It is not unusual to see hammer guns with the tumbler shanks broken. If you're lucky, the hammer will accompany the gun, but often it is lost. That was the case with these two.
In the photo, there is a piece of 1144 steel, and two locks (both flint converted to cap). The broken tumblers are shown along with a blank turned from the 1144 bar, and on the right, a tumbler made from a similar blank which is about 80% finished. The mainspring in this lock is also a replacement. The link must be made as well. I'll make it from a piece of drill rod.
Incidentally, I got the 1144 steel from Metals R Us in Nova Scotia. They sell metals cut to length, priced by the inch. Rather than use whatever scrap steel I could scrounge, I wanted known quality alloy steel. 1144 is an oil hardening steel successfully used for making tumblers. It machines about as nicely as 12L14 free machining mild steel. They have a minimum order policy of $40, so I ordered some other pieces that I needed to make the order worthwhile.
In the photo, there is a piece of 1144 steel, and two locks (both flint converted to cap). The broken tumblers are shown along with a blank turned from the 1144 bar, and on the right, a tumbler made from a similar blank which is about 80% finished. The mainspring in this lock is also a replacement. The link must be made as well. I'll make it from a piece of drill rod.
Incidentally, I got the 1144 steel from Metals R Us in Nova Scotia. They sell metals cut to length, priced by the inch. Rather than use whatever scrap steel I could scrounge, I wanted known quality alloy steel. 1144 is an oil hardening steel successfully used for making tumblers. It machines about as nicely as 12L14 free machining mild steel. They have a minimum order policy of $40, so I ordered some other pieces that I needed to make the order worthwhile.
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