Father,son, and revolver project

Vbk76

Vbk76

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Messages
287
Reaction score
729
Location
Virginia
So I had this reallllly worn .32-20 circa 1918 that needed some help. I told my son ( he's 12) that we could redo it and it would be his first k frame (he has an I frame that I gave him) he was all in and anything that gets a kid off their phone/internet is ok with me. This was my only .32-20 and with the ammo being expensive, and it being so worn and out of time, ... no regrets..
A gunbroker parts kit and we were off...after the disassembly (he did it) it was bead blaster time..


Then some wire wheeling
 
Register to hide this ad
Then I installed the barrel...I planned on showing him the shoulder setback, but wouldn't you know it...this one was perfect..handtight at about 10 o'clock and a little more and it was done...

He drilled the barrel pin slot and we both put the pin in...tomorrow after school test reassembly while the rust blue stuff is enroute
 
Nice project. Great to see youngsters getting involved in hands on work.
No matter what they end up doing in life, it'll always be of value and the time you'll have spent together is priceless.

Great pics,,we'll be watching!


One trick when you wire wheel finish the surface for bluing,, put a light coat of most any oil on the surface of the metal first, then go over it with the wire wheel. Anything from motor oil to WD40 will work fine.
No need for heavy pressure when doing the wirewheel work, just lightly work it over from all directions.
You can go right over the old & worn bluing on the other parts too and it'll blend it in nicely so the rust bluing will pick it up from there and make a great looking finish.

The oil allows the wire to slide a bit when being done and lightly burnishes the surface leaving it a bit brighter than if not used.
The better part of it is that it blends in polishing lines from different directions and will also show up any really bad marks or scars that may be hiding in the polish.
These latter marks will come back and show through your bluing later if not taken care of now.

Using oil on the surface and a wirewheel was a prep that was popular with many of the custom 'smiths of the pre-war era and makes an excellent surface for rust blue which they used almost exclusively.
 
My oldest daughter used to help me with projects like your son is doing now. She was my right hand on everything from home improvement projects to firearms to engines. Always wanted to help, always interested in the "how" and "why" of what we did. She's now a Mechanical Engineer. Good on you for keeping him involved!
 
Thanks—-forgot to mention that I got a .38 special parts kit...we reload for that and after he shot my n frame he fell in love with that round...
 
Outstanding project and good for you. Big attaboy on personal protective gear. One point. When using a grinder or wire wheel, safety glasses ARE NOT SUFFICIENT PROTECTION! I learned at the ER that goggles are the best eye protection, even better than a face shield. Best when with face shield and goggles. The ERs see almost no injuries when using goggles. Not true with the other PPE.

I was lucky, you/your son might not be.
 
Last edited:
/\ noted. I'll look into goggles.

So while he was In school (day off for me/shift work) I reassembled the revolver. Lots of hand fitting needed on the other side plate and even on the rear arch underside of the hammer for the cylinder release to operate. This would have been boring for a 12 year old to watch so I got it all done. Then I totally took it apart and didn't tell him I did the tedious boring work. I also loaded 100 rounds of .38 special light loads for him as summer is coming. So when he came home I let him unwind for a bit and then had him roll crimp the reloads. A small added chore to keep him in the loop of the whole process but not enough to overburden/burn him out after a whole day of school. After dinner I pried him away from his video games and he reassembled it. I could see he knows which parts are what systems now, just the sequence and orientation are all over the place ��


I let him choose from 2 sets of grips. I then walked him through a function test, and then we tested a primer...success! He's pleased with himself...now it sits until brownells box arrives..
 
Last edited:
Doing stuff like this is so vital to parenting. Even if someday he looses interest in shooting or working on mechanical things the doing things with dad part will stick. Keep up the good work.

I also applaud you for not overloading the kid.

Had a boss once and he got a 1/4 midget race car for his young son. I went to a track with them. He started having the kid do laps, timer and all right away. Kid was tired of the car fast. Told the boss, first let him have fun with it, jet him make a couple mistakes etc. After that maybe take it up a notch.
 
Vbk76 said:
A small added chore to keep him in the loop of the whole process but not enough to overburden/burn him out after a whole day of school.
Click to expand...

I can recall as a 12-year old getting up at oh-dark-thirty to split kindling for Mon's wood box, mixing formula and bottle feeding the baby calves, scoping out poops from the loafing shed, eating breakfast, catching the bus for an hour ride to school, hitting the books (and of course recess), riding the bus for another hour, then repeating the morning chores again for the evening. After school there was another daily task - filling a one-yard garden trailer with rocks picked from the pasture and dumping them in a stream crossing. I've still got a knife I made from scratch (with Dad's help) in the hours left over from daily chores. I used the knife to skin rabbits I raised and sold to the local meat market.

Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Good for you keeping your kid busy working and thinking on his own. There will be less time to get into mischief - (don't ask me how I know about mischief)

Of course, in those days there were only two TV channels from the rabbit ears and the rotary dial phone was connected to a party line. Dad was always cooking up more fun than TV or the phone anyway.
 
Wondersight installed and also a lanyard loop (no drill/slip on). He'll carry this sometimes when we are working/walking on the grandparents farm under close observation if he chooses. I grew up a city kid in Queens..I live in suburbia but his grandparents live on 20 acres in the Shenandoah valley next to the national forest. I get him out there every chance I can for some manual labor. Can't believe he'll be 13 soon

Get the sideplate engraved and then it's downrange time


He likes this sIght much better
 
I grew up in Queens also and shot on my high school rifle team and at the range downtown on Murray Street (Manhattan Rifle & Revolver Assoc). I couldn't wait for summer when I worked on a farm in West Coxsackie upstate and would have a couple of hours after chores at night to wander with my .22 rifle and see what rhino's or lion's or a real idiot crow I could scare up.
Your son is very lucky.

Stu
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
32-20 ship date query for great-grandfather's revolver
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
bumgarb
B
ameridaddy
Family Gone For Their Cause
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Shibadog
S
boykinlp
In Memory of my Father
Replies
9
Views
1K
Golddollar
Golddollar
The Last Standing Knight
H&R Model 632 Guardsman .32 caliber revolver.
Replies
4
Views
928
glenncal1
G
hkcavalier
  • Locked
Sold/Withdrawn Lots of grips/stocks (all S&W K & N Frame) and holsters (S&W and Colt)
Replies
7
Views
1K
65Whelen
65Whelen

Latest posts

Back
Top