I have a first version (I think) serial #3371 1899 that I purchased online and the cylinder stop is broken. There are alot of cylinder stops out there but I haven't found one like mine. The S shaped part that inserts into the cylinder is missing. It is broken right at the edge of the larger block.

Is it possible to weld an S hook part from another cylinder stop onto this one. I used to do some pretty precise tig welding and think I could do it IF i knew which one would be compatible. Knowing it will be difficult to keep straight and square; but maybe not impossible.

Another option would be to just make another one. I have a mill but no way to harden parts in an oven.

ANY suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks and God Bless, Louis

Louis,

With a mill, you are already half way there. I would bet that one of our esteemed members here can provide the drawing/dimensions for the part. As for hardening, don't you think that you could accomplish that with some temp sticks and a torch? Maybe even a BBQ grill with some good coal and a hairdryer could produce workable results?

Good luck in your project and do post pics if you decide to make it yourself.

__________________
On the Oak Savannah

Hardening depends on what type of steel is used, or in this case, what type of welding rod, should he decide to go that route. Some steels require an oil bath, some a water bath, some are air hardening (meaning no quench is needed) and some even require other treatments to harden, like a cyanide bath. After quenching, many also require a drawing process to lower their hardness from a brittle state to something more forgiving. The key is knowing the type of steel, what hardness is required, and how to achieve that hardness. Get something too hard and it can snap off - which may be what happened to the OP's part. Get it too soft and it may bend or wear prematurely. You should even know what type of steel it is before welding as various steels require different rods and/or treatment afterwards.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

youngoutdoors1,

I would not even try welding it, I would make another one from scratch if I could not find one from one of the parts sources. For a gun that old, you might have some trouble finding one.

As far as the hardening is concerned, while I am certainly no metallurgist, I kind of doubt the original was ever hardened at all. Even if it was, (but doubt it) an unhardened part will last quite a while given the fact that it is a real old gun and I doubt you are going to shoot it and pound it all that much anyway.

I'd just make one from scratch.

OK can you guys recommend an esteemed member that may have or provide a drawing of an early cylinder stop; or should I just start a new thread?

Thanks for the input guys!

God Bless, Louis

+1 on chief38's comments.
At the most I'd lightly case harden it w/a case hardening compound if I made it from mild steel.
I wouldn't bother to harden and draw if I made it from a decent tool steel.

I wouldn't do a welding and refitting using the original part as that's the only 'pattern' of what you need that you currently have,,incomplete as it may be.
An 'oops' can make it disappear or in the least disfigure it where it's not even usable as a part to copy anymore.
Not questioning yours or anyone elses welding ability (anything is far greater than mine!).
It's just the way I'd approach it,,keeping the orig as a pattern till I had a workable replacement in hand, that being either another original or a fabricated one.
The former being a rather tough one to find.

I went and looked through some parts and came up with this S&W cyl stop.
It was in some parts marked '1902 Model'.







Kind of rough looking and someone has built the locking surface up with silver solder or braze at some point in the past to keep it working.

The basic 'S' shape of the locking arm is there as well as it's length, height, ect. Could be used as a guide to making a new one if it's the right one. (That's what I'd use it for).
It has a tiny spring and plunger still in the block.

Let me know if you can use it for a pattern. I'll send it to you. (Maybe the pics are good enough to fab a new one.)
When you're done with it,,just send it back to me and I'll put it back in the parts drawer for the next time someone needs it for that..


added..Another thought on repairing the one you have and looking at this one I have, and you don't want to make one from scratch...
If the locking arm is just broken off,,instead of welding on a new arm and reshaping,,I may think about removing any remnant of that broken arm off the face of the block and silver soldering on a new one.
Just trusting my soldering abilitys better than my near nonexistant welding skills.

Then milling a slot down that face of the block, you mentioned you have a mill.
Pick a width for the slot,,as long as it's as least as wide or a bit wider than the locking arm.
Then silver solder (hard solder) a piece of steel into that slot big enough to shape the new locking arm out of.
The slotted and soldered piece will have tremendous strength, be a new piece of steel, the hard soldering will not take near the heat that welding needs and the joint will have large contact for strength as opposed to a small steel weld of old to new material.

That looks real similar to mine except mine has a small triangulated feature sticking out of the side that would be where the lower hole is in your first pic.

I will see if I can get my wife to post a pic. Makes me wonder if the triangulated piece is removable. Dogone these aging eyes.

WELL i was messing with it and it is a plunger type of piece that the trigger "hook" catches on in one direction to release the cylinder and pushes it in when the trigger is returning to battery. Where is my loop???

I will have to look at the ones I have skipped over now. Will get back to ya.

Thanks again, Louis

This is what mine looks like.

Thanks and God Bless, Louis

Attached Images

IMG_2700.jpg (28.8 KB, 66 views)

I think I found one.

Thanks and God Bless, Louis

If you end up having to make one, do you really think you would need to harden it? Yes, these were originally intended to shoot thousands of rounds in service conditions before wearing out but are you going to shoot more than a few rounds here and there? I certainly don't put many rounds through my 1899s and the few rounds I do shoot are very mild. I don't do rapid fire or quick cocking that would put any strain on the old parts.

__________________
Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292