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robinghewitt

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I need a wheel lock spanner and they seem hard to find. The Rifle Shoppe lists them but no pictures and I would like a fancy one :confused:

Does anyone know what they look like?

Is there anywhere else than might ship a bit sooner?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So you think I should make one myself? :hmm:

I was thinking more to buying a casting but I suppose I could.

This will need some thinking about... :thumbsup:
 
Squire Robin said:
I need a wheel lock spanner and they seem hard to find. The Rifle Shoppe lists them but no pictures and I would like a fancy one :confused:

Does anyone know what they look like?

Yes, hope this helps.
hBaA656.jpg


William Alexander
 
There was a wheel lock and good looking spanner in the three musketeers with Heston in it in the70s. I understand it was dropped on the set and Heston hit it with a golf cart and bent it all out of shape.
It was a ”˜Star mangled spanner’
 
tenngun said:
There was a wheel lock and good looking spanner in the three musketeers with Heston in it in the70s. I understand it was dropped on the set and Heston hit it with a golf cart and bent it all out of shape.
It was a ”˜Star mangled spanner’
:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
 
Cruzatte said:
tenngun said:
There was a wheel lock and good looking spanner in the three musketeers with Heston in it in the70s. I understand it was dropped on the set and Heston hit it with a golf cart and bent it all out of shape.
It was a ”˜Star mangled spanner’
:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

:hatsoff: Funniest muzzle loading joke EVER!! :bow:
 
So you think I should make one myself?

By all means get a triangle file and a drill and make one or three for your self. If you are slow and adopt a complicated design it might take an hour.

By making a custom spanner that fits properly you are less likely to end up marring the axle of the lock and you are more likely to end up with a tool that allows the leverage needed to span the lock with out have to lug about an excessively long handle.

Filing a square hole in mild steel is very easy to accomplish. If your unsure and want an easy way to get it right file a square male piece out of steel rod that matches the axle of your lock. When you spanner hole approaches the right size drive the male part thru with a hammer.

Just saw the 'fancy' part. Luckily for you the antique auction houses have been selling very, very expensive spanners for the last century or so. Search Christie's etc for inspiration. fun project.
 
No shame in using a well fitted wrench with a bend in it but I'd caution against using a loose and floppy adjustable wrench! Quick root to a marred axle and I can assure you that carving a new axle is alot more difficult then carving a new spanner.
 
I have seen that video the adjustable in question IIRC was a foot or 18 inches long and likely 10X the tool that the average discount store monkey wrench is. i.e the jaws are probabley paralell and the adjusting screw probabley does not have a 1/4 inch of back lash and an 1/8th of an inch of slop.
Might also have a gob of braze on that wrench rendering it "not adjustable" imagine how many times he applies it to a lock during manufacture.

Count the amount of machine and hand operations required to make a wheel lock axle and you might treat it with a bit more respect :grin: Also consider that a replacement Axle will likely never result in a properly sealed pan unless a new pan is made at the same time. Consider also that once the wheel of the lock is used it probabley wont mill it's own recess in the pan anymore. In short for want of an axle you'll be making a wheel and a pan and you'll be hoping your chain is still the right length. Aint no easy parts swapping on these things.
 
yeah but you should know better- the least poke illicits a few hundred words of blather and even tickle wastes 50 or 75. Good thing words are just a bit cheaper then borsch.

On the plus side this thread has peaked my interest in odd and unique spanners so I should be distracted enough with that to keep quiet.

Cheers
 
“yeah but you should know better”
Your right doc, I should”¦. :slap: but then...




William Alexander
 
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