thank you, Bob, this one is really interestin', and may I say, your photos are so well done that a machinist dolt such as myself could see what is going on here. I might be tempted to think I could do it myself.
GT, your ''miniscule'' projects are always as intriguing as your bigger works. I hope the both of you continue to share this stuff with us for a long while to come. Happy Halloween to all.

Got going on the lever the last couple days.  Had to redo the numbers on my drawing somewhat because of some dimensional changes I made in the frame and breech block area.  That took most of an afternoon to correct and verify before starting to machine steel.

This first photo is how the lever started.  The thicker step will mostly be machined away but is needed because a portion will be left to activate the extractor.

The blank I used ended not being quite wide enough to catch the end of the lever.  It should have been, but because I change the layout on the blank it wouldn't fit.  So I ended up making the back portion straight and bent it into the shape I wanted.  Was going to use heat but I don't have anything that will get this much steel hot enough so ended up cold forging it.  This second picture shows the roughed out lever.

After some clean up the lever looks much better in this third picture.  But, is still way too heavy looking and will be thinned up  when I finish the outside of the lever.

In this fourth photo the inside is getting really close to finished size.  Just needs some fine tuning of the shape yet.  The outside will be left until the gun is more functional and I know the lever will work.  

This fifth picture now has the breech block in place and shows the step is mostly gone at the front.  The portion of the step that is left, is around the pivot pin.  There is a pretty good lump above and in front of the pivot pin.  There will be a spring to help hold the lever closed, and hopefully position the breech block in the proper place for loading the gun when open, but after extraction.  What I'm wanting is to open the lever until the cartridge is extracted and then the spring will push or raise the block to the loading position...hope that makes sense!  Anyway, this lump or cam will be what the spring will act on to make this stuff happen.....I hope!
Bob

Started on the extractor in this first picture.  Machining was done on the rotary table.  Didn't notice the broken tooth on end mill until I was done.

Thinning down the shell end of the extractor in the third picture.  With the broken end mill still being used!

And the last one is the rough finished extractor.
Bob

Don't know if people appreciate the drawings and layouts Bob uses as background for the photos.
Suspect he spends more time on those drawings than machining parts.
Don't believe most people can build an action from stock without some drafting skills.
Have read that John Browning could visualize parts and make them without a drawing or sketch.
Chuck 

While I was working I have had engineers bring me sketches on everything from drafting paper to the funny pages out of the newspaper. Don't matter what it is written on as long as it is legible and understandable.


JMH

Grumpy gumpy wrote on Nov 11^th, 2022 at 4:31pm:


He does, however, have issues with timber from time to time (Gumpy that is not bobw)

The first photo in this post is of making the decorative spacer.

When done making it in the lathe I threw it on the surface grinder to get the thickness I wanted and make sure the sides were parallel. Then back in the lathe on a mandrel and polished it.  The marks on the face are from installing it on the mandrel and not hurting anything.

3 is the spacer installed on the barrel shank.

The last two pictures are the barrel fully installed, setup properly to the breech block and the spacer installed.

The spacer will need some decoration which will be done the same as the grip cap and the screw that retains the cap.  These will probably need to be engraved since the grip cap is elliptical. 

Now I can work on getting the extractor installed, firing pin in place and the firing pin transfer bar made and installed.  I'll cut a chamber later.
Bob

As I mentioned before this original gun did not have an extractor or firing pin because it was made as a breech loading percussion in the 1850 and 60's.

So, I have a working extractor now. Photo 1 shows it fitted in the frame but still needs fitted to the barrel.

Photo 2 show the frame machined slot.

3 and 4 shows it fitted to the barrel, fully open and near fully closed.

Bob