Bending a patchbox

[bioprof]

I built a wooden form last night to bend a brass patchbox for a longrifle, but the hinge portion seems to spring back. Is it necessary to anneal the patchbox before I try to bend it? Is it necessary to take the hinge wire out and bend it in advance? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Is it necessary to anneal the patchbox before I try to bend it?

Yes, it helps alot.

Is it necessary to take the hinge wire out and bend it in advance?

No, you'll never get the wire back thru it after it's bent.

 

[George F.]

When I make my patchboxes, I bend the finial to the shape of the stock as well as the hinge portion of the lid, then I put the lid in my forms for a domed lid and then I file and fit my lid to the finial. I will chuck a piece of piano wire in a drill and put a tapered rounded point on the end and I will lube it up some then I proceed to enter the hinge, while the drill spins the piano wire. If it dosen't enter the knuckle, more filing and fitting is required till it will enter without excessive force. As I'm doing this I will bend the hinge slightly working it in as I go. I've read that if the hinge is bent the lid will not open, well they do open. The finial is bent alot( more than finials I've seen), and the lid isn't bent that much.The kick open spring has no problem opening the lid to 100 degrees and bounces back some.The lids are tight, no side to side play, as well as the knuckles, which I do relieve on the back some. The brass I would say has to annealed to accomplish the mult- directional bending involved in doming a lid, but provides great strength and stability to the lid.
I should of directed this response to Bioprof instead of Mike, sorry...................George F.

 

[bioprof]

I ended up using a ballpeen hammer to "help" it bend using a concave form. I finally annealed the brass by heating with a propane torch, and it helped a lot, even though I wasn't sure if I had gotten it hot enough. Wished that I had done it earlier. My inletting left something to be desired, but overall I'm pleased with the fit of the finial and lid. I managed to bend the finial enough so that it matched the contour of the stock.

I managed to put some dents in the stock when I was trying to "fit" it to the inlet, but I just held it over a pot of boiling water that was cooking on the stove and it lifted right back up again.

I kind of wished that I had taken more shop classes when I was in high school. Maybe I would have learned a little bit about metal work.

 

[Roy]

Now you know. :thumbsup: This is the way most of us learned, by trial and error.

 

[davy]

Now you know. :thumbsup: This is the way most of us learned, by trial and error.

Mistakes .. thets how ya larn! :cursing: :hatsoff:

Davy

 

[Zonie]

"I kind of wished that I had taken more shop classes when I was in high school."

Ya, but there wern't any girls in the shop class! :rotf:

 

[Mike Brooks]

I kind of wished that I had taken more shop classes when I was in high school. Maybe I would have learned a little bit about metal work.

I never took a shop class in high school. I wasn't too interested in making sheet metal dust pans.....
I did take four years of art, which I found for me, to be a more usefull background for building muzzleloading guns.
Lathes and milling machines still scare the hell out of me, give me a hack saw and a file any day. :haha:

 

[2172]

Zonie, that was the reason that I took typing..over the years, that may have been the most useful class I ever took..Hank
ps...the girls were all sophmores, and I was a freshman and they thought I was a dumb kid...they were right...

 

[BLAHMAN]

"I kind of wished that I had taken more shop classes when I was in high school."

Ya, but there wern't any girls in the shop class! :rotf:

Yes there were......they just looked 'different', and they never got dates from the guys, just other girls in the shop class! :haha:



Who needs a shop class anyway? We got the Forum and it's loaded with class! :thumbsup:

 

[captgary]

"I kind of wished that I had taken more shop classes when I was in high school."

Ya, but there wern't any girls in the shop class! :rotf:

We usually took the shop classes cause we couldent pass the einglosh, marth and other classes the smart kids were taking. :rotf:

 

[Stophel]

I had girls in most all my classes...not that it mattered..

 

[George F.]

When annealing brass heat it with a torch propane, map, plummbers "B" tank, some times if it's a big piece I'll place it on the stove with the torch heating it from above. Heat it until it's a dull red all over then drop it water.There will be a black scale on the brass It's important to remove this scale before you start to work the brass, fore it will interfere with the silver soldering of the hinge area.Mark out your bends for making your hinges and bend them,I will re-anneal them after each bend to prevent the brass from stress cracking. After you complete the bending for your hinges, silver solder you flaps to secure them. Then I bend the lid using my forms, male and female forms so that you have a good mold for the lid.Separate them insert your lid between the forms and place all three in a vise and close the vise tight. Open your vise remove you lid and pat youself on the back for doing a fine job. Also try to purchase a how to book on building. Pete Alexander"s book GUNSMITH OF GREENVILLE COUNTY is good book. Covers alot of the questions beginners ask. I never would of attempted my first build without a refrence book, something you can always look to whenever YOU want. Has alot of sketches and photos. You'll thank youself times over for picking it up...give yourself a treat! Good luck I hoped I helped............George F.