tightening a bridle hole UPDATE_PHOTO

[Mike Brooks]

How many guns do you see here with L&R locks?......Just sayin'....

[Bob Roller]

How many guns do you see here with L&R locks?......Just sayin'....

How many have my locks? Seldom seen.

Bob Roller

[Robby]

I have one of your locks Bob, and I see it every day!
Maybe its the jigs they use for fitting parts and fitting parts together, assuming the L&R assemblers are using jigs. Jigs need a tune up once and a while too. Its not just the hole diameters, sometimes, often, the axle of the tumbler isn't square to the lock plate, enough so that the fly will actually fall off the pin. These are pretty basic things.

[Mike Brooks]

They can't be using jigs, those screws go willy nilly.

[Whaleman]

Well, I did it. The solidness and smoothness is so much better. While the picture makes the hole look not centered it actually is. I thought about taking pictures of me doing this but my methods are so silly it would have been a joke. I filed and polished the tumbler axle while it was chucked in a drill held in a vice. Same for turning the inset. I did tin both and heated the bridle and cooled the inset and it worked perfect. The hardest part was polishing the hole until I had just the fit I wanted. What looks like a gap is actually just a small amount of countersink. Thanks for the advice. Dan

[Mark Elliott]

Very nice job!

[Stophel]

I really like some L&R lock designs, but I do not like their assembly methods.  The tumblers are cast to finished size, and the lockplates are cast with the tumbler hole at finished size.  They drop the tumbler in and let 'er go.  Certainly cost-saving, and it does work, and honestly, 90+% of people are utterly oblivious to detail of any kind, and will NEVER notice, but as a gunsmith, and a VERY detail-oriented perfectionist  person, I notice, and it drives me crazy.   

I usually make my own locks from various parts anyway (I hate the look of the obvious production-made lock) and I often buy as-cast parts from L&R like lockplates and frizzens and build my lock from there, using "guts" from other locks.

[Whaleman]

The other thing I think L&R Locks need are a new sear screw. The sear screw sent with the lock was very loose. It took me 8 tries to get this new screw made. I wanted .001 clearance with the screw and the sear  and it has to bottom out just right. I have a hard time getting the 6-40 die to start correct. The starting shaft has to be within 1 thousands of perfect or I can't get it to start. Dan

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Very credible work sir.

[Whaleman]

Thank You very much. I know to you pros this is very standard but to me it is cutting edge; Dan

[Bob Roller]

The other thing I think L&R Locks need are a new sear screw. The sear screw sent with the lock was very loose. It took me 8 tries to get this new screw made. I wanted .001 clearance with the screw and the sear  and it has to bottom out just right. I have a hard time getting the 6-40 die to start correct. The starting shaft has to be within 1 thousands of perfect or I can't get it to start. Dan

Looks like a smaller thread like a #5.What diameter is the shank and how are you making it?
Have you accurately measured the hole it sear with a small hole gage to see what it really is?
I counter bore the sear screw holes in my locks so those little threads aren't taking the sull
power of the mainspring at full cock.

Bob Roller

[Whaleman]

Bob, One photo shows what I start with. The other photo shows my method of machining the bolt. I do have a high quality caliper that can measure very accurate. I file and polish while it is spinning. The area where the sear rotates is .144". I file and polish and measure a lot. When I get close I check the fit until it is a very tight but free rotation. I then file the thread shank. While the book says I should be .138 for a 6-40 UNF I can not get the die started unless I go to .135. I plan for the screw to be tightened down. If the sear is bound I file the underside of the head until the sear is free with the screw tight. Thank You, Dan

[Acer Saccharum]

Golly, I like your lathe a lot!

[Ky-Flinter]

Golly, I like your lathe a lot!

Ditto.  Neccessity is the mother of invention.

-Ron

[garra]

There were a couple of inquiries as to where to get miniature bearings.  I used to get them from NMB Bearing (Nippon Miniature Bearing).  They were of excellent quality, they had them up to Abec9 tolerances.  I did a little checking via Goggle and that company and products come up and are readily available. 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I got by with a lathe like that for twenty years until my father made me a lathe...what an epiphany!

[JCurtiss]

Golly, I like your lathe a lot!

Ditto.  Neccessity is the mother of invention.

-Ron

Me, too!

Quite clever!

[Whaleman]

Thanks. I do this for fun and relaxation. While the little sear screw took me 8 tries and over 12 hours I don't care. I was determined to get one that worked. I am so impressed with people that do this for a living.  I don't know how they can charge a correct price. Dan

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Your lathe reminds me of when I used the same system to make my lock 'nails' out of 1/4' x 20 carriage bolts.  they have a nice big domed head and make lovely lock nails.  I'd spin 'em down to 3/16" and thread 'em 10 x 24 tpi.