32 rimfire - Robin Hood No.2

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Nesplak

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Good day, so I bought an antique 32 rimfire pistol the other day. It’s in absolutely amazing condition minus one part. The cylinder lock piece is just about to crack. It has a lot of give to it causing the cylinder to spin with the hammer down or cocked. Do any of you gun nuts know of a gunsmith that specializes in antiques? I’ve completely given up on ever finding a replacement part, Im wondering if 3D printing one with metal is a possibility. It’s sooo small and I can’t imagine many companies wanting to be bothered with something like this. Anyways any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
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That looks like it has already been welded back together once, poorly. The geometry looks off so you may need to find someone that can do some math and figure out if the lock is still the correct dimensions before you go replicating it. A highly skilled welder could likely put the original back together if its still the right shape.
 
Hey yes it’s been welded before. It works great until it slowly bends out of spec. I’ll maybe call some jewellers and see if they can weld it.
 
It was probably welded with 'soft' steel and not heat treated. That would require grinding all that weld away plus some more and welding with spring steel, shaping and heat treating it... it might be easier to make a new part.
 
Nesplak said:
Good day, so I bought an antique 32 rimfire pistol the other day. It’s in absolutely amazing condition minus one part. The cylinder lock piece is just about to crack. It has a lot of give to it causing the cylinder to spin with the hammer down or cocked. Do any of you gun nuts know of a gunsmith that specializes in antiques? I’ve completely given up on ever finding a replacement part, Im wondering if 3D printing one with metal is a possibility. It’s sooo small and I can’t imagine many companies wanting to be bothered with something like this. Anyways any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
np7BWYJ.jpeg
T6X1MsT.jpeg
TEvWgEC.png
Click to expand...
I have made parts like that a few times, though never for a handgun.
Typically you would shape the spring with the steel in an annealed state, then heat treat afterwards. For a spring that tiny, that's going to be very difficult. You might make 3 before you get one that works.
Fortunately, there is an easier way. Truck leaf spring material is very easy to get, and is just soft enough that a guy can cut it with a hacksaw and files. Shape, polish, and then I usually give it a little bake in the oven at around 400ish, or until it's starting to turn purple. It's already fully heat-treated, so we're just stress relieving it a bit.
This process has worked multiple times for me, without any failures.
 
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