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My German Wheellock replica

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The wheel lock is Great work. You and RUDYARD would get on fine.
Years ago Deutsches Waffen-Journal produced a book of dimensioned drawings for a wheel
lock pistol very similar to yours. I seem to remember it was A4 format of about 25/30 pages.
 
Great work on both pistols Vic. I have the patience, but I don't have your "brain to hand" skills. But fortunately for me, others do. Which allows me to pay for the use of their skills. LOL

Rick
 
Want me to send you a few pieces? If so, PM me your address across the pond ...
That's very kind of you Dale but I have ordered some from Peter Dyson in Huddersfield, £2 per piece but I only want a couple as I'm not firing the gun again
 
The wheel lock is Great work. You and RUDYARD would get on fine.
Years ago Deutsches Waffen-Journal produced a book of dimensioned drawings for a wheel
lock pistol very similar to yours. I seem to remember it was A4 format of about 25/30 pages.

Yup, I lent my copy to a friend who promptly set it on fire, along with the rest of his work-shed. It was an EXCELLENT set of highly-detailed instructions on how to build a typically Silesian-style pistol, given time, patience and the mastery of a few basic metal-working tools, oh, and about forty years experience in gun-making........ ;)
 
TFoley already said it better than I can, but I can second his statement, fervently.
Your patience and craftsmanship are inspiring, Sir.
But for the difference in metal and aged tone, I believe it could have come from a period German workshop - and be coveted by museums.
 
Yup, I lent my copy to a friend who promptly set it on fire, along with the rest of his work-shed. It was an EXCELLENT set of highly-detailed instructions on how to build a typically Silesian-style pistol, given time, patience and the mastery of a few basic metal-working tools, oh, and about forty years experience in gun-making........ ;)
In all my years of working I never made plans or drawings for anything, only photographs and measurements
When I worked as an architectural modelmaker I made scale replicas of peoples houses, models for museums and collectors etc all over the world.
In 1998 a film crew came to my workshop to film me making a model of the old curiosity shop for the huge following of the hobby for miniaturists, it was for a programme called " Collectors Lot". and I was featured each day for 5 days.
After the final transmission I was inundated with phone calls and got piles of letters all asking for plans so they could try making their own model, I'm sure some were convinced I did have drawings but wouldn't share them.
 
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Yup, I lent my copy to a friend who promptly set it on fire, along with the rest of his work-shed. It was an EXCELLENT set of highly-detailed instructions on how to build a typically Silesian-style pistol, given time, patience and the mastery of a few basic metal-working tools, oh, and about forty years experience in gun-making........ ;)
Hi, Tom.
If you would like to copy my copy please PM. OLD DOG..
 
Hi, Tom.
If you would like to copy my copy please PM. OLD DOG..

That's incredibly generous of your, Sir, and I thank you for the offer. However, my days of even thinking about making such a thing disappeared along with most of my hair, but thanks again.
 
That's incredibly generous of your, Sir, and I thank you for the offer. However, my days of even thinking about making such a thing disappeared along with most of my hair, but thanks again.
Thank you Tom. My hair is still in abundence thankfully but no longer black. Now ARCTIC BLONDE and
the fine work is only a little possible. We must have met somewhere along the WAY. LR at Bisley?? before 1997.. OLD DOG..03.34..
 
Thank you Tom. My hair is still in abundence thankfully but no longer black. Now ARCTIC BLONDE and
the fine work is only a little possible. We must have met somewhere along the WAY. LR at Bisley?? before 1997.. OLD DOG..03.34..

Perhaps we did. Although I'm sure that if we had for sure it not something that either of us would ever have forgotten! My hair has somehow turned to fresh air...
 
This is a project I began way back in the 1960's I had bought a flintlock pistol and had a go at repairing it's broken sear spring. I then made a replica lock. I used to go to the Science and industry museum in Birmingham (UK) and they had a display of guns from the proof house collection, there were several wheellocks and I became fascinated by how they worked. I decided to have a go at making a wheellock and the first attempt was an Italian pistol copied from a book, I spent weeks making the lock and using a tiny Unimat lathe to mill flutes in the barrel and a raised section on the lock plate which I then chiseled as leaves. I then carved the walnut stock. Then I looked at the metal filigree inlay shown on the book photo and realised it was a step too far trying to cut intricate scrolls in the wild grain of Walnut and it was never completed and has no trigger, I have photo's which I'll add later.

