mikemeteor
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2008
- Messages
- 660
- Reaction score
- 3
took some pics of how I do it.
Probably a hundred other ways, more better and more HC/PC.
I adapted this from Ken Guy's method. He's good at heat treating to make a spring - me... ahhh.. hit and miss at best. so I adapted.
I start with a 16d hard cut masonry nail.
Anneal it and file the head to shape.
Then start filing down the shaft. I want a nice flat. square undercut where the button is going to overlap and catch the PB lid.
Then I file some grooves in the top for finger traction.
Some folks keep filing the shaft down, and then turn that nail shaft into a spring. If you can do that consistently, God bless ya.
I couldn't :shake: so I decided to attach spring steel to the button top.
Cut a strip of spring steel from an old hand saw ($1 at auction).
File the spring steel to shape, nice and smooth, now I have my button top and spring.
Then I cut the bottom top off, leaving about 3/16" shaft.
I put that in the vise, put a thin cut-off wheel in the Dremel, and slot the shaft for the spring.
I position the slot towards the front - catch side - of the button top, this will improve the catch fit later when mounted in the stock.
After insertion, I pinch the top onto the shaft with the vise.
flux and soft silver solder the assembly together.
then clean up the joint.
(note: when soldering, i put most of the spring in the vise jaws - as a heat sink - so I don't anneal the spring)
Now I do some measuring about how long the installed spring will be, and how much will be in the wood and how much will be free in the hole, and then start thinning it down to reach the level of "springy" that I want.
I constantly test that by putting it in the vice and springing it with my finger.
Not much of the spring will actually be "free" - out of wood, so it needs some thinning.
Then it's ready to be cut to length, put a point on the end, and installed as one would any other banana lid catch.
/mike
Probably a hundred other ways, more better and more HC/PC.
I adapted this from Ken Guy's method. He's good at heat treating to make a spring - me... ahhh.. hit and miss at best. so I adapted.
I start with a 16d hard cut masonry nail.
Anneal it and file the head to shape.
Then start filing down the shaft. I want a nice flat. square undercut where the button is going to overlap and catch the PB lid.
Then I file some grooves in the top for finger traction.
Some folks keep filing the shaft down, and then turn that nail shaft into a spring. If you can do that consistently, God bless ya.
I couldn't :shake: so I decided to attach spring steel to the button top.
Cut a strip of spring steel from an old hand saw ($1 at auction).
File the spring steel to shape, nice and smooth, now I have my button top and spring.
Then I cut the bottom top off, leaving about 3/16" shaft.
I put that in the vise, put a thin cut-off wheel in the Dremel, and slot the shaft for the spring.
I position the slot towards the front - catch side - of the button top, this will improve the catch fit later when mounted in the stock.
After insertion, I pinch the top onto the shaft with the vise.
flux and soft silver solder the assembly together.
then clean up the joint.
(note: when soldering, i put most of the spring in the vise jaws - as a heat sink - so I don't anneal the spring)
Now I do some measuring about how long the installed spring will be, and how much will be in the wood and how much will be free in the hole, and then start thinning it down to reach the level of "springy" that I want.
I constantly test that by putting it in the vice and springing it with my finger.
Not much of the spring will actually be "free" - out of wood, so it needs some thinning.
Then it's ready to be cut to length, put a point on the end, and installed as one would any other banana lid catch.
/mike
