Typewriter gun parts?

Fixed the recoil lock spring on a Model 19 Marlin Hammer Shotgun.

With a bit off an old Swiss Army knife.

Used half of the wishbone spring off the scissors in an old Swiss Army knife inserted into the slot where the old straight blade spring had broken off.

Had to knock the base of the broken spring out of the slot on the recoil with a precision tool but the new stainless steel bit fit just fine.
 
Here I am thinking we were going to be talking about the ol' Chicago typewriter someone had in their collection.
 
Rob said:
A major gun collector once told me that he never sold any parts because "you never know when you might need them." He also told me that he tore down old typewriters as a good source for all sorts of small bolts, nuts, springs, etc. useful in gun repair. (By "major gun collector", I mean that when he said this to me, we were comfortably sitting in his free-standing outdoor concrete gun vault, surrounded by several hundred firearms.) I have never mined an old typewriter for small gun parts, but I guess it might work.
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Problem I see with that is that in real world terms, folks making guns, sewing machines, typewriters and the like, really don't have to outsource any of their supply chain, so they can make whatever gawdawful bugger-be-damned thread size shape form pitch they see fit.
After all, it makes sure the customer comes back for parts!

Winchester had 35 and a half threads per inch (35 & 1/2 TPI) on a bunch of screws used on the High Wall for instance. And even in the more or less standard pitch threads in the parts sheet above, I see a fair few decimal sizes rather than full fractions or even number sizes.

I wouldn't run off and scrounge up any typewriters on account of that advice!

Might be an OK source for starting material when you need to make something that fits, but more likely it'll be that much scrap metal that you will still have when you die!
 
I also doubt that SPECIFIC typewriter PARTS were used in FIREARMS.....HOWEVER...... I read a book many years ago about the manufacturing of firearms during WW2 and the governments haste to get ANYTHING into production. (They were very desperate). I don't recall the typewriter division BUT they did manufacture quite a number of firearms for the American Military. If I recall they were one of the BEST at the numbers and quality of output. The writer mentioned that though they had NEVER previously made parts for the firearms industry, they understood quite well the PROCESS of manufacturing MANY SMALL PARTS and were quite successful at their job. (I'll try to look up the book, gettin old sucks). Don't recall the NAME of the company but I was surprised that it was a typewriter company. (The next book will be "BIC...pens and razors...NOW the new SNIPER rifles")
 
big boar said:
I also doubt that SPECIFIC typewriter PARTS were used in FIREARMS.....HOWEVER...... I read a book many years ago about the manufacturing of firearms during WW2 and the governments haste to get ANYTHING into production. (They were very desperate). I don't recall the typewriter division BUT they did manufacture quite a number of firearms for the American Military. If I recall they were one of the BEST at the numbers and quality of output. The writer mentioned that though they had NEVER previously made parts for the firearms industry, they understood quite well the PROCESS of manufacturing MANY SMALL PARTS and were quite successful at their job. (I'll try to look up the book, gettin old sucks). Don't recall the NAME of the company but I was surprised that it was a typewriter company. (The next book will be "BIC...pens and razors...NOW the new SNIPER rifles")
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Off the top of my head, Remington Rand made a 1911 pistol, about 500 of them.
 
I would not be surprised if you could use typewriter parts in a firearm in a pinch if you really needed to jerry rig something together. However, they might not last long. I don't know if typewriter parts are made to the same standards as firearm parts lol.
 
diabeticfreak said:
I would not be surprised if you could use typewriter parts in a firearm in a pinch if you really needed to jerry rig something together. However, they might not last long. I don't know if typewriter parts are made to the same standards as firearm parts lol.
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Anyone that can make a part to tolerances is capable of making gun parts too.
There is not any secret formula or magical handshake that makes parts for guns different, just lots of supposition by the ignorant masses.

As to War Production, the War Production Board assigned out parts or whole projects to Industries that had the capability. They gave them blueprints with specs and tolerances, and assigned supplies to be delivered as needed. The Board tried very hard to get the best possible use out of any production capability that was available. If you were a supplier and could not meet the specs for the stuff you were assigned, you were penalized, the work was given to someone else, and the Board assigned you some lower spec work that you COULD handle.

