Simple instructions for making a matchlock

[Flint62Smoothie]

... maybe this post could be a 'sticky', whereas there appears to be a growing interest in the older BP ignition arms?

This info was put together by the Northern Arizona University, link = Making a Matchlock

 

[TobJohn]

Thanks for sharing the link!

With how esoteric the pre flintlock systems are, it would be great to consolidate information on making each type (snap matchlock, normal matchlock, snaphance, wheellock, combination lock). Obviously something like a wheellock requires a high level of skill and forgoing resources, but if the information is easily out there, maybe more people would attempt it.

My strategy of looking at old Michael threads on Viking Sword and then harassing you and Pukka is probably not sustainable for future makers.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Obviously something like a wheellock requires a high level of skill and forgoing resources, but if the information is easily out there, maybe more people would attempt it.

FYI - From his website, the reknown 'Bolek M.' from Poland, arguably the BEST wheellock maker alive today, is selling his detailed/dimensioned wheellock plans for 50 Euro.

 

[TobJohn]

FYI - From his website, the reknown 'Bolek M.' from Poland, arguably the BEST wheellock maker alive today, is selling his detailed/dimensioned wheellock plans for 50 Euro.

Oh really? Thats awesome. I’ve heard he is severely backlogged and very expensive, so thats good to know about (not that that is something I could try making anytime soon).

Does he have a website separate from his facebook?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Oh really? Thats awesome. I’ve heard he is severely backlogged and very expensive, so thats good to know about (not that that is something I could try making anytime soon).

About 1500 Euro and a 1-year wait, which could go longer as he's building his workshop too.

Does he have a website separate from his facebook?

Not that I know of. It seems a lot of European craftspersons only do business via FB, which is surprising to me.

I actually recently bought a custom recurve bow from a master bowyer and bladesmith who hails from Serbia, and it was all from FB and then FB Messenger for contact. I ended up getting a PHENOMENAL custom bow for ~1/2 the price of a US-built comparable bow. In this case, for me ... it wasn't the $$, but the bowyer uses woods that the US bowyers just don't have access to.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I still need to get around to making scaled/dimensioned drawings of the various matchlocks I've obtained. I think one may be from Jurgen Krekel and that might be an ideal one to use for such a project. It would include stock measurements too.

Stay tuned ...

 

[TobJohn]

About 1500 Euro and a 1-year wait, which could go longer as he's building his workshop too.


Not that I know of. It seems a lot of European craftspersons only do business via FB, which is surprising to me.

I actually recently bought a custom recurve bow from a master bowyer and bladesmith who hails from Serbia, and it was all from FB and then FB Messenger for contact. I ended up getting a PHENOMENAL custom bow for ~1/2 the price of a US-built comparable bow. In this case, for me ... it wasn't the $$, but the bowyer uses woods that the US bowyers just don't have access to.

That's actually not as bad of a wait and price as I had thought.

I briefly looked at swords from around the 1450-1550 time period and one of the polish makers had only fb and was like half the price of the US counterparts for a better product. I was fiscally responsible and held off on buying, but good to know for the future...

As I have been looking at options for gun stock hard woods, that is an interesting problem I have come across. The early matchlocks were obviously local European varieties so its not as clear what the US equivalent would be. I am just going to assume walnut can stand in as European walnut, but I saw that several of Michael's pieces were limewood and European beach wood.

 

[TobJohn]

I still need to get around to making scaled/dimensioned drawings of the various matchlocks I've obtained. I think one may be from Jurgen Krekel and that might be an ideal one to use for such a project. It would include stock measurements too.

Stay tuned ...

That'd be great for the community.

Michael's threads on his Tuscan snapping matchlock, short landsknecht arquebus, and very early landsknecht arquebus have such detailed pictures and information, it would be nice to include them somewhere/ or at least consolidated information from the threads. The matchlock chronology thread should be included in its own right, but combining it with the information in the petronel thread basically covers everything for a combination lock petronel.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

The early matchlocks were obviously local European varieties so its not as clear what the US equivalent would be ...

Go with cherry and you can't go wrong, IMHO. I know Brian Anderson had sourced his cherry from local saw mills near him (Vermont) and it is the perfect wood for the two 1500s era arms I've gotten from him. Again, too bad he retired ...

Brits used English walnut, the French too on their fuzees, but a lot of the other early European arms were their native fruit tree woods or those like their birch or artic birch varieties.

 

[TobJohn]

Go with cherry and you can't go wrong, IMHO. I know Brian Anderson had sourced his cherry from local saw mills near him (Vermont) and it is the perfect wood for the two 1500s era arms I've gotten from him. Again, too bad he retired ...

Brits used English walnut, the French too on their fuzees, but a lot of the other early European arms were their native fruit tree woods or those like their birch or artic birch varieties.

Cherry would be convenient. I think there is a sawmill near me with locally sourced wood, so i may see what they have.

 

[TobJohn]

On the overall topic of the thread, while procrastinating the other day, I was trying to see if I could find the most generic/archetypical fishtail matchlock musket to potentially use as a template in the future. I am away from my computer, so i cant use the benefit of Google translate to navigate and find it again, but the Musée de l'Armée had a Dutch one in the collection, with size and weight, that is a strong contender.

