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The ML Gunsmith's #1 No No!

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Razor62

40 Cal.
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Ok, the only purpose for this thread is to occupy my grey matter in an amusing manner.
I'm going to confess to commiting one of the 5 original sins of black powder gunsmithing.

Please understand that as a member of this forum you are bound to secrecy and you may never so much as utter a word of this thread to another living soul who is not also a member of this forum.

For many years, Brace yourselves....








I used a Chinese pair of ViseGrips for a mainspring vise and never ever paid the ultimate price for such treachery. I got away with it by adjusting the tension in tiny increments until the spring would release. I'd employ the same tactics in order to reassemble.
There! I said it. I can finally relax in the knowledge that I came clean. What a load off! Judge me as you see fit, but the only reason I bought a mainspring vise is because I didn't want to be looked upon as a hack for not owning one.

Of course now that I've purchased an honest to goodness mainspring vise I use it exclusively and so far I continue to live a charmed life with regard to mainspring breakage.

To all of you ViseGrip gunsmiths I offer only this... For the small investment it's a no-brainer, A mainspring vise could be the key that releases you from the shame of being a closet cheapskate. We both know that your ViseGrip will work in a pinch but you'll need a mainspring vise for all of the rest of the times. :grin:
 
I'll never say a word...I have used vice grips many a times and I too was convicted. So I got my hands on the real deal to dissemble my brand new fowler lock and.....promptly broke the mainspring :doh: As it turns out the spring had a casting defect and was replaced in no time by the manufacturer.
 
I have a small C clamp that I used to compress a main spring for years. I filed a groove in the swivel part. It was a little tricky to attach but worked on everything from an L. C Smith lock to all my various cap and flint lock mechanisms. I finally bought the correct tool which makes the job much safer and more positive. Tools can be improvised.
 
How many of you are secretly hiding Dremel and other power tools? I'd bet there's some milling machines, with tiny traces of wood dust.
 
I never did that. :hmm: I am one that cannot stand to not have the correct tool. :idunno: In fact, I usually have at least 3 of the same tool, as if I have one I cannot find it, If I have 2 I cannot find but one & the one I find is in use, and then if I have 3 the 3rd one is where I am not. If I am in the house, it is in the shop. If I am in the shop, it is in the house. :idunno: Really need 4 of everything..... Wife says that is nuts. and it is. :redface:

I am not sure, but I would guess there are at least 4 mainspring vices on my bench, & possibly 5 as it seems like there was 2 in a bunch of ML builders stuff I bought a couple of years ago.

I like tools, jigs & gadgets. I like making jigs & gadgets to do things as much as I like building rifles.

Keith Lisle
 
The ONLY time I use a Dremel tool is if I need to hog out the Center of a lock inlet or center of a trigger inlet. That is pretty much it. And then it is a Dremel with a 3-4' flex shaft & a pencil grip end on it. This way you have MUCH more control of it. The flex shaft is the Only way to go with a Dremel. Once ya have it, you will never use one another way.

But I warn you :shake: DO NOT have that Dremel cutting anywhere Near a edge or anything that will show, as you may well be on your way to disaster... :nono:

Keith Lisle
 
Well.....the first time I compressed a mainspring....I tried the small C-clamp way, thinking I was a genius. However, the C-clamp let me down and the main spring went to places that I didn't know existed....but I know now. On my next order the mainspring vise (vice? compression tool?) was included. Odd thing is...I don't own a pair of vice grips. That's probably a good thing though.

OTOH, I have done and will continue to use Forsner bits to hog out big chunks of inletting when needed. As long as the stock is clamped securely this is a fine method of getting a lot of wood out quickly. Of course, a drill press is really a must IMHO.

Dave
 
That's the physical law of gravity. Things fly to areas that don't even exist.

Then there the physical law of appearance..... If it shoots good....it's probably ugly.

And last....The reason I think things are possible....cause I don't know what I'm talking about.
 
hadden west said:
And last....The reason I think things are possible....cause I don't know what I'm talking about.

I've lived my entire life using this philosophy. :yakyak: :rotf: :rotc:

(I'm not gonna touch the "can she cook" line. Now way....Huh Uh!! :shocked2: :shocked2:
 
Why should that matter. By that age the eye sight
may be too bad to make a difference.
 
Razor62 said:
I used a Chinese pair of ViseGrips for a mainspring vise

That's the sign of an "amateur" gunsmith. We all know that the "real pro's" used Channel Lock pliers prior to obtaining the mainspring vice :rotf:

And I do use a Dremel with the flexy wand thingy.

It works awesome for cutting in the (channels) for barrel staples/lugs and ramrod pipe lugs into the web.

Agree, keep most power tools away from visible areas, but if you can't see it, it's fair game.

I think my Dremel was found under the floor boards of John Armstrong's shop - so it is HC :hmm:
 
My Bridgeport does NOT have tiny traces of saw dust! It has a large pile! in fact tomorrow night I will be redrilling a hole for the grandson's pine wood derby car! He dropped it and broke out one axle! :idunno: :hmm:
 
I have a friend who is building his first rifle at a rather mature time of life. He bought a kit that had little barrel staples to use for the underlug thingies. I strongly suggested he forgo drilling holes in the barrel and just learn to cut dovetails. :nono: He now has a brand new barrel to practice cutting dovetails, and several pistol barrels with slow twist rifling. :surrender: (He drilled all the way into the bore.)
 
Even cutting dovetails at the thinnest part of a swamped barrel (at a max caliber for weight profile) can be quite nerve wracking.
 
I don't care for the tiny bite that some locks allow the vise grip.
I think everybody has used them, but anybody that has,, has had the spring pop out or have to try to get just the right grip on it with several tries made during the process,,
,,sure, it works,,

But a nice spring vise supports the whole spring, allows you to compress the spring just enough, and you can leave the spring in the vise and set it aside while your doing all the things to do that made ya pull the spring in the first place. Then just pick it back up, slide it back in and done.
 

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