Outfits that made typewriters (Rand, Underwood) or sewing machines (Singer) already had production facilities that were aimed at generally the same sort of parts, so it was an easy call. Take the machines that made screws, thousands a day, and set them up to make different size screws. Easy.

But that does not in any way mean that the typewriter parts were used or useful as gun parts.
 
Wasn't there a WWII Russian machine gun that used some common Soviet-made tractor parts in its cooling system as an aid to field repair?
 
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IBM selectric was an amazing machine had just about every electro mechanical device in it. Spring clutches, pulleys, leaf/coil springs, cams, pulleys, etc...

We had to install huge counter weights to the main motor to counter espionage on the DND machines would burn them out quick though.
 
trevj said:
Anyone that can make a part to tolerances is capable of making gun parts too.
There is not any secret formula or magical handshake that makes parts for guns different, just lots of supposition by the ignorant masses.

As to War Production, the War Production Board assigned out parts or whole projects to Industries that had the capability. They gave them blueprints with specs and tolerances, and assigned supplies to be delivered as needed. The Board tried very hard to get the best possible use out of any production capability that was available. If you were a supplier and could not meet the specs for the stuff you were assigned, you were penalized, the work was given to someone else, and the Board assigned you some lower spec work that you COULD handle.

Outfits that made typewriters (Rand, Underwood) or sewing machines (Singer) already had production facilities that were aimed at generally the same sort of parts, so it was an easy call. Take the machines that made screws, thousands a day, and set them up to make different size screws. Easy.

But that does not in any way mean that the typewriter parts were used or useful as gun parts.
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What he said.

Basically, any company that had a production facility and could make firearms did so.

For instance, while real firearms companies like Winchester, Springfield and H&R were commissioned to make M 1 Garands, they also utilized International Harvester (a farm implement manufacturer) in their production.

The M 1 Carbine was made by such diverse companies as Rock-ola (makers of juke boxes); Irwin Pedersen and Saginaw (makers of steering gears); Inland Division (a branch of GM); National Postal Meter ( a company that made various types of meters); Standard Products (a company that made car parts); Quality Hardware Manufacturing Company (a hardware company); as well as Underwood and IBM (makers of typewriters).

Regarding the 1911 pistol, besides the expected Colt, Remington Rand, and Ithaca makers, they were also made by Singer (a sewing machine maker) and Union Switch and Signal Company (self explanatory).

And that's just in the US during World War 2; many other countries did likewise.
 
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Rob said:
A major gun collector once told me that he never sold any parts because "you never know when you might need them." He also told me that he tore down old typewriters as a good source for all sorts of small bolts, nuts, springs, etc. useful in gun repair. (By "major gun collector", I mean that when he said this to me, we were comfortably sitting in his free-standing outdoor concrete gun vault, surrounded by several hundred firearms.) I have never mined an old typewriter for small gun parts, but I guess it might work.
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To clarify, the collector who told me this was only talking about very small screws and springs, that sort of thing...not larger actual "gun parts."
 
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silver 55 said:
Off the top of my head, Remington Rand made a 1911 pistol, about 500 of them.
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I came across some more info on this topic. Remington Rand made about 400,000 of them. The holy grail of the 1911 world was made by Singer sewing machine. They only made 500 of them and their quality was VERY good. I think the starting price is $100,000. The gov't figured they were wasting their time building guns and put them to work to making bomb sights and navigation gear.
 
I made replacement gun parts for years.

Screws, springs, ejector, extractor, firing pins and different parts, tube magazine ect..to keep guns shooting.
Almost any gun parts can be repaired or reproduced.

Time needed to do this is prohibitive for most usual gun. Collectible of great value is another ball game.

No need to keep old typewriter or any non related piece of junk for parts.

Many here on CGN have the skill and equipment to do so.
There is many bubba too :)
 
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tiriaq said:
Small salvaged mechanical parts are often useful. Springs, pins, etc. May never need one, but if one is needed, it was worth keeping the whole cache.
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lol yupp. Got a whole bin of random stuff that the missus thinks is garbage. I'm the type of person who holds onto stuff so I can one day re-use it. I still have the folding brackets for an old metal futon we got rid of, I know I'll figure out a use for them one day!

I find all too often when I DO get rid of stuff thats just been sitting around for years, I find I could use that thing for something within a week...
 
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