Bob, anyone who has handled one of your locks could never argue with your methods. My only machine tool is a little Sherline mini lathe. I do have a forge and can get to rough shape pretty quickly on a spring. I am also a hobbyist in this field and am interested in learning historical methods. I was fascinated to watch our Willamsburg gunsmith forge blanks for a frizzen, cock and lockplate out of wrought iron this past weekend at Dixon’s.
In my late teens I played a bit with the ancient methods but didn't have the
right equipment and the labor intensive nature of it turned me off.Over the
years,as skills were gathered I was able to get more done with less work and
I did more than parts for muzzle loaders.Other shops were interested in what
my skills and WILLINGNESS to work longer than normal 8 hour days if need be.
One thing I offered from my own shop was the idea of ONE of a kind parts to
old car restorers.I was and still am able and willing to make only ONE part if
I have material and my tools will accommodate.I specialized in bronze bearings
for obsolete automatic transmissions and Packard Ultramatic was a focus for
me.MAJOR Classics like the Duesenberg was another and I still have the form
tools for some of the engine nuts and bolts.Custom wotk for megabuck owners
is a good position to be in and when they find out they are not getting robbed
by an opportunistic machinist/mechanic they can be the best of friends.
Bill Large was a huge help and a fine teacher and an old gunsmith here in
Huntington showed me a lot about spring making and he did use old methods.
His heat source was a big,homemade gasoline blow torch he had to pump up
with a tire pump.He made this thing himself and it roared like a jet engine when working.
He hand filed his springs and hardened and tempered them with that big torch
and later I gave him some of the 1075 I use and he thought that was a miracle material.
I have the utmost respect for you guys and girls that revive as much as possible the old ways
and I still use a number of files in my lock and trigger work but whenever I can the lathe
and the mill will be my first choice along with the bandsaws and other motor driven machines.
Bob Roller