 

[Rudyard]

Well the idea may be good but the drawing is awful and its Not a' cock' it's a Serpentine if it's anything . Jergan Krecle is not a good guide he was full of himself but used starkley modern matierials . The blind leading the blind you could say & I do.
Am I any better ? Well happen not,, but I do try to keep them in the right Character . Re stock woods , I used a lot of Miro from an old church roof in Picton it was available to me free and had a humerous angle to it . But its stood up fine . I've stocked in beech it's hard to work & heavier than Walnut. Ive used all sorts of wood even Mulberry tree . Of 'Here we go round the Mulberry Bush" fame . Unless you plan to use the gun as a cricket bat it doesn't really matter , I used Meranti once it's not that critical what it is. But the Lime wood or similar woods did seem to be popular in Europe .

For what its worth I think you sort of need to get your head into an archaic place you had tool marks , irregular shapes, nothing of the neat perfection of modern time's .Pukka gave a good account of the approach in his three page' How to do ' Book 'Even govt Ordnance arms vary greatly & all civilian ones will seldom & only by happenchance conform to a remotely standard pattern.( No Thompson Centers in this field ) Any way that's my view and I have studied & made a few of these guns .
Regards Rudyard

 

[TobJohn]

Well the idea may be good but the drawing is awful and its Not a' cock' it's a Serpentine if it's anything . Jergan Krecle is not a good guide he was full of himself but used starkley modern matierials . The blind leading the blind you could say & I do.
Am I any better ? Well happen not,, but I do try to keep them in the right Character . Re stock woods , I used a lot of Miro from an old church roof in Picton it was available to me free and had a humerous angle to it . But its stood up fine . I've stocked in beech it's hard to work & heavier than Walnut. Ive used all sorts of wood even Mulberry tree . Of 'Here we go round the Mulberry Bush" fame . Unless you plan to use the gun as a cricket bat it doesn't really matter , I used Meranti once it's not that critical what it is. But the Lime wood or similar woods did seem to be popular in Europe .

For what its worth I think you sort of need to get your head into an archaic place you saw tool marks , irregular shapes, nothing of the neat perfection of modern time's .Pukka gave a good account of the approach in his three page' How to do ' Book 'Even govt Ordnance arms vary greatly & all civilian ones will seldom & only by happenchance conform to a standard pattern.( No Thompson Centers in this field ) Any way that's my view and I have studied & made a few of these guns .
Regards Rudyard

I had my mind on local walnut after talking to you about using it in the snapping piece you are building me. I figured if it was good enough for you to use, it is good enough for me haha

Also love “made a few of these guns”

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I was trying to see if I could find the most generic/archetypical fishtail matchlock musket to potentially use as a template in the future.

I have a lever-operated one by Brian Anderson we could perhaps use.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

... Jergan Krecle is not a good guide he was full of himself but used starkley modern matierials.

... am not sure it even is a 'JK' built arm, but that is a good opine to know. I've even seen a few from John Buck that made he go, "Huh ... what?", but alas, who am I to judge, as for now I'm just another 'wanna be' at the moment ...



Jurgen also used a mark in hand-writ/marked script and this maker's mark on the one I'm talking about appears to be a stamped 'K' in the background with another letter (currently undiscernible) offset in the foreground. I'll post this matchlock later. I intended to get to it today, but alas, work has called me away.

 

[TobJohn]

I have a lever-operated one by Brian Anderson we could perhaps use.

View attachment 184544

Nice piece!

When im back in Virginia, I’ll link some of the museum examples I’ve found.

 

[Rudyard]

I had my mind on local walnut after talking to you about using it in the snapping piece you are building me. I figured if it was good enough for you to use, it is good enough for me haha

Also love “made a few of these guns”

Dear John. American walnut is different to English /& European W' nut but it's fine .I can't understand the' Ha Ha 'bit it must be a recent idiom that has'nt
reached these shores . No biggy.
Regards Rudyard

 

[Rudyard]

... am not sure it even is a 'JK' built arm, but that is a good opine to know. I've even seen a few from John Buck that made he go, "Huh ... what?", but alas, who am I to judge, as for now I'm just another 'wanna be' at the moment ...



Jurgen also used a mark in hand-writ/marked script and this maker's mark on the one I'm talking about appears to be a stamped 'K' in the background with another letter (currently undiscernible) offset in the foreground. I'll post this matchlock later. I intended to get to it today, but alas, work has called me away.

That stamp I supplied & he still owes me on it .hence I am not an admirer of his work but you couldn't tell him . he knew it all he said . A ' Chuff '.in my opinion . Rudyard

 

[TobJohn]

Dear John. American walnut is different to English /& European W' nut but it's fine .I can't understand the' Ha Ha 'bit it must be a recent idiom that has'nt
reached these shores . No biggy.
Regards Rudyard

“Haha” (like a laugh) is just to mean its light hearted/or a joke. I have a tendency to speak very dry or sarcastically in real life, so I sometimes worry it may come off that way over text, which is why I include “haha”.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Its good to have some patterns so folk can get the basis right, but it comes to mind this could be a bit like "Draw me a horse"....and everyone of course draws a different breed.
If we can keep off generic, this could be a very useful Idea, Flint!