Making a patch box spring nail catch

[mossyhorn]

I'm trying to make my first patch box spring nail catch from a masonary nail. I've fashioned my nail like the one in the tutorial section buy Ken G. dated Jan. 2009 under Banana Patch Box Springs. My nail spring shaft has been filed to 0.095" wide and 0.057" thick. Is this small enough? I've clamped it in the vise and it doesn't seem to have much spring with slight pressure, although it is 1.25" long. I plan to shorten it before use.  The spring has not been tempered yet since I annealed it for filing. I plan to heat to cherry red and temper in motor oil then submerge in small container of oil and light with fire and allow to burn off as directed in the tutorial section. Any and all comments and/or recommendations are very appreciated.
Thanks Mossy

[Dave B]

I have made two of these using that same tutorial and they both worked great. I did make the larger hole a little deeper to get just a little more flex to the spring however. it was about half the length of the shaft for the large hole with the small pilot for the end of the nail to be driven in. I don't recommend shortening your spring any more than 1/4" to 3/8", you'll need to have the length to get the flex needed to open the box. mine is 15/16" from the bottom of the patchbox cavity to the face of the catch and driven 3/8" deep beyond that so the over all length is almost 1 3/8" in total length for the spring catch.

[Hemo]

I've made a number of patchbox springs and catches from steel nails, both for wood and brass patchboxes.  After filing a nice fat steel nail to shape, I've usually heated it to uniform bright cherry red to orange with MAPP gas or acetylene and quenched immediately in plain water or brine. I've never seen a nail break or crack doing this, though an oil quench might be safer. Once verifiably hardened (a file skates over the surface without cutting), I have usually polished the surface bright in order to see the progression of tempering colors, and slowly playing a MAPP or propane torch back and forth along the length of the spring, bring the color to a uniform deep royal blue--no further!--then let cool. In every case, I've been able to produce a good serviceable spring with this technique. I've heard of tempering in a shallow tin of burning oil, but never tried it myself.



Good luck!

Gregg

[mossyhorn]

Thanks for the reply and information. Do you think that the width Slightly less than !/8" and thickness slightly over 1/16" is satisfactory for the shank of the spring nail. I am building the patch box for a Kibler mountain rifle and the stock is not very thick so I will need all the space possible for the latch spring length.

[mossyhorn]

What diameter is the shaft on the spring latch on most nails after filing and before tempering?

[Dennis Glazener]

I have used 20 penny nails for wooden patchbox latch springs and never bothered to harden them. Plenty of "spring" as is and they worked fine. I did forge them out some and maybe they work hardened.
Dennis