• Snapping Matchlock
    27 replies, posted
I found a picture of this thing and had to make one. It's an incredibly tiny, compact lock. It is spring-loaded like a Flintlock, but uses a match. [img]http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/3205/0001732.jpg[/img] [img]http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/5273/0001730.jpg[/img] A picture of the original, made sometime around 1525: [img]http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6542/snaplock1.jpg[/img] [img]http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2661/snaplock2.jpg[/img] And what the finished gun will look like (Top one): [img]http://img573.imageshack.us/img573/1033/arkebusenjuni20083kl.jpg[/img] [img]http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9383/arkebusenjuni20087kl.jpg[/img] European Snapping Matchlocks like this are also the direct ancestor of the Japanese Tanegashima and this is just one of many different design configurations used at the time. Should be a very lightweight, fun little gun.
Good luck with that.
Oh man, you're making something again? Awesome!
You make the coolest shit.
Good luck on this, hope all goes well!
[QUOTE=Agent Cobra;26965736]Good luck on this, hope all goes well![/QUOTE] Not likely, while working on the wood, he will accidentally cut off his finger.
Nah, it's usually barrel drama. First one had a dent in it, so the barrel had to be repaired, then the second had a drill bit break off in it. Though I can't imagine a swamped octagon barrel being dented and I have sworn off the use of bare touch holes in favor of White Lightnin' vent liners. So that only leaves stock drama which isn't all that bad since I can redesign a stock slightly if it gets bitchy.
I'm always impressed with your work. I'm sure this will turn out fantastic.
Now the sear is on: [img]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6044/0001734.jpg[/img] [img]http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/6653/0001733.jpg[/img]
Awesome. Loving the fact that it looks like a little dragon too.
it always befuddles me how your threads get so few comments and/or discussions! Anyways it's great watching your progress! I, like probably all of the people who see your threads wish I had the skill, and patience for such projects.
Heh, I got giddy with excitement at the sight of another RR Raptor thread.
This is just a quick project for now, I'll finish the rest of it later (Match it to a barrel, carve a stock and such). I held a vote in Fast Threads earlier and the winner was a Crossbow, so I'll be starting that January 1st. All that I have to do now is split the serpentine in half, temper it, make the turn key and then temper the rest of the lock. BUUUT, my hacksaw is broken, broke while cutting the serpentine yesterday. Good job Craftsman, you can't temper your tools for shit either. I mean fuck, if I can temper a piece of a fucking GARDEN RAKE into a spring with only my eyes to judge the quality of the temper, then why the hell can't a multi-million dollar corporation do it with all their fancy temperature gauges and specially designed tempering ovens? /rant
[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;27074622]This is just a quick project for now, I'll finish the rest of it later (Match it to a barrel, carve a stock and such). I held a vote in Fast Threads earlier and the winner was a Crossbow, so I'll be starting that January 1st. All that I have to do now is split the serpentine in half, temper it, make the turn key and then temper the rest of the lock. BUUUT, my hacksaw is broken, broke while cutting the serpentine yesterday. Good job Craftsman, you can't temper your tools for shit either. I mean fuck, if I can temper a piece of a fucking GARDEN RAKE into a spring with only my eyes to judge the quality of the temper, then why the hell can't a multi-million dollar corporation do it with all their fancy temperature gauges and specially designed tempering ovens? /rant[/QUOTE] because they obviously don't have the all powerful skills of a mechanical genius.
Awesome, another thread of yours! Really looking forward to the crossbow one, I can tell it'll be sick.
[QUOTE=Joefrert;27086856]Awesome, another thread of yours! Really looking forward to the crossbow one, I can tell it'll be sick.[/QUOTE] It should be a real beast when it's done, the leaf spring I'm going to use to make the prod is a half inch thick, almost twice the thickness of a normal crossbow prod of similar size. I expect the draw will be at LEAST 150 pounds, a 3/16" prod the same size as the one I'm going to make draws at 130-140 pounds. So that's a very conservative guess, the draw weight may very well be in the 175-200 pound range but I'm not gonna call it until it's done and ready. For more of an idea just how powerful that is, a crossbow with a 75 pound draw will shoot a bolt almost flat for about 25-30 yards, the 130-140 pounders will sling one about 40 yards before you really have to start compensating for drop. At 40 yards with my longbow I have to aim about 25 degrees over the target. Course there's always a chance that the leafspring won't be suitable for a crossbow prod, in which case I can just order one ready to go. But I'll still make the Skein (String). There may be a problem with tempering that will cause the prod to crack, the grade of the steel may be too low to accept the full draw of the bow and deform, or it may break when it is pressure tested. It's hard to temper large springs like that so problems may pop up.
