I am building my first gun and I screwed up. HEHE I know that is hard to believe. I was tapping the lock bolt and the tap broke. I was stupid and bought a cheapo thinking I would save a buck or two. Any way it was ti hard to drill and I had to drive it out of the hole. In doing so I bent the tail piece that is behind the pan and I did not realize it but I also messed up the top edge of the fence. The real question is how hard is it to fit a new pan?? I Know TOW has the parts but was wondering if I should buy a new one and keep it for parts or fit a new pan? :shake:
Replacing pan on Large Siler
- Thread starter strask
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IMO, it ain't easy.
Although the part is available from TOTW or Chambers, the real problem is going to be redrilling and tapping the hole for the frizzen.
This hole is drilled as a "matched set" with the pan and frizzen installed on the lockplate. It has to be exactly in the right place or the frizzen will bind (or worse, the hole will not go thru the pans "bridle" extension in the right place.
Give some real strong thought to trying to straighten the existing lockplate back out and filing the damaged area off of the fence.
If you try to straighten it out, don't pound directly on it with a steel hammer. Most of the plastic/leather/aluminum hammers that could be used aren't strong enough to do much to the steel plate so I might suggest getting a small piece of hardwood, laying it on the high area of the lock and then pounding on it with a steel hammer.
You may go thru several pieces of hardwood before the lockplate is straightened back out.
If the threaded hole is buggered up, you might consider going to the next larger size of screw, redrilling the hole for the new larger screw and buying a good quality tap and some thread cutting oil for it.
Zonie
Although the part is available from TOTW or Chambers, the real problem is going to be redrilling and tapping the hole for the frizzen.
This hole is drilled as a "matched set" with the pan and frizzen installed on the lockplate. It has to be exactly in the right place or the frizzen will bind (or worse, the hole will not go thru the pans "bridle" extension in the right place.
Give some real strong thought to trying to straighten the existing lockplate back out and filing the damaged area off of the fence.
If you try to straighten it out, don't pound directly on it with a steel hammer. Most of the plastic/leather/aluminum hammers that could be used aren't strong enough to do much to the steel plate so I might suggest getting a small piece of hardwood, laying it on the high area of the lock and then pounding on it with a steel hammer.
You may go thru several pieces of hardwood before the lockplate is straightened back out.
If the threaded hole is buggered up, you might consider going to the next larger size of screw, redrilling the hole for the new larger screw and buying a good quality tap and some thread cutting oil for it.
Zonie
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Take it down to a machine shop where they have a hydraulic press, and let them straighten it real easy with the press without hammering it. Wont cost much, and it will be straight for sure.
I use brass rod as a punch for this kind of small scale straightening. Lets you use a bigger hammer (the Norwegian national motto), hence fewer blows in a very tight area.
By the way, cheap, carbon steel taps are actually better for this work. when one of them breaks, you can use a thin punch to crush it inside the hole. Avoid hi-speed steel taps, when one of them breaks, there you are with no way of removing it.
By the way, cheap, carbon steel taps are actually better for this work. when one of them breaks, you can use a thin punch to crush it inside the hole. Avoid hi-speed steel taps, when one of them breaks, there you are with no way of removing it.
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