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  #1  
Old 02-28-2012, 03:58 PM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Default S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?

Does anyone have an exploded diagram for the S&W Model 1 1/2 .32 Single Action? I just got one that needs a trigger spring and the cylinder lock isn't functioning. Was hoping to get an exploded view diagram before attempting to fix it.

Also what is the value of this? The front half of the gun has about 95% nickle finish left, rear half is about 60-65%. The grips are perfect.

Thanks for any help you can provide!
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Old 02-28-2012, 06:53 PM
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Welcome to the Forum. David Chicoine's website has an exploded view of the parts for this revolver. 32sa

Unfortunately, the actual V spring is going to be hard to find. This is, however, a simple spring to make or have fabricated if the broken one is still in place. If not, you will be able to do measuremants of the trigger and have a replacement made.

There is a good market for this little SA, but not much value. I would estimate that your nickel gun would bring $200+/-. There were many manufactured and many still out there with very high amounts of original finish available.
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Old 02-28-2012, 08:13 PM
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Some of the bigger gun parts supply house, like Brownells, sell a package of small leaf springs of various sizes, especially for repairing situations such as yours. Another possibility is to find a cheap junker Iver Johnson , H&R, Hopkins & Allen, Spanish copy of a S&W, etc., revolver at a gunshow, and take out the V springs in it. Most of these old guns have the same type of actions as the S&Ws, insofar as spring capabilities are concerned. If you are mechanically inclined, you can make a new spring by cutting a small section out of an old alarm clock main spring ( Coil type), heating it, bending it to the V shape you need and re-tempering the spring. That's what a gun smith will do and charge you more than the gun's worth! Good luck, Ed.
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Old 02-28-2012, 08:37 PM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Thanks for the replies and info! I'll take a look at the website. I forgot to say, this revolver is serial number 153XX, is there anyway to find our what year it was manufactured?

Thanks
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Old 02-28-2012, 09:21 PM
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Looks to be shipped about 1879.
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Old 02-29-2012, 02:59 AM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Thanks for the info- I couldn't find a specific date anywhere. It fascinates me that such a neat little firearm was available just after the end of the American civil war. I imagine this to be the "LCP" of its day
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Old 02-29-2012, 03:05 AM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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This leads me to the question- does anyone have a picture of the machine tools (mill/lathe) that these were being produced on in 1879? It seems like nice surface finishes and tolerances for such a date. Very fascinating.
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Old 02-29-2012, 03:06 AM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Also, does anyone have a picture of the Model 1 1/2 SA with the side cover removed? The one I bought has a stripped screw on the side cover so I have not been able to remove it to see what it looks like inside.
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Old 02-29-2012, 09:37 AM
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Too bad about the side cover screw. These are quite small and would probably have to be drilled out and replaced when you take the cover off.

Here are a couple of pictures.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg P2280007.jpg (76.5 KB, 591 views)
File Type: jpg P2280003.jpg (109.4 KB, 644 views)

Last edited by glowe; 02-29-2012 at 09:40 AM.
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Old 02-29-2012, 11:34 AM
Driftwood Johnson Driftwood Johnson is offline
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Quote:
This leads me to the question- does anyone have a picture of the machine tools (mill/lathe) that these were being produced on in 1879? It seems like nice surface finishes and tolerances for such a date. Very fascinating.
Howdy

Excellent question! A lot of folks today do not realize the tremendous precision that was possible with 19th Century manufacturing methods. Many assume that modern CNC equipment was needed to produce something with high precision. The firearms industry in New England, particularly in the Connecticut River valley, was key to developing methods and machinery that later found their way into many aspects of modern manufacturing.

A little bit more than 100 miles north of the Smith and Wesson factory in Springfield Mass there is a little museum in Windsor Vermont. Today it is called the American Precision Museum, but at one time it was the Robbins and Lawrence Armory.

Many of the tools and machinery first developed at Robbins and Lawrence were later used, and improved on, by all the major arms makers.

Here are a few photos.

This rifle was called the Mississippi Rifle. Robbins and Lawrence was mass producing this rifle in 1841.



The key to Robbins and Lawrence's success was pattern following equipment. This is a wood inletting machine. The work piece was mounted to a movable table that also had a pattern mounted to it. The metal jig at the bottom of the photo is the pattern. The spindle of the cutter and a stylus were rigidly fixed together from overhead. The operator used a pair of cranks to move the table, keeping the stylus in contact with the contours of the pattern. This moved the table so that the cutter would then make the appropriate cuts in the stock. Using equipment like this, the factory could turn out dozens of stocks in one day. Previously it would have taken a stock maker hours to inlet just one stock.





Robbins and Lawrence also used profiling cutters. A profiling cutter could cut a complex shape in one pass. This is the profiling cutter used for the lock plate of the Mississippi Rifle. The work piece was advanced through the cutter and the shape was cut in one pass.





This is a profiling machine used for cutting metal. The operation is similar to the wood inletting machine.





