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Repair of an original Japanese Tanegashima matchlock
- Thread starter Flint62Smoothie
- Start date
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There are a ton of pictures in the book by Shigeo Sugawa, but the $40-60 book is all written in Japanese. Really depends on the Teppo you're producing, as not all models had tapered barrels or even those with the cannon muzzles - quite a HUGE variety actually. Like our longrifles, they progress from the plain Shimmel up to a fancy inlaid/carved Golden Age flint longrifle.
Stock octangular barrels, from sources like Colrain, etc., could be used. Or, at an expense, have Ed Rayl or Bobby Hoyt custom profile a cannon-muzzled barrel for you.
FYI, you can buy plans for a Tanegashima build from Old Guard Manufacture (Poland), for maybe 30 Euro or so, but realize they (like most of Europe) does 99% of their bizness from Facebook. Presently they have a serious problem getting barrel steel in their country [due to the war in Ukraine] and if they bought a US-sourced barrel, say co$ting $200 here ... with shipping and customs, it would be 2X that, or more, before they even passed on that price to you. They are now building people custom arms to a 'stock or known' profiled barrel, where they make it without a barrel ... then you buy one and configure it (tenons, sights, etc.) and attach it here (pins, inlet, fitting, etc.).
Link to some Old Guard Manufacture info on here = Locks & Early Arms from Old Guard Manufacture, Poland
Stock octangular barrels, from sources like Colrain, etc., could be used. Or, at an expense, have Ed Rayl or Bobby Hoyt custom profile a cannon-muzzled barrel for you.
FYI, you can buy plans for a Tanegashima build from Old Guard Manufacture (Poland), for maybe 30 Euro or so, but realize they (like most of Europe) does 99% of their bizness from Facebook. Presently they have a serious problem getting barrel steel in their country [due to the war in Ukraine] and if they bought a US-sourced barrel, say co$ting $200 here ... with shipping and customs, it would be 2X that, or more, before they even passed on that price to you. They are now building people custom arms to a 'stock or known' profiled barrel, where they make it without a barrel ... then you buy one and configure it (tenons, sights, etc.) and attach it here (pins, inlet, fitting, etc.).
Link to some Old Guard Manufacture info on here = Locks & Early Arms from Old Guard Manufacture, Poland
UPDATE ...
I sent the barrel out to Bobby Hoyt for the following:
I thought others here would like to see the pictures of the breech area and breech plug!
I sent the barrel out to Bobby Hoyt for the following:
- Weld plugging of the worn OVER-sized touch hole, about 1/8" in diameter!
- ... adding a liner to make it shootable, if any issues with the above ...
- Honing the barrel smooth if the TH can be repaired OK (I'll re-drill a new TH myself)
I thought others here would like to see the pictures of the breech area and breech plug!
You're lucky to get that out. I had to soak mine in Ed's Red for about 4 months before it would budge.
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Hi Flint
Thanks for these photos. First off, I am far from any expert on these matchlocks. I've just dis-assembled them in previous years.
Your breech plug looks like all the others I've seen. Instead of a shorter plug with fine machine threads that we are used to seeing, the Japanese gun builders used a plug with coarse threads, but a very long plug length. The European plugs are designed to have a "crush value" similar to wheel lugs on an automobile. The Japanese plugs just sit flush with the breech face not much more than finger tight as you have probably noticed. The plug is held firm in the slot of the wood stock. Once the barrel pins are removed, it usually takes a hammer on the pan area to get the head of the plug out of the slot in the stock. (Also, often the barrel has to move slightly forward to remove the front part of the lock) Likewise, it often takes a hammer on the muzzle end to get it back into the slot. LOL It seems strange at first, but their system worked.
Some more thoughts on the barrel: Bobby may not be able to plug/weld up that large touch hole without first removing the pan (?) The pans are typically wedged into the side of the barrel. Might take a torch and heat to remove it to expose the vent hole in the barrel. Might be a tough job getting that iron pan off, assuming it does need removal to plug the vent hole. Wait to hear what Bobby thinks.
However, if he installs a liner in the barrel, that makes the current over-sized vent hole a non issue. You can simply re-drill through the liner to whatever vent hole size you want. I've done this with Balkan pistols with new barrel liners. When you first look at the barrels the vent hole looks too large. But the hole in the liner itself is only 3/32nds, or whatever smaller size you want.
Did you send the breech plug to Bobby along with the barrel ? When he returned my Tanegashima barrel to me, the breech plug threads were wrapped with a substantial amount of plumbing pipe thread tape. But tell Bobby he doesn't need to bother doing this. When you get the barrel back to you, coat the breech plug threads with an automotive grade, high temperature thread sealant. Like they use for spark plugs. This will provide a seal between the plug threads and the breech threads. And the sealant never really hardens, in case the plug ever needs removed again. The sealant will also provide a coating between both sets of threads to mitigate any rust/other buildup forming a weld in the threads.
