heating and bending a hammer spring?

[tedmn]

Looking at this kit again....I noticed that the main hammer spring on the lock doesn't sit flat.
Meaning, the bottom leg and the top leg are not in line.  Can I heat and bend the thing a bit?  And I do  mean a bit, not into a pretzel!

[Riley/MN]

Can you post a picture? I'm not sure I follow....

[tedmn]

[attachment=0:28b8pxmr][/attachment]2013-02-26 13.59.43.jpg[/attachment:28b8pxmr]

so this is a bottom view.
You can see the long arm (the lower arm) sticks out from the lock body.  The upper arm (the short arm) sits flat against the lock.

On a secondary note, the trigger pull on this lock is about 10-gorilla.  How does one lighten that up?

BTW, my membership was renewed...just so that you know  

[Riley/MN]

BTW, my membership was renewed...just so that you know  

We have some experts here - I will let them address your question.

[rollingb]

Ted,... a few questions before you take a torch to your mainspring.  

1. Who made the lock?
2. What happens when you place the lock face down on a table or work bench,... and press down on the mainspring with the heel of your hand?
3. Do you have a mainspring vice?

[tedmn]

It's a lock out of a CVA colonial pistol kit from the 70's.  

Pushing down on the lock causes the arm to flatten out and be closer to the base, but then the trigger release goes from a 10-gorilla pull to a 25-gorilla and an elephant pull, and after the first hammer release, the spring moves back out like the photo shows.  

I do have a main spring vise and I've removed the spring in the process of taking the whole lock apart for cleaning.  Putting it back together is when I noticed the difference of the spring arm.  However, I'm thinking it was like this all along, I just didn't notice it and now as I'm putting the kit together, I'm thinking of taking care of the issue, if there is one, as well as trying to lighten up the trigger pull.

Going back to the kit, I'm not 100% sure that someone didn't try to put this thing together before I got to it.  It seems that parts of the kit were put together already.  It wasn't me that I'm sure of, but I do not recall where I got it (garage sale?)

Thanks for the help

[rollingb]

It's a lock out of a CVA colonial pistol kit from the 70's.  

Pushing down on the lock causes the arm to flatten out and be closer to the base, but then the trigger release goes from a 10-gorilla pull to a 25-gorilla and an elephant pull, and after the first hammer release, the spring moves back out like the photo shows.

  Actually, the mainspring has little to do with the amount of pressure it takes to "trip" the sear bar.

I do have a main spring vise and I've removed the spring in the process of taking the whole lock apart for cleaning.  Putting it back together is when I noticed the difference of the spring arm.  However, I'm thinking it was like this all along, I just didn't notice it and now as I'm putting the kit together, I'm thinking of taking care of the issue, if there is one, as well as trying to lighten up the trigger pull.

Sounds like maybe you didn't get the lock put back together quite right. (that is the first thing I would check)  

Going back to the kit, I'm not 100% sure that someone didn't try to put this thing together before I got to it.  It seems that parts of the kit were put together already.  It wasn't me that I'm sure of, but I do not recall where I got it (garage sale?)

There is also the chance that the previous owner had it apart,... and didn't get it back together right.

If your kit is a CVA,.... then your lock is a spanish-made "Maslin lock",.... replacement locks are available from Deer Creek, and you might also be able to get one from "Traditions", and "Track of The Wolf" also carries them part # Lock-LR-01-F for flintlock, and part # Lock-LR-01-C for percussion,... if worse comes to worse.

Personally,... I've never seen a mainspring sit as cock-eyed as that one, and that is why I suspect there is something wrong with the way it was put back in the lock.
The problem of heating the mainspring up enough to bend it, is it will cost you the "temper" in the spring,... unless you are familiar with re-tempering springs.

I wish it was in my hands so I could look it over more closely.

[gunmaker]

Is the upper leg tip up inside the small cutout where it's supposed to be ?....Tom

[rollingb]

Ted,..... I just remembered, there is a little "stud" on the plate-side about midway down the upper leaf on your mainspring,... "IF" that little stud isn't sitting in it's "hole" in the lock plate, the mainspring CAN'T sit flush on the plate!

You might want to check that out.  

[rollingb]

I re-read what I just posted, and it probably sounds confusing, so I'll try again.

The mainspring has to fit into 2 different places on the lock plate,.... the first one is on the upper "tip" of the mainspring and fits into a "notch".

The second place,... is a protrusion (or a "stud") cast into the inner side of the upper leaf of the mainspring, about 1/2 way between the upper tip of the mainspring, and the "bend" in the mainspring.

That "protrusion" (or "stud") has to fit into a small hole in the lock plate, in order for the spring to fit snug to the plate.

I know,.... that still sounds awfully confusing, don't it.  

[ridjrunr]

ya, by the loks of that picture, you can see light underneath both sections of the spring. Upper and lower arms.  That may very well be the problem, the "stud" is not round or is out of round or even the mating hole isnt drilled properly. I've seen that before but not to that extent.

[tedmn]

Nope understand completely.  The stud is in the hole.  Get this, the hole is round the stud is square!

The spring fits in the right places, when I have it out in the vise the legs are square. Looking at the entire set up, I think the lock plate itself is bent.  

I'm going to take a look at the parts numbers you sent.

[ridjrunr]

I have several parts, plates , springs etc for those. I will send you what evr part you need if I have it,no charge

[tedmn]

OUCH! At $112 for a new lock I'm going to make this thing work even if I have bend a new spring myself.  The lock works, just really hard to pull back on the hammer.

Ridjrunr...appreciate the offer.  May have to take you up on that offer.

[rollingb]

Nope understand completely.  The stud is in the hole.  Get this, the hole is round the stud is square!

Yep,... that sounds right!  :shock:  :rt th