Question for Frank or....

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I have a Flint Lock Fowler in the shop that the customer wants me to restore back to original. Somewhere down the line the lock was changed to a percussion and some wood is missing from the front of the stock. Now the neat part. This is a 1718 .......... one of the 1st guns to be made by the French commissioned by the commerce of the ..........town.
I'm starting to get back into my history of F&I witch is driving me a little deeper and earlier into the weapons of the period.
Anyway My question is; Do you know a lock maker?

BTW anyone ever use PBR and not the beer:rofl:
 
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I have a Flint Lock Fowler in the shop that the customer wants me to restore back to original. Somewhere down the line the lock was changed to a percussion and some wood is missing from the front of the stock. Now the neat part. This is a 1718 .......... one of the 1st guns to be made by the French commissioned by the commerce of the ..........town.
I'm starting to get back into my history of F&I witch is driving me a little deeper and earlier into the weapons of the period.
Anyway My question is; Do you know a lock maker?

BTW anyone ever use PBR and not the beer:rofl:

Not sure where to start. :huh:
OK, I'll answer your question. There are several very good lock makers. I suggest you first contact L&R http://www.lr-rpl.com/
A phone call is probably your best bet for a first contact, or an e-mail. Tell them you want a flintlock with a large plate for shaping to fit the existing inlet on the stock. You will have a lot of grinding or filing to duplicate the fit with exactly matching alignment of the original. I suggest you use their 'Classic' style flintlock. It is a great flintlock.
Also look up supplier Track of the Wolf http://www.trackofthewolf.com/index.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1&as=1
They are excellent but not the only one, there are other highly reputable suppliers out there. If you want more, let me know.
Since you are going to be messing with a lock, do buy a mainspring vice from Track. If you try using pliers or Vice Grips you will be ordering a new mainspring.
Now, the barrel. That is an oldie. There are always natural concerns with strength and corrosion in the breach. Safety concerns loom large here. But, the trickiest part will be re-converting back to flint from a cap buster. There are several ways, all are time consuming and require an expert hand to accomplish.
My final suggestion is: Don't do the job. This, in my experienced and humble opinion, is, essentially a rebuild. Unless you are an experienced builder this is a job that will require many-many hours. Ask your client how many thousands of dollars he is willing to invest before starting.
Track has excellent books and DVDs on the subject(s) of building. They also sell kits to recreate the old guns, rifles, trade muskets, fowlers, etc.
I went longer than intended. E-mail me if you have more questions.
 
Thanks Frank, I spoke to Track yesterday and to fashion a lock is 4-5K I have the original Lock Plate. The Lock was converted. I do not intend to do any of the lock or touch hole. The wood part is not a problem. What I am hoping is that who ever makes the Lock will be able to use the original Lock Plate. The old screw holes need to be re tamped and hopefully the parts can be re-fitted.

I also have a call into a guy named Eric Gibson who is a master Lock maker who is a friend of a friend. Hope this pans out. Anyway I'll post some pic's up. Later.
 
Thanks Frank, I spoke to Track yesterday and to fashion a lock is 4-5K I have the original Lock Plate. The Lock was converted. I do not intend to do any of the lock or touch hole. The wood part is not a problem. What I am hoping is that who ever makes the Lock will be able to use the original Lock Plate. The old screw holes need to be re tamped and hopefully the parts can be re-fitted.

I also have a call into a guy named Eric Gibson who is a master Lock maker who is a friend of a friend. Hope this pans out. Anyway I'll post some pic's up. Later.

Contact http://www.caywoodguns.com/ ask for Mike "Kiwi" Rowe. He is the resident lock maker. If it can be done, he can do it. Be prepared to wait and to pay. Two others, Ken Krause and Mike Pierce. Do not contact either, I know they are pre-occupied with other projects and the wait would be considerable. I have been waiting seven years :( for a flint fowler not unlike the project you are contemplating. I have other contacts as well. If yer string runs out, let me know.
 
ok Frank
 

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Interesting piece. I'm not enough of an expert to pinpoint that gun. It has an interesting drop and stock shape. I'm sure other could tell the style/era/etc. of that at a glance.
The lock would benefit from a dunk in an electrolysis bath. Remaining steel/iron would not be harmed.
Removing that drum could be problematic. Then the hole would have to be closed up (TIG weld?) and drilled for the flash hole. Tricky-tricky.
The stock crack is a common place for a break. A good glue then reinforcement with a section of threaded brass rod should do the job. Nothing would be hurt. Old guns often show their 'story' through repairs.
 
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