Lock inlet

[Jerry V Lape]

I am busy inletting the working parts on the back of a flintlock.  Go to thinking about standards of craftsmanship and wondered about how mine should look once completed.  Anyone go a photo of their inletting they would like to share for my education?  My prior efforts with this aspect were less than pretty.

[Randall Steffy]

A recent thread may be of interest to you
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=537.0

[Jim Kibler]

From a historical perspective, most lock inlets were not pretty.  Even English and European inlets prior to the end of the 18th century were generally fairly coarse from what I have seen.  Eficiency was important and there evidently wasn't an expectation for careful work in an area that wasn't going to be seen.  With that said, it's often a preference to make things a litle neater with contemporary work today. 

[Acer Saccharum]

I make my inlets far neater than most original work. It's just not necessary to go to this level of detail.

[cheyenne]

Beautiful inlet Tom....always like seeing your work...gives me something to strive for.  Jerry something like Tom's is great, but really doubt many of the originals were done to that degree.  I think some of the old masters would have a hard time matching some of today's makers.

 On lock inlets, I've read that Mark Silver, and I think Mark Elliot too, inlets them without taking them apart........having a hard time wrapping my head around how you do this???

[Mark Elliott]

That is real pretty Tom!   I am getting closer to that,   but I am not sure I have to patience to put that much effort into something that isn't seen.    That said,  I know all my inlets are much neater than most of the originals that I have seen.     

[Acer Saccharum]

Thanks for the kind words, fellers, but as you have all said, it's not how original American work was done. I don't know why I do it like that, maybe it's therapy. 

If I was doing this as a business, I'd certainly take less time at it, and it wouldn't be as neat...

[Joe S]

Quote from Jerry Huddelston:
 

"I don't burnish the inside lock mortice. I don't shine the bottom of my shoes ethier."

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=1947.msg19721#msg19721

[Jerry V Lape]

JIm, Thanks for the information about the original lock inlets.  Not owning any I have never had the opportunity to peer inside an original.  What I am familiar with is the highly refined inletting as done on better grades of modern shotguns per the British and Italian schools.  They go so far as to fake in the screw slots at the bottom of screw recesses.  (They make a special stamp to mark these.)

 Acer's photo is very helpful too as it shows me a quality job and a visual reference on what work I have to do.  I am probably doing this the hard way having inlet the bridle first then cut down the intervening wood to accommodate the sear and tumbler  - but it is working and my labor costs are very low as I am only worth about 5 cents an hour when it comes to building flintlocks.  I did cut down the lock panel surface to just a little over the finished depth before inletting the lockplate and bolster.  Cannot imagine doing this inlet with more than a 1/16" of excess wood still on the stock.

[Jim Kibler]

Here's how I like to inlet a lock:

Cut lock panel wood to finish size or just a very little bit over.
Inlet bolster to full depth
Inlet plate
Develop outline of internals.  Note that most all parts are at the same level with the exception of the bridle and sear hole
Cut this entire profile out (mainspring, tumbler, bridle, sear, sear spring)
Mark outline of bridle and cut to finish depth
Cut screw holes etc.

The point of this is to not bother cutting an inlet for each part at a time.  That is a waste of time in my view.  Draw the entire perimeter of the inlet for the internals and cut this in one operation.  You'll have more room to work with this method and won't be cutting outlines that will be later be cut away.

This perimeter can pretty easily be drawn by marking the hole locations through the plate and then placing internals on the inlet and marking their shape or the area they will take up.

Hope this makes sense.

[Jerry V Lape]

Jim, it makes perfect sense to me having done it the piece at a time at least once.  I think I spent 4 hours just sinking the bridle to the bottom  before laying out the tumble, sear, sear spring cuts.  Next time I think I can use your order having invested in understanding it all this time.  The size of the little Ditchburn lock seems to make things some harder as there isn't quite the room to maneuver chisels down in the little channels as easily as a Chambers Golden Age I used before. 

[cheyenne]

Clear as mud Jim! No actually, I think I have an idea how it's done and might give it a try.

[Acer Saccharum]

I forgot, I was gonna make up a tutorial about piece by piece lock inletting...I forgot until now. Here it is: http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=23601.0