recommend a gunsmith?
- Thread starter Jdzara
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Al Edge, Ruther Glen Va. 804-448-1119
Does restoration work for the NRA muesum and others.
Does restoration work for the NRA muesum and others.
I hate to be a spoil sport but since we are dealing with an original weapon I should mention some things here you may not be thinking about.
First is condition is everything to an antique. Fixing the hammer may be a nice thing to do, but it will hurt the overall condition of the peice and that will hurt the value of the peice.
And as its cracking I would most likely say there is a problem in the metal of the hammer and that welding it may cause further degredation and possibly total ruin of the hammer.
Personally its far wiser to have the listed restoration specialist try to make you a few replacement hammers out of modern metal so there is no risk of damange to the original part.
First is condition is everything to an antique. Fixing the hammer may be a nice thing to do, but it will hurt the overall condition of the peice and that will hurt the value of the peice.
And as its cracking I would most likely say there is a problem in the metal of the hammer and that welding it may cause further degredation and possibly total ruin of the hammer.
Personally its far wiser to have the listed restoration specialist try to make you a few replacement hammers out of modern metal so there is no risk of damange to the original part.
I may be barking up the wrong tree, but Dixie Gunworks has offered replacement hammers for years.
Their catalog shows both Flintlock and Percussion hammers and it is possible that they have a close match to your damaged hammer.
If so, fitting it would envolve drilling and shaping the hole to fit the tumbler and possibly bending it a bit.
There website leaves a lot to be desired in the way of pictures of the available hammers but giving them a call and explaining your problem to them might result in some suggestions by them.
The least it could do is to give you a chanch to buy one of their catalogs. (IMO, the Dixie catalog has a lot of good information in it and is well worth owning if only for that reason.)
Although it would be a replacement part, it would preserve the original which would be kept with the gun.
zonie
Their catalog shows both Flintlock and Percussion hammers and it is possible that they have a close match to your damaged hammer.
If so, fitting it would envolve drilling and shaping the hole to fit the tumbler and possibly bending it a bit.
There website leaves a lot to be desired in the way of pictures of the available hammers but giving them a call and explaining your problem to them might result in some suggestions by them.
The least it could do is to give you a chanch to buy one of their catalogs. (IMO, the Dixie catalog has a lot of good information in it and is well worth owning if only for that reason.)
Although it would be a replacement part, it would preserve the original which would be kept with the gun.
zonie
I just don't get what you folks are saying.
To my way of thinking, a repaired piece is still original, and an original piece is better than a repro. I would rather have a NICELY repaired original piece on an original gun than a reproduction piece. But, i'm usually wrong.
Jerry
To my way of thinking, a repaired piece is still original, and an original piece is better than a repro. I would rather have a NICELY repaired original piece on an original gun than a reproduction piece. But, i'm usually wrong.
Jerry
Agreeing with snake-eyes, I think I'll emphasize the word "collector".
IMO, there are old guns and collector guns.
An old gun is obviously one that is old, but more importantly it was made by someone that no one ever heard of.
Unless it has some interesting feature or superb workmanship, collectors aren't really very interested in these, and at least to me, the idea of "fixing it up and getting it in shooting condition" is a worthy goal.
On the other hand, a gun made by a known gunsmith or company like Ketland, Dickert, Amos, Hawken etc falls into the type that collectors are interested in and probably should be left as they are. Of course, cleaning them up using mild detergents which won't harm the existing finish is OK but replacing hardware can affect the value of the piece.
Speaking of antique furniture, every year dozens of pieces are damaged by people who want to refinish them. In doing so they can decrease the value over 75 percent. Collector guns are a lot like old furniture.
zonie
IMO, there are old guns and collector guns.
An old gun is obviously one that is old, but more importantly it was made by someone that no one ever heard of.
Unless it has some interesting feature or superb workmanship, collectors aren't really very interested in these, and at least to me, the idea of "fixing it up and getting it in shooting condition" is a worthy goal.
On the other hand, a gun made by a known gunsmith or company like Ketland, Dickert, Amos, Hawken etc falls into the type that collectors are interested in and probably should be left as they are. Of course, cleaning them up using mild detergents which won't harm the existing finish is OK but replacing hardware can affect the value of the piece.
Speaking of antique furniture, every year dozens of pieces are damaged by people who want to refinish them. In doing so they can decrease the value over 75 percent. Collector guns are a lot like old furniture.
zonie
AZC96 said:
Some old steels do not take kindly to welding. They tend to have a lot of inclusions and such. When the steel gets hot enough to flow at all, such as in TIG welding it will bubble and fiz and make gas craters in the weld. Can be a nigthmare even in stuff made in the early 1870's. BTDT very not fun. Can literally take hours to do a simple 10 minute (on modern steel) repair if at all.
If you can match the hammer I would have someone replace it.
I would check the Rifle Shoppe[url] http://www.therifleshoppe.com/[/url]
or
[url] http://www.blackleyandson.com/[/url]
Rifle Shoppe can be very slow though if its not in stock. They have several pages of cocks in the back of their catalog.
I also suspect that Blackley has better castings. They have a good reputation with Americans that deal with them. They are in England BTW
Dan
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