However, around 1972 I was itching to make a working replica of a German Nuremberg holster pistol, again copied from a book, which I show here, The lock and barrel all completed but the bone inlay is still nowhere near completed as you will see on the photo's. The lock has 7 springs in total and I still have the box of failures from earlier attempts that broke on compression, I learned that springs need to temper beyond the blue to grey and then plunge in old engine oil, from then on I never lost a spring again. The barrel is made from a 1" bar with 1/2" bore that I found at a blacksmiths, as I had no lathe big enough between centres back then it took hours and hours of filing and grinding the taper right down to the muzzle, the bore is actually about right for this type of gun,

Being a holster pistol this type of weapon is almost straight and is 34" in total, the barrel with it's short tang is 25" .It's copied from a book which it listed as a holster pistol (Horse) from around 1580. On the lock you can see my initials VN carved in the protrusion from the internal bridle and also a "V" for Vic stamped in the lock.

It has not been worked on for decades, I got married, had kids etc, I still have the box of inlay materials, mostly bone handled cutlery, piano keys that were bone and not ivory and necklaces and bracelets with useable pieces of bone and staghorn. I have fired it using wadding rather than a ball, the mechanism works well, fires every time. Being mild steel it's now turned grey, the original would be made from pure iron which stays bright and does not rust so easily

Vic


View attachment 239125

View attachment 239126
the reverse shows part of the inlay has been started, all the figures copied from the book but the space around the figures need lots of tiny round inserts
View attachment 239118
The lock which has a spring powered pan cover and again my initials VN on the mainspring, the spindle and short chain are case hardened as is the wheel. The exterior photo shows the safety lever locked in place.
View attachment 239119
Part of the inlay copied from a book, some of my engraving beginning to wear away just from occasionally handling the gun over the years, I'm not sure what they would have used to darken the engravings
View attachment 239121
The barrel has the Nurenberg snake symbol, the wheel was case hardened but most of the lock is mild steel
View attachment 239122

My initials VN and the stamp V are visible on the lock, the safety lever swivels to lock the sear from moving

View attachment 239124
The graveyard of broken springs, hours of filing and polishing only for failure either instantly or after a few hours
Beautiful work Vic! Looks like the work paid off in the end!😍
 
In all my years of working I never made plans or drawings for anything, only photographs and measurements
When I worked as an architectural modelmaker I made scale replicas of peoples houses, models for museums and collectors etc all over the world.
In 1998 a film crew came to my workshop to film me making a model of the old curiosity shop for the huge following of the hobby for miniaturists, it was for a programme called " Collectors Lot". and I was featured each day for 5 days.
After the final transmission I was inundated with phone calls and got piles of letters all asking for plans so they could try making their own model, I'm sure some were convinced I did have drawings but wouldn't share them.
Hello Vic n
Fantastic job excellent craftsmanship can I ask what you used for barrels I am about to make my first flint lock pistol which apart from the springs I hope to make from scratch which will be made up as l go along best regards
John
I live in uk
 
Hello John,

When I first started making a gun I was working for a Birmingham firm of shopfitters in the 1960's, On the way to a job the lorry would sometimes go to a large industrial blacksmiths shop in Digbeth. I followed our driver in and asked the blacksmith if he had any steel pipe with thick walls and he fetched me a long piece of 1" pipe with 1/2" bore. I used the same pipe on both Wheellocks. I doubt places like this are easy to find now but worth looking around your area.
As I mentioned in my original post I had to grind and file it to taper it down to the muzzle tip where it's just 1/16th" at the very end. it suited a Wheellock pistol, many of which had small bores, but maybe not suitable for a flintlock breach at 1".unless it's a pocket pistol or similar.
I also asked and got a length of flat 3" wide spring steel bar but after numerous failures I used it up and got a length of leaf spring from a small van in a scrapyard and heated it up to remove the temper enough to hacksaw it.

good luck with it, making it up as you go along is exactly what I did!
If you need any advice for spring making etc then message me
Vic
 
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