You deserve a title for the amazing stuff you make.
[QUOTE=RAWRrrr;27113669]You deserve a title for the amazing stuff you make.[/QUOTE] I second this! And if it works out, that's gonna be one intense friggin crossbow!
Do we gots an update? Hows the crossbow going?
I printed out the prod pattern I made and it doesn't fit on the leafspring because there's a big hole drilled in the middle of the spring. So I'll have to order a prod ready to go, which costs $80 so I'm inclined to wait a little bit.
Ah that sucks. Keep us updated.
You should make a Blunderbuss...
My dad actually hinted that he wanted me to make one a few days ago. But I have a somewhat long line of guns to build now. First up is either this Snapping Matchlock or a Tanegashima. I also found a late period Snapping Matchlock with an automatic pan cover that I want to build. Then the Snaphaunce, once I can find a decent source for spring steel, I just got extremely lucky that the piece of the rake I cut off was exactly what I needed. Hand in hand with the spring steel comes a Wheellock, which is kind of the Holy Grail due to it's complexity and function. The last two would be my [URL=http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq291/RR_Raptor65/Four%20Levels%20of%20Support/MG39_WIP2.jpg]MG39[/url] and my unnamed Automatic Rifle. The MG39 probably won't happen due to Federal law. I did work out some of the materials I'd need, only obstacle is a tap for the barrel, but the whole thing would cost about $100 to make. The AR is still waiting for me to get down and dirty with the engineering so it's mainly in my head at the moment. Only downside is I probably won't be able to make it capable of fully automatic fire. You never know, if it works like I expect, it might be the gun that replaces the M16 some day. If not, I'll put it into a fancy Halo CE Assault Rifle shell for fun since that's where the idea came from originally. Maybe sell one to Bungie.
[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;27562849]My dad actually hinted that he wanted me to make one a few days ago. But I have a somewhat long line of guns to build now. First up is either this Snapping Matchlock or a Tanegashima. I also found a late period Snapping Matchlock with an automatic pan cover that I want to build. Then the Snaphaunce, once I can find a decent source for spring steel, I just got extremely lucky that the piece of the rake I cut off was exactly what I needed. Hand in hand with the spring steel comes a Wheellock, which is kind of the Holy Grail due to it's complexity and function. The last two would be my [URL=http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq291/RR_Raptor65/Four%20Levels%20of%20Support/MG39_WIP2.jpg]MG39[/url] and my unnamed Automatic Rifle. The MG39 probably won't happen due to Federal law. I did work out some of the materials I'd need, only obstacle is a tap for the barrel, but the whole thing would cost about $100 to make. The AR is still waiting for me to get down and dirty with the engineering so it's mainly in my head at the moment. Only downside is I probably won't be able to make it capable of fully automatic fire. You never know, if it works like I expect, it might be the gun that replaces the M16 some day. If not, I'll put it into a fancy Halo CE Assault Rifle shell for fun since that's where the idea came from originally. Maybe sell one to Bungie.[/QUOTE] Seriously? That's awesome. Do you have a workshop set up at home or something?
Yes, the workshop is almost as big than the house. I don't have much in the way of heavy equipment though, just a drill press, a band saw, a forge, a computer controlled plasma cutter and a large number of hand tools.
Wow, I'd love to have all that. Only got hand tools. Running out of materials but, have to sell most it as scrap because money is short >.>
When I started I only had a single ball peen hammer, a hacksaw, an angle grinder, a propane torch, an ASO (Anvil Shaped Object) and a small bench vise. Doesn't take much to get started and steel is extremely cheap, especially when you go to scrapyards. Scrap metal tends to be a lot better than new metal from Home Depot and the like too. A lot of the new metal in the market today comes from China, and in my experience it is inexcusable poor quality compared to what I used to work with. The brass is particularly bad, I had several 1/8" rods that could be peeled apart like string cheese, and would crack when I'd start working with them. The only exception to this would be leaf springs, which are kind of hit or miss. Older leaf springs have a lot of hidden stress points inside them and can also be made of dubious quality steel. As for selling the metal you have, Copper is up to $5 a pound. Copper has always been valuable but now it's getting to be as good as gold. So if you ever find any copper laying around or thrown away, that stuff can net you quite a bit of cash.
I know. Always 'borrowing' copper from work.
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