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Arkebuse Project: Part V

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coehornboy

40 Cal.
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I'm back..it's been a busy Fall, and I'm just starting back on this project.
Here's an image of the original:

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And here are links to the previous posts, so that you don't have to go searching:
Part I: Link
Part II: Link
Part III: Link
Part IV: Link

These close-ups of the original show the firing mechanism assembled and disassembled. Notice the flat-spring button trigger.

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Here is the flat-spring button trigger laying on the stock where it will be inletted into the stock. The spring material was bent to shape, and the teat that protrudes through the brass lockplate was riveted into place, as was the button trigger.

HPIM3809.jpg


Here is the external spring where it will be on the finished piece:

HPIM3808.jpg


And here's the stock marked for where the inleting needs to be done:

HPIM3810.jpg


Next, I'll focus on the barrel (breech plug, tang, pan, under-barrel lugs, and setting the barrel in the stock). When the barrel is in place, I can then make the dog/ match holder, and then inlet for the firing mechanism.
 
Love it, now THAT is an arquebus, none of you modern interpretation and 20th century mindset there :thumbsup:

Love the spring, but is it my old eyes or have you widened the release bar? Don't lose the lines :nono:

I'm trying to figure out what goes on behind the Mary Rose pattern lock plate, only one thing for sure, it isn't going to be obvious :grin:
 
VERY nice work... :thumbsup:
please don't tell me you are going to make the screws by hand as well :)
 
Rock on! I am going to make an Arkebuse too :) Only with a shoulder stock and early style serpintine lock.

I could not find the barrel you are using at Numrich, what is the exact URL?

Thank you,
Craig
 
Check this out:

Matchlock plans from Wulf[url] http://tinyurl.com/yrtboc[/url]

Matchlock plans from MikeB[url] http://tinyurl.com/23o4hm[/url]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
spystyle said:
Check this out:

It's nice enough but it's a modern interpretation. They always make the same mistake and redesign the trigger so it's flinty. That won't work unless the pivot in the middle of the plate is a precision part, which they weren't.

The Arquebus OTOH looks all very odd and unlikely, which means it's probably 100% original, the real McCoy :thumbsup:
 
I ordered one of the 20 ga. barrels from e-gunparts and it came with the square still on the bottom of the breech. Did you remove this or let it stay? If you removed it how and to what extent? It seems to me that if this is used as the bottom of the barrel that grinding it off should be sufficent.
 
I am going to grind it off to a point, but leave a flat side to mount the pan to, as shown in the original gun.
 
Cohoernboy - Where did your sample come from? I see it taken apart in the photos. Was this an orginal? How do you plan to thread the barrel for a breech plug? With a lathe or large tap? Great project! Thanks for showing the details. GC
 
Those two fillets that cover the sear spring, are they wood or brass and what holds them in?

Any ideas? You usually discover these things when you try to make them :thumbsup:
 
I have not made them yet, but they appear to be wood and just pressure fit in the stock... although the larger one seems to also be held in place by the long external spring.
It also looks like the paint on these two pieces is slightly different than the rest of the gun, and may have been replaced, which would have perhaps happened if they fell out due to "pressure-fitting" only.
We'll see when we get to this point. :v
 
"....They always make the same mistake and redesign the trigger so it's flinty. That won't work unless the pivot in the middle of the plate is a precision part, which they weren't....."

What do you mean by " flinty " ?
 
Henry said:
What do you mean by " flinty " ?


Hi Henry

In the style of a flintlock :thumbsup:

If you view a matchlock trigger with modern eyes you immediately want to redesign it because it can be so easily improved. It's obviously very wrong

Unfortunately, if you do redesign and improve it you will have no end of trouble fine tuning the lock before the serpentine agrees to go more than half way down.

Been there, done that, thought I was cleverer than the 17th century makers, lesson learned :redface:

best regards

Squire Robin
 
It is confusing because the styles come and go :hmm:

This is my best guess for England. Germany is different because of their abiding love for the wheel lock...

First there are one or more very early lever locks in woodcuts.

Then surviving snapping locks with triggers and/or side button release.

Then muskets went non-snapping with lever locks.

Then muskets went back to tricker locks.

Fowlers stayed as wheelies or snapping until flint took over. The big collection was unfortunately in Dresden when we did an early experiment with napalm :shocked2:

While I'm on the subject, the long lever has to screw in to the internal lever, otherwise you can't put it together. Not easy to keep the thread in the right place without resorting to Loctite :thumbsup:

Good looking lock, but perhaps the serpentine should be rivetted on? Maybe the pan cover is a bit Japanese?
 
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