Rick
Thanks for these photos. First off, I am far from any expert on these matchlocks. I've just dis-assembled them in previous years.
Your breech plug looks like all the others I've seen. Instead of a shorter plug with fine machine threads that we are used to seeing, the Japanese gun builders used a plug with coarse threads, but a very long plug length. The European plugs are designed to have a "crush value" similar to wheel lugs on an automobile. The Japanese plugs just sit flush with the breech face not much more than finger tight as you have probably noticed. The plug is held firm in the slot of the wood stock. Once the barrel pins are removed, it usually takes a hammer on the pan area to get the head of the plug out of the slot in the stock. (Also, often the barrel has to move slightly forward to remove the front part of the lock) Likewise, it often takes a hammer on the muzzle end to get it back into the slot. LOL It seems strange at first, but their system worked.
Some more thoughts on the barrel: Bobby may not be able to plug/weld up that large touch hole without first removing the pan (?) The pans are typically wedged into the side of the barrel. Might take a torch and heat to remove it to expose the vent hole in the barrel. Might be a tough job getting that iron pan off, assuming it does need removal to plug the vent hole. Wait to hear what Bobby thinks.
However, if he installs a liner in the barrel, that makes the current over-sized vent hole a non issue. You can simply re-drill through the liner to whatever vent hole size you want. I've done this with Balkan pistols with new barrel liners. When you first look at the barrels the vent hole looks too large. But the hole in the liner itself is only 3/32nds, or whatever smaller size you want.
Did you send the breech plug to Bobby along with the barrel ? When he returned my Tanegashima barrel to me, the breech plug threads were wrapped with a substantial amount of plumbing pipe thread tape. But tell Bobby he doesn't need to bother doing this. When you get the barrel back to you, coat the breech plug threads with an automotive grade, high temperature thread sealant. Like they use for spark plugs. This will provide a seal between the plug threads and the breech threads. And the sealant never really hardens, in case the plug ever needs removed again. The sealant will also provide a coating between both sets of threads to mitigate any rust/other buildup forming a weld in the threads.
Rick
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Hi Brownac
I'm surprised your barrel took that much effort. Somehow, there must have been a weld form between the plug and breech threads. And those threads are long in length. So it probably required a long time for the penetrating oil to reach full length.
I once viewed one of these breech plugs that had tiny traces of what I believe was original thread sealant. It was a blackish/grey color. It had mostly crumbled and disintegrated.
Rick
If you are interested, try to get a few clear photos of the Japanese writing on the barrel. I have an app that will translate pretty well.
Please see Post #1 on Page 1 ...
Barrel progress:
Got the barrel back from Bobby Hoyt, $75 + shipping ($21.55 for (2) barrels) each way.
He removed the breech plug, reamed/honed the barrel smooth (looks NEW!) and did a weld repair on the touch hole. It was worn to ~1/8” as sent, and he welded it up. He had to ‘notch’ the pan to get a drill straight in for a new TH, so he then welded the edge of the pan back up.
Next up: Hammer form a brass serpentine and spring (brass springs get their ‘springiness’ by work hardening them). Then fab a brass flash guard and pan cover, which will be low-temp silver soldered together.
Got the barrel back from Bobby Hoyt, $75 + shipping ($21.55 for (2) barrels) each way.
He removed the breech plug, reamed/honed the barrel smooth (looks NEW!) and did a weld repair on the touch hole. It was worn to ~1/8” as sent, and he welded it up. He had to ‘notch’ the pan to get a drill straight in for a new TH, so he then welded the edge of the pan back up.
Next up: Hammer form a brass serpentine and spring (brass springs get their ‘springiness’ by work hardening them). Then fab a brass flash guard and pan cover, which will be low-temp silver soldered together.
- Joined
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Hi Flint
Sounds like Bobby Hoyt did a great job. The original vent holes in these barrels (like Indian Torador barrels) all seemed to be drilled at a slight angle. The new VH will be a good fix. I think he calls his reaming/ honing job burnishing. He has some method for doing this that you just can't duplicate at home. The bore does look new when you get it back. The barrel walls at the breech are thick. So you should be good to go.
The clock-like coil spring on my Tanegashima broke. The gunsmith who repaired it used a narrow leaf from a garden rake to make a new one. LOL
Rick
Sounds like Bobby Hoyt did a great job. The original vent holes in these barrels (like Indian Torador barrels) all seemed to be drilled at a slight angle. The new VH will be a good fix. I think he calls his reaming/ honing job burnishing. He has some method for doing this that you just can't duplicate at home. The bore does look new when you get it back. The barrel walls at the breech are thick. So you should be good to go.
The clock-like coil spring on my Tanegashima broke. The gunsmith who repaired it used a narrow leaf from a garden rake to make a new one. LOL
Rick
