Lock polishing contest

[Osprey]

Little late to the contest with other things happening, but here's the plate for my next build. Brass Chambers siler, got it down to 400 and then OOOO steel wool, don't want to go too far until it's inlet.  Dang thing is so shiny it was hard to get a pic of without glare or reflection of the camera.   

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Well this is an old thread, but it's of good fabric, so I'd like to add to it now.

This is a parts set from TRS for the 1776 British rifle.  
It belongs to Tom Elgan, who mailed it to me in September '07.  Yes, I'm just getting finished now, but finished it is.  The lock is notorious for hanging up in the half cock notch, so I cut the tumbler for a fly.  Problem solved once and for all.  Here you go....

[rich pierce]

Show us the innards!

[Artificer]

[quote author=Long John link=topic=2536.msg25793#msg25793
I also want to announce that I have finally gotten me an apprentice!  I think that this will speed up my progress on the many projects that I have, including a commission (Yes! a REAL PAYING CUSTOMER) to build a rifle for a member of my ML club.  So meet my new apprentice, Ollie!

Best Regards,

John Cholin
[/quote]

I like your apprenticeship program.  Hope yours works better than mine.  My 8 1/2 year old Rough Collie female Sassy has spent many of the hours of her life in the shop with me.  We have been joined by two of her now 3 year old "pups" since about the time they were five or six months old.   Sometimes I have to do a major operation to get them away from where I have to stand to file and work, but their company is well worth it. 

[Artificer]

Can we rename this the "I may prefer to extricate every one of my teeth with no anesthesia" contest? 

Eric, I laughed till I almost choked.  GREAT humor. 

Gus

[caliber45]

IMHO, it would appear to me that some of you folks apparently have wa-a-a-a-ayyyy too much time on your hands. Purty stuff, tho . . .

[California Kid]

Since this thread has been revived, here's another one. Stock is the one I just stripped

[Roger Fisher]

Holy Canolies - and you guys actually put those purty thingees in rifle/guns to get all banged up, rusty, fouled.   Must near break your heart to see that happen.  Tell ya what I'll volunteer to keep them safe and clean just ship them in to me

[Don Getz]

Check out the lock on my latest barn gun when you look at it at Dixon's.  Polishing was going along real well until down
toward the final polish, the polishing material I was using caused some unusual scratches, ....apparently the horse was eating oats, and.....................Don

[Daryl]

Taylor will have the lock at Dixon's - looks OK for a neophyte's work and work it does.  I find the easiest way to polish a lock, is to have someone else do it - I'm too lazy and too patience-challenged.  The one and only lock I've polished - needs someone to finish the work.  Hey- Cody offered to do some engraving for me - maybe I could get him to polish a lock or two - instead?
Here's one I polished - all my myself- yeah- it actually needs someone to do it properly.

[Acer Saccharum]

I think Roger Fisher loves to polish locks. We'll see him in a week.

[Roger Fisher]

I think Roger Fisher loves to polish locks. We'll see him in a week.

Like H     he does, and yes you will (God willing)

[frogwalking]

  OK.  Stupid question time.   Why do lock makers, Jim, bead blast the locks?  It seems to me this step only serves to make polishing all more difficult.  I am sure there is a reason, but right now it escapes me.  I have one of  you Virginia fowler locks in a kit I recently bought.  I started to substitute the English lock with the nice bead around the plate, but could not figgure out how to polish it with out ruining the bead. 

[davec2]

Frog,

They bead blast castings to remove all the residual casting investment.  It really doesn't make the surface any harder to polish.  The investment is a ceramic and would play $#*! with your files if you just started in on the castings as they come from the mold.