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Making wheellock

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Andrey22

Pilgrim
Joined
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I had a lot of questions and I have been collecting information about these weapon locks for a long time.
The main question was how to make a slot for a wheel in a powder shelf?
I decided to make a special cutter from tool steel, the profile of which was the same as the profile of the wheel.
 

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Hi Andrey,
In 1995 there was a paper published in the journal Scientific American by a professor of the history of technology. He provided pretty compelling evidence that Leonardo Da Vinci likely invented the first wheelock mechanism. He also noted that in the Da Vinci notebook showing the first wheelock design were drawings showing that the wheel of the lock was used as a milling cutter to cut the slots into the bottom of the pan (powder shelf). The wheels typically have grooves going around the edge but also grooves going across. Those cross wise grooves formed cutting teeth allowing the wheel to cut its way into the pan. So the wheel was made of high carbon steel, finished, polished, hardened and then tempered, and then used as the cutter to make the slots in the pan. Consequently, the opening is precisely fitted to the wheel, which would prevent priming powder from leaking through the opening.

dave
 
Those cross wise grooves formed cutting teeth allowing the wheel to cut its way into the pan. So the wheel was made of high carbon steel, finished, polished, hardened and then tempered, and then used as the cutter to make the slots in the pan.
Thank you, this is great news.
 
Did a little work on the hammer.
Started making the bottom jaw of the hammer.
 

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I am interested in your work as I have wanted to make a wheel lock for several years as I am knapping impaired, and caps are going out of sight in price.
 
I also enjoy reading about projects like this, you get to learn something new and it just goes to show that there is no end to the the rabbit hole. Thank you for posting.
 
Do you have a set of drawings, if so, where are they available?
I have drawings that I found on the net. If you need them write me a private message. However, I make this castle only from photographs and use scaling.
 

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A lot of work has been done...
One of these days I will start the first assembly
 

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The first assembly has encountered an error...
It is necessary to shorten the plate that presses the wheel axle.
 

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