Beck Hinges - More photos added

[keweenaw]

If I've interpreted this correctly you could make the lid and the finial each from a single piece of sheet brass with a lot of careful fitting and filing. The photo is of the lid and hinge section of a George Eister rifle.  Eister wasn't as careful at fitting the hinge sections as was Beck but the stops are clearly filed in with the hinge being integral with the lid, etc.

[Acer Saccharum]

Would ya look at the two barrels for the cover! They were filed to the contour of the underside of the hinge---when the box was open! When you close the cover, the gaps open up.....oops, George!

That is totally awesome. They were human back then, just like we are today. This is one of those things that brings some reality to this pursuit for me. We are not emulating the gods here, just rubbing elbows with people like us.

[JTR]

Nope, those old guys weren't gods, just gunsmiths much like you guys today. Except you guys have better tools.

About the only difference between guns today and an Eister, is that a really good Eister will set you back about 50K. 

John

[Acer Saccharum]

I like the screws on the Eister. It looks like they were all aligned once.

[J. Talbert]

Great discussion!

Tom, thanks for posting the Eister pic.  Believe it or not, when I actually had the chance to handle and photograph an original Eister I had not even picked up on this little feature.
I wish I had.  I would certainly have taken the opportunity to check it out more closely.

Is the concensus that; Eister was doing his pretty much the same as Beck's?  Anybody out there gotten to study any original Eisters.

Thanks
Jeff

[B Shipman]

No. Eister used a reverse hinge. Beck used a usual hinge with the tabs on the bottom and the tab effect filled in. Or a hinge with no tabs filed in at all.

This is not a lot of extra work. When you dress down the sideplates with the lid with a center hinge box , you raise material in the center.

[Acer Saccharum]

Eister used a reverse hinge. Beck used a usual hinge with the tabs on the bottom and the tab effect filled in. Or a hinge with no tabs filed in at all.

Bill, I gotta ask: please explain the difference between a reverse hinge and a usual hinge is.

some hinges have the pin below the surface of the box, some centered, and some the pin appears to be above center.

The Beck hinge center appears to be below the surface of the box, the Eister, the pin center seems above the surface of the door and finial material, making a rather large and heavy appearing barrel.

The Eister barrels go all the way across the finial, and are used to tuck the sideplates under. The Beck hinge barrels stop at the sideplates, the sideplates continue past the hinge barrels and are butted up to the finial.

[J. Talbert]

Thanks Bill!

So by "reverse" hinge, I take that to mean that the hinge is made by actually bending the flap to the outside, and thus the similar appearance to the Beck hinge.

Correct?

Jeff

[Jim Kibler]

The Eister box I've seen off a gun was definetely made by lapping the hinge on the inside of the lid and finial.  Pretty much like the Beck box shown.

[keweenaw]

Jim,

Are you saying a separate hinge soldered onto the lid and finial?

Tom

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I believe we are referring to the process of making the hinge barrel...metal folded to the INSIDE or underside of the patch box, or metal folder to the OUTSIDE or outward surface.  Beck's is clearing INSIDE.  The parallel narrow ridges are very low and appear to me to be filed into the thick brass.  The forward ridge appears to be part of the head - not the lid.  I have to make one.

[Jim Kibler]

Jim,

Are you saying a separate hinge soldered onto the lid and finial?

Tom

Tom,

The Eister box I examined seemed to have the hinge formed out of the same material as the lid and finial.  It didn't seem to be a seperate applied hinge.  The lap portion, which was soldered, was on the inside of the lid and finial.  The ridges on the outside appeared to be simply filed in.