I thought it was about time for a Krupp Howitzer update. We have been working steadily toward a late January completion of all 25 guns. the pics tell the story about recent machine shop events.
Mike and Tracy
Mike, being honest to a fault, approached our favorite 'lefty' about owning that manufacturing error shown. Mike told Gary he had one of 25 with a loading port on the left, rather than the right side. He asked if the Longmont Marine wanted it. Fortunately he did and now is slated to get one a little more collectible than the others AND he saved our butts by agreeing to the deal. NO, we don't make left handed, breechloading, firecracker cannon on a custom basis.
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All baseplate machining is complete. Lefty's is on the left, where else would it be??
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I just finished turning the front ends of the elevation screws which fit a spotfaced hole in the slanted, front transoms. I wire-wheel polished all the dirt, grease and zinc off of those 5/16-18 threaded rods. They will be supplied in-the-white, for contrast, so some oil will have to be kept on them.
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The front transoms with 100, 4-40 threaded holes. I only broke two drills and one tap, all broken pieces removed without hurting the tap holes or threads. Remember, we were gunsmiths once, and know how to do this stuff without fooling around.
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Baseplate bottom showing the counterbored slots for the elevation screw support block, hold-down, bolts. This allows some length adjustment in the distance from the block face to the transom face upon which bear the square-faced, threaded ends of the elevation screw, allowing more tolerance for that screw, length feature to facilitate manufacturing.
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Going CCW we have brass cocking pieces, elevation screw support blocks, sear parts (the step washers and half washers), and the strikers. The strikers went through 6 prototypes until finally the last proto met all requirements.
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The elevation wedges which I bandsawed, four cuts each, and Mike machined on six surfaces plus produced a 5/16-18 threaded hole and I de-burred on 13 edges and wire wheel surface finished on two surfaces.
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The first production carriage is being assembled here to determine the final length of the threaded portion of the elevation screw between block and transom plate and to check the final fit of the other piece-parts in this assembly.
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Nema, of course you are on the list; stop stressing. 'Tis the season to be jolly!