Matchlock Toy

[tiriaq]

A few of these have turned up. ca 1600. Saw ones in the Royal Ontario Museum years ago. This one is in the Royal Armouries, Leeds. Some have been found by "mudlarkers" searching the tidal flats in the Thames.
Making a reproduction might be a fun project.

 

[NorthCoastBigBore]

That is really neat; I've been wanting to make a miniature percussion toy for a while (after other projects on the list), the matchlock would be a neat twist and the mechanism might be easier to get right quicker.

 

[tiriaq]

A few of these have surfaced; all alike. I wonder if perhaps they weren't made by the same maker. They must have been quite expensive toys.
There are photos of one that has had some restoration, including an addition of a pan cover.

Even the punch decoration on the barrels is similar.

 

[J.Hancock]

these are fascinating

 

[tiriaq]

It was perhaps 50 years ago that I saw the ones in the R.O.M. Don't have a clear memory of how long they were. They are toys, not just small guns. Just big enough to manipulate. Haven't found a photo with a scale in it. I think the photo in post 1 is a bit larger than actual size. A chuck of brass 1/2" thick by 1" wide might be a good starting point.
I've often wondered how they came to be in the river. Misused, seized and pitched? Has happened with BB guns...

 

[NorthCoastBigBore]

So they do actually fire a ball? Yes as a kid, I ended up with two BB guns that friend's parents had bent the barrels on and tossed out after his brother had decided to use them for some "target practice", so I could easily see them being tossed for similar reasons

1/2" thick by 1" - so quite similar to some of the smaller miniature cap guns, for scale.

 

[tiriaq]

One might be 5 or 6 inches long. Don't know if they actually fired a projectile or just blank loads. Did find a photo of a toy with a damaged barrel, so maybe they could fire a ball.

 

[tiriaq]

Here is yet another one:

 

[tacfoley]

A few of these have surfaced; all alike. I wonder if perhaps they weren't made by the same maker. They must have been quite expensive toys.
There are photos of one that has had some restoration, including an addition of a pan cover. View attachment 394993 Even the punch decoration on the barrels is similar.

Quote - dating: circa 1600
provenance: London
Smooth, octagonal barrel, worked in one piece with the stock. Hammer, spring, trigger and pan cover all made of iron. Brass ramrod under the barrel. Functioning.The pistol was found in the river Thames, it was restored by Howard Blackmore, Master of the Armouries at the Tower of London.

dimensions: length 12 cm.

ca.1200 euro.

 

[tiriaq]

Thanks. So, about 5" long.

 

[SigWig]

Very cool, Thank you.

 

[NorthCoastBigBore]

May have to clear some parts off a bench and make one this summer.

 

[tiriaq]

Playing with the photos, and given an overall length of 12cm, one could be whittled out of a piece of brass 1/2x1x5 1/2, if the pattern is laid out correctly. The flashpan would have to be added; 1/2" thickness isn't enough. Soft solder would do. Bore could be 3/16"; with fine powder, should be possible for a blank load to make a pop.
I expect that the originals were cast.

 

[tiriaq]

Been making some drawings scaled from the photos. Delicate little thing.