Advice on threads wanted

[woodfarmer]

I have a project to make a revolver but I have some constraints.

I can neither weld or forge or do a lot of filing the frame due to my health so need to construct it with my old lathe and a cheap metal cutting bandsaw. So my design is compromised. What I have come up with is this.
Bore a hole into a 3 inch diameter bar which gives working clearance for the cylinder.
Thread the end with an internal thread say about 1/2 inch deep into the length of the tube then make a plug to screw into the end. I could then drill this to take the cylinder spindle and barrel.
My question is "What would be a sensible thread for the plug" ?
I am thinking along the lines of 12 TPI Whitworth mostly because I have two sets of Whitworth threading tools for my lathe.
The sides of the tube will be cut away leaving just a top and bottom strap except for the area around the threaded ends.
The steel being used is UK EN19T which is very similar to US 4140
The diameter of the threads will be about 1 3/4 to 2 inches.

Thanks for your help

 

[crossthread]

From my experience, no one on this site is going to stick their neck out far enough to advise you. I see a lot of things wrong with your plans and I haven't even seen the plans. You might ask on the gunsmith forum and see if anyone can help you there. Good luck.

 

[woodfarmer]

From my experience, no one on this site is going to stick their neck out far enough to advise you. I see a lot of things wrong with your plans and I haven't even seen the plans. You might ask on the gunsmith forum and see if anyone can help you there. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. Will just have to experiment and test fire with a long piece of string and overloaded cartridges

 

[Gordon B. Clarke]

Thanks for the reply. Will just have to experiment and test fire with a long piece of string and overloaded cartridges

How about you post again in a month or so and we'll know if the "experiment" went OK or not.

 

[Limy Sami]

Thanks for the reply. Will just have to experiment and test fire with a long piece of string and overloaded cartridges

Were I in your shoes** before I went any further, I would look up French law on gun proofing, …….in some countries it's illegal to own an un-proofed gun.


** thankfully I'm not in your shoes, for you are scaring the crap out of me

 

[woodfarmer]

You know, I am beginning to get the impression that not all of you are entirely enthusiastic about this project. That is a bit sad as in all probability it will be the last project for me and my Holbrook. I have found a good home for it, so soon it will be able to celebrate its 100th birthday in the warm and dry instead of being scrapped.

If I get to finish this I will try to post results and pictures.

 

[Limy Sami]

In that case, kindly ensure it's only your liberty, property, body parts - if not life itself, at risk.

 

[john.k]

Its funny this is mentioned.....just recently I read of some old fart in England pontificating on why lathes and mills should be denied to home users because of the terrible risk of them making an illegal gun......for non English speakers ..old fart = chief constable,law lord ,home secretary etc........Blair was keen on this too.....only now ...they have the technology to suss you out.....

 

[Limy Sami]

This is ''just a guide'' on our firearms law https://assets.publishing.service.g..._on_Firearms_Licensing_Law_April_2016_v20.pdf

Me? I won't have anything to do with guns, absolutely NOTHING …….I know two licensed guys so send any enquiries their way.

 

[Gordon B. Clarke]

You know, I am beginning to get the impression that not all of you are entirely enthusiastic about this project. That is a bit sad as in all probability it will be the last project for me and my Holbrook.
If I get to finish this I will try to post results and pictures.

That could be understood 2 ways but I hope for your sake all goes well.

YouTube

Nope I'm not 100% anti gun but very much anti gun when idiots have them.

 

[woodfarmer]

Its funny this is mentioned.....just recently I read of some old fart in England pontificating on why lathes and mills should be denied to home users because of the terrible risk of them making an illegal gun......for non English speakers ..old fart = chief constable,law lord ,home secretary etc........Blair was keen on this too.....only now ...they have the technology to suss you out.....

Fair enough, but the gun I have planned is black powder so legal in France without any paperwork being necessary. Actually legal on two scores, one blackpowder and two a replica of an 1870's British Bulldog.
I have had guns all my life (legally) when I moved to France joined the local gun club and shoot their once a week. Lately however it has become too difficult for me to walk to and fro the targets so I have donated my pistols to the club. Could plink a BP pistol from time to time behind the barn. From there it is four miles to my nearest neighbour so not too worried about a ricochet. When I am done with them they too will go to the club, what they will do wit them I don't care But the holly is precious to me and I have found it a good home helping to restore steam locomotives.

