.  At any rate the molding must be cut out for that to happen, whether it is a notch or a bevel(as Acer has shown us).

Bruce

[Jim Filipski]

Bill I thought you were describing the lock plate at the point between the pan & cock : maybe I confused this with the wood in that area
Jim

[billd]

Thanks for the replies. 

Tom, The picture tells the whole story, thanks.

Jim,   I know about the hammer stopping on the lock plate. I was just trying to dress it up a little.   If the lock molding is flat and parallel to the barrel flats the ugly part of the plate between the pan & cock is exposed as a square corner where the rest of the plate has a bevel around it.  I guess I'm just trying to fix what's not broke.

Thanks,
Bill