Those little flies, and lock disassembly #*&%$#!

[Bill of the 45th]

Ok, so I have four locks I'm disassembling to polish.  Three I'm sending to Jerry Rice for engraving. (I haven't the guts to learn this skill set.  My four year old Granddaughter can do better.)  Any how, one chambers English round face, one brass plate M&G by Larry Zorn, and two L&R's.  Chamber comes apart beautifully, fly stays with the tumbler, and I put it on the two sided tape in the box.  Second the M&G small germanic for a Lehigh build, also no problem.  First L&R, Bailes.  while driving out the tumbler the fly goes flying (Pun intended unfortunately), and I can't get the frizzen screw loose.  It's setting in a dish with PB blaster.  Second L&R, a Late English,  one of the Tumbler bridle screws won't come free, and frizzen screw won't budge, so more PB.  Fortunately Track has the flies in stock, six bucks to ship a $2.50 part.  So my question is does anyone got a slap your forehead trick for not dropping the fly, like a watchmakers catch tray.  I used to have one of those magnetic rubber signs about 10 by 12 that I put under my work, but quickly found out how quick a fly can be magnetized.  I heard the fly hit the bench, but that's the last I knew it's whereabouts.  Just had to vent.

Bill

[David Rase]

Bill, 
About the only thing you can do, and I hesitate tomention this for fear of getting laughed off of the sight is to sweep the shop floor and clean the workbench first.

I bought some magnetic dishes from Harbor Freight about a year ago.  They were cheap, about $2.95 each.  Doesn't help with disassembly but works good to store the parts in once the lock is disassembled. 

Losing flys is just one of those little joys of building muzzleloading rifles.
DMR

[smylee grouch]

I have lost a few but not since I made a lock disasembly block, if fly is on lock plate side it falls into the mortice in the block when I drive tumbler off the cock.

[bgf]

Cheap trick was to put plastic bag under vise jaws when taking out tumbler -- saved me a new fly, although I had to email L&R to make sure I got it back in right because I didn't have the opportunity to "check orientation of fly" before it came out!

[FRJ]

One way I found to retrieve those pesky ferous parts is with a large magnet swept back and forth on the suspected floor. Frank

[PIKELAKE]

When I tear down a lock, I lay an old white towel on my bench. You can see all the parts, they won't bounce, and the knapp will normally catch all those parts that go flying(no pun intended).

[Acer Saccharum]

Keep a piece of dog poo under your bench. All the flies will be hangin out there.

[Roger Fisher]

Keep a piece of dog poo under your bench. All the flies will be hangin out there.

Dosen't have to be 'dog' any kind should work

[Dphariss]

I came to the conclusion that there was a gremlin hiding under my bench while I worked at Shiloh.
He had little or no interest in standard Shiloh parts. Afterall there were bins full of screws and such.
But drop a polished screw or a non-Shiloh part and it would often either disappear completely on a pretty clean floor or be found 15-20 ft away under another bench.
In my shop the only thing that really gets way is flys.
I have honey comb rubber pads on the floor around the mill and lathe and they will trap small parts most of the time.
In the stocking room I have foam rubber pads. These cause high bounces and parts end up in the darnedest places. But Costco stopped carrying the honeycomb stuff after I bought two.


A magnet on a stick can sometimes locate parts that are hard to see but sometimes this is futile as well. I wonder if the Gremlin has a secret trapdoor in the floor?
Someday I will likely find a stash of flies in some corner under the bench.

Dan

[Blacksmoke]

Gremlins are a gumaker's worst nightmare!  Those little @#$%^&#^ have carried away more small parts from my bench than you can shake a stick at!!??     Now I have small boxes with lids that latch where I hide the lock parts while I am working on a particular lock.     Hugh Toenjes

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Keep a piece of dog poo under your bench. All the flies will be hangin out there.

Now was that nice?    

My Golden was insulted......

[Bill of the 45th]

The good news is that I have a Lab, and an English Setter that can leave poo to attract flies  The better news is that the PB blaster worked and I got the three stuck screws out of the L&R locks, and was able to send them off to Jerry Rice for his fine scratching.  Still haven't found the fly, but Track delivered two, so hopefully in a couple weeks I can show off Jerry's fine engraving on a finished .32 cal. squirrel rifle.

Bill

[blunderbuss]

One way I found to retrieve those pesky ferous parts is with a large magnet swept back and forth on the suspected floor. Frank

that magnet would look like a fuzz ball when I quit. Generally if I drop one I just start making another it's quicker. You do know that some of them dissapear on the way to the floor don't you?

[Waksupi]

I made a delrin dis-assembly block, that covers my 1911's, Model 70 Winchester, and locks. I set this in a fairly large and shallow tupperware container. Never lost a fly doing this. In fact, I do all lock tear downs over this container.
My shop isn't very clean all the time.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Learning to compensate is a sign of maturity.........or senility........IIRC.....

[Mike T]

I like to use used tuna or sardine cans (washed and dried) for small parts on the bench.  Cheap, nonmagnetic and stackable.  Works for me.  Mike T

[Waksupi]

Learning to compensate is a sign of maturity.........or senility........IIRC.....

I'm fairly certain it is the later!