The pistol is a Hopkins and Allen 22 short revolver. It is an older model for a Hopkins and Allen. I have a Later version of the same pistol, that is much more refined. This revolver has a solid frame. The later version does have a side plate. The parts behind the side plate of the later version look remarkably like the ones in this pistol. I bought this revolver on the cheap with a broken cylinder pin and it was reported that it would not index. I have done quite a bit to the revolver but the nut I'm trying to crack right now is the hand spring. Here is the revolver
The handspring that was installed in the revolver when I received it was actually made of brass. Although I didn't know that initially. It never did function properly and I understand why. I have tried to make several versions of the original spring from music wire. I have done it a couple of different ways. I have tried to anneal the music wire and shape it and then reharden it. I have also tried to shape it in it's hardened form. In actuality it is just about as easy to shape the hardened music wire as it is to shape the annealed music wire. But in either case I have not been successful.
Here is a general picture from the side with the cylinder and Hammer removed.
Here's a photograph of the action parts. The hammer, the hand attached to the Hammer, and a replica of the spring that was originally in the revolver. Seems I can't find the original spring that came with the revolver on my bench. It is quite small, made of brass, and no longer has any spring left in it. So I'm not very concerned about that loss. Except that spring had a specific shape around the hammer pin that really comes into play. I'll explain later.
Noticed that the handspring is retained by the hammer pivot pin. And this is the shape I would like to have shown you on the original spring that came with the revolver. The original spring wrapped tightly around the hammer pivot pin and could not slip off. I'm having difficulty replicating that shape either in the annealed form or in the hardened form. Notice that the handspring is only retained by the small ledge formed into the side of the hammer.
Here's a photograph looking from behind the revolver into the hammer slot. You can see the slot for the hand in this photograph.
Believe it or not, the clearance between the side of the hammer in the inside of the frame is close enough to retain the handspring in place. The hand is only 0.038 in thick and the original spring was slightly slightly thicker. Because the thicknesses are so small I believe the handspring must protrude into a hand slot in The Recoil shield in order to maintain its location on the hand. Because this clearance between the hammer and the inside of the frame is so small, the original hand spring did not wrap around the hammer pivot pin even once. I am convinced, though willing to be corrected, that the brass handspring that was in the revolver when I received it was some kind of homemade replacement. But, there is very little room to wrap a spring around the hammer pivot pin. Possibly, with a much smaller music wire I can accomplish at least one wrap around the hammer pivot pin.
So far, I have tried 0.47 in music wire which is approximately the same thickness as the original spring. The hobby shop near my home carries much smaller music wire and my thoughts are that I will need to go to a smaller diameter music wire and form at least one entire rap of the hammer pivot pin.
The problem has been that in all my attempts at making a spring that wraps around the Hammer pivot pin, I cannot get the correct amount of force on the hand. It is always too little Force. It is possible that because I cannot form the new spring with the correct shape around the hammer pivot pin that the hammer spring is pushed backwards and not allowing the spring to be loaded by the movement of the hand. And I'm just not sure how I need to shape the replacement spring in order to put force onto the hand.
In my mind, however dangerous that may be, I have thought that the Spring May well have been a coil spring that looks like the mainspring on a watch or clock. That would, in my mind, work differently than the original spring or what I have tried to form so far.
I would like some opinions on what you think the shape should be and how I should go about accomplishing it. I do have the ability to anneal Steel and to re Harden it as well as temper it if need be.
The handspring that was installed in the revolver when I received it was actually made of brass. Although I didn't know that initially. It never did function properly and I understand why. I have tried to make several versions of the original spring from music wire. I have done it a couple of different ways. I have tried to anneal the music wire and shape it and then reharden it. I have also tried to shape it in it's hardened form. In actuality it is just about as easy to shape the hardened music wire as it is to shape the annealed music wire. But in either case I have not been successful.
Here is a general picture from the side with the cylinder and Hammer removed.
Here's a photograph of the action parts. The hammer, the hand attached to the Hammer, and a replica of the spring that was originally in the revolver. Seems I can't find the original spring that came with the revolver on my bench. It is quite small, made of brass, and no longer has any spring left in it. So I'm not very concerned about that loss. Except that spring had a specific shape around the hammer pin that really comes into play. I'll explain later.
Noticed that the handspring is retained by the hammer pivot pin. And this is the shape I would like to have shown you on the original spring that came with the revolver. The original spring wrapped tightly around the hammer pivot pin and could not slip off. I'm having difficulty replicating that shape either in the annealed form or in the hardened form. Notice that the handspring is only retained by the small ledge formed into the side of the hammer.
Here's a photograph looking from behind the revolver into the hammer slot. You can see the slot for the hand in this photograph.
Believe it or not, the clearance between the side of the hammer in the inside of the frame is close enough to retain the handspring in place. The hand is only 0.038 in thick and the original spring was slightly slightly thicker. Because the thicknesses are so small I believe the handspring must protrude into a hand slot in The Recoil shield in order to maintain its location on the hand. Because this clearance between the hammer and the inside of the frame is so small, the original hand spring did not wrap around the hammer pivot pin even once. I am convinced, though willing to be corrected, that the brass handspring that was in the revolver when I received it was some kind of homemade replacement. But, there is very little room to wrap a spring around the hammer pivot pin. Possibly, with a much smaller music wire I can accomplish at least one wrap around the hammer pivot pin.
So far, I have tried 0.47 in music wire which is approximately the same thickness as the original spring. The hobby shop near my home carries much smaller music wire and my thoughts are that I will need to go to a smaller diameter music wire and form at least one entire rap of the hammer pivot pin.
The problem has been that in all my attempts at making a spring that wraps around the Hammer pivot pin, I cannot get the correct amount of force on the hand. It is always too little Force. It is possible that because I cannot form the new spring with the correct shape around the hammer pivot pin that the hammer spring is pushed backwards and not allowing the spring to be loaded by the movement of the hand. And I'm just not sure how I need to shape the replacement spring in order to put force onto the hand.
In my mind, however dangerous that may be, I have thought that the Spring May well have been a coil spring that looks like the mainspring on a watch or clock. That would, in my mind, work differently than the original spring or what I have tried to form so far.
I would like some opinions on what you think the shape should be and how I should go about accomplishing it. I do have the ability to anneal Steel and to re Harden it as well as temper it if need be.