To give you a good idea of how it worked and what the entire machine looked like, I photographed the illustration that was next to the machine.





Now, as I said, this equipment was being used as early as 1841. At this time many factories were still dependent on water power, however steam power soon replaced water because it was more dependable, and more manufacturing capacity was possible with steam power.

Interestingly enough, both Daniel Wesson and Horace Smith were employed at Robbins and Lawrence before they began their partnership in 1857. Incidentally, so was B. Tyler Henry, the designer of the Henry rifle. Clearly, Robbins and Lawrence was an early hotbed of manufacturing expertise and these men, along with a few others, were able to take the concepts developed at Robbins and Lawrence and use them in their own factories.

I do not have any photos of the actual equipment used at S&W, but I am sure it was very similar in concept to what was used at Robbins and Lawrence in the 1840s. I would suspect that perhaps it was scaled down a bit for making small frame revolvers.

Using a profiling machine required considerable skill on the operator's part. He needed to coordinate turning the wheels to keep the stylus in contact with the edge of the profile. Here is a photo of the machining of the frame of a S&W Model 1 1/2. You can clearly see where the operator first plunged the cutter down into the part to the right of the barrel stud. This plunge cut is actually a few thousandths deeper than the surrounding surfaces. Then you can see where the cutter traveled up and to the left. These are mostly clearance cuts, so great precision is not necessary.

Most likely, different cuts would be done on different machines with different set ups. The same workman would stand at the same machine all day long, making the same cut over and over again. Then the part would be passed to the next machine for the next operation.

The most precise cut is the outermost cut that defines the space where the side plate fits. What is really interesting is there are chatter marks on this cut and on the mating surface of the side plate. I see no sign of hand fitting. In fact, there is still a slight burr on these cuts. To me that means that these parts were finished when they came off the pattern cutting machines. The fit was precise and no hand fitting was needed. Very impressive if you have ever removed the side plate from a S&W. Clearly tool wear and pattern wear would have to be taken into account to keep these cuts precise.






If you want to learn more about the American Precision Museum, here is their website:

American Precision Museum - Home

Last edited by Driftwood Johnson; 02-29-2012 at 05:59 PM.
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  #11  
Old 02-29-2012, 03:26 PM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glowe View Post
Too bad about the side cover screw. These are quite small and would probably have to be drilled out and replaced when you take the cover off.

Here are a couple of pictures.
Thanks for the pictures- exactly what I was looking for!

Driftwood Johnson- Very interesting/impressive machine tools for the time! Much different than the Bridgeport I learned on! Thanks for taking the time to share!
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Old 02-29-2012, 05:55 PM
Driftwood Johnson Driftwood Johnson is offline
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Here is something much more modern, that will probably look more familiar to you. You can see the cutting head is on the left and the pattern following apparatus is on the right. This was hydraulically operated, the operator did not turn handles. Same basic idea but much more modern than what S&W would have been using in the middle of the 19th Century.

This was called a Bridgeport Tru Trace machine.




While we are on the subject, here are some photos of an early rifling machine. I hope you can read the description of how it worked. Basically, adjusting the angle of the sine bar controlled the twist rate.

Notice the heavy cast iron construction, and there is even a bit of decoration on the machinery.





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Old 03-01-2012, 05:37 AM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Thanks for all the great info- I've always wondered how rifling was done.

Does anybody have a cutaway view of the Model 1 1/2 Single Action? I still haven't had a chance to try taking this one apart.
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Old 03-03-2012, 06:54 PM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Where is the trigger spring located? Mine is missing and I can't figure out where it goes.

Thanks
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Old 03-14-2012, 12:31 AM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Nobody knows where the trigger spring is located? Mine was missing so I need to figure out where it goes so I can source/make a new one.

Thanks for any help you can provide.
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:34 AM
Arizona Commander Arizona Commander is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Default Tip-up diagram

Here is a digram I found when researching my Model 2, Warning these old revolvers can be addicting!!
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  #17  
Old 03-14-2012, 09:16 AM
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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My guess is that no one wants to take their Model 1 1/2 apart to photograph the spring. As said before, this is a small V spring. It fits behind the spur trigger and the frame, plus there is a small notch at the back of the trigger that keeps it in place. Your best bet is to purchase a book by David Chicoine, titled Antique Firearme Assembly/Dissembly. It has a section on the Model 1 1/2 top break.

The forum frowns on reproducing copyrighted material (plus it breaks copyright laws), so best to buy the book on Amazon. It is likely you will have to make the spring, because parts are hard to come by. There is an inexpensive booklet, Simplified V Springs, Easy Home Tempering Instructions, by Kit Ravenshear that is quite good and spring steel was available at Dixie Gunworks last time I ordered.
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Old 03-14-2012, 07:24 PM
WildDeuces WildDeuces is offline
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S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram? S&W Model 1 1/2 Single Action .32 exploded diagram?  
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Thanks Arizona Commander- that's just what I was looking for!

Thanks for the leads glowe- I'll check into getting some spring steel
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