 

[Limy Sami]

FYI British Bull Dog revolver - Wikipedia

Interesting (but still scary to me)

 

[awake]

Fair enough, but the gun I have planned is black powder so legal in France without any paperwork being necessary. Actually legal on two scores, one blackpowder and two a replica of an 1870's British Bulldog.
I have had guns all my life (legally) when I moved to France joined the local gun club and shoot their once a week. Lately however it has become too difficult for me to walk to and fro the targets so I have donated my pistols to the club. Could plink a BP pistol from time to time behind the barn. From there it is four miles to my nearest neighbour so not too worried about a ricochet. When I am done with them they too will go to the club, what they will do wit them I don't care But the holly is precious to me and I have found it a good home helping to restore steam locomotives.

At the risk of revealing my ignorance: when I hear "black powder," I thought that meant muzzle-loading. Can a brass cartridge revolver be made in black powder? And how would someone *know* that the powder in the assembled cartridge is black powder?

 

[Limy Sami]

Yes, brass (and before that paper) cartridges came before smokeless powder, as to knowing which is which? apart from in the early days smokeless being marked as such - pass.

 

[john.k]

In this jurisdiction it is quite legal to own firearms,but it is a criminal offence to publish online any instructions for making firearms........Consequently,not wishing to be Assange s cellmate in a federal pen,I dont.

 

[woodfarmer]

Originally here I thought I was asking a simple engineering question about threads. Show how much things have changed in my lifetime. I am glad I was born when I was. I think I had the best of it. When I was a young man each Saturday morning I would walk into town with my mail order 12g shotgun on my shoulder (no cover) into the post office, pay in a little bit then leave there to cross the road into the railway station, walk down the platform and cross over the rails to go up an abandoned cutting. The hope was I might come across a rabbit or two. After I would go back down the same way and home through town. Nobody would bat an eyelid or take any notice, just like now people would not take notice of anyone carrying a phone. You guys will never know or have the freedoms with which I grew up.

 

[mhajicek]

You guys will never know or have the freedoms with which I grew up.

I agree with what you say, but to be fair, who was it that gave up those freedoms without a fight?

 

[Limy Sami]

Originally here I thought I was asking a simple engineering question about threads. Show how much things have changed in my lifetime. I am glad I was born when I was. I think I had the best of it. When I was a young man each Saturday morning I would walk into town with my mail order 12g shotgun on my shoulder (no cover) into the post office, pay in a little bit then leave there to cross the road into the railway station, walk down the platform and cross over the rails to go up an abandoned cutting. The hope was I might come across a rabbit or two. After I would go back down the same way and home through town. Nobody would bat an eyelid or take any notice, just like now people would not take notice of anyone carrying a phone. You guys will never know or have the freedoms with which I grew up.

I don't think any of us is disputing that, but like it or not times have changed, ……….plus you gave the sketchiest of details for what turns out to be a highly stressed component.
Whether that was through wanting to keep things quiet, or a lack of knowledge is only something you can answer, while on the other hand, those of us with experience of such things, and or earn a living by machining, have by nature, to be exceedingly wary in certain situations, …...which includes passing on advice along the lines of ''don't do it'' etc etc etc.


The above in no way derides the amateur - who history has proved to often be the inventor or originator.


Something to bear in mind, the firearms industry has been going a long long time, (it was even the cradle if not mother of mass production) so you can be pretty sure that if there was an easy way out of a part or process, they would have found and adopted it years ago.

 

[john.k]

It is strange what is put online in some forums.......some here may be familiar with the 'Castboolits' forum........one experimenter,more than that actually,because he had what must be proprietary information posted a long (4 year+) discussion on binary priming compounds....he called them 'Eley' compounds,after that branch of the Nobel conglomerate..........Now ,this discussion was illegal in just about every jurisdiction,yet it went on and on with possibly 50 formulae for binary explosives discussed......Recently ,it was all taken down,possibly a visit from the men in black,to the forum owners.Strange.

 

[72bwhite]

kind of a backwards approach to the thing
do a little research into how some of the confederate civil war revolvers were done.
cut the frame out of plate then screw stuff on to that is a hint.

as to black powder well what do you think the colt 45 cartridge was originally,
same with predecessor to the 44 special, that would actually be a good choice just shorten
44 cases.