doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com honing with a dowel

I recently decided my chokes were too tight on my 20 bore stogie and managed to find a dowel with a close fit. I slathered it in clover emory paste and ran it in till tight on the lathe.
I used a wood clamp as a spindle clamp and a Arthur Leonard, (brother of bolt gun collector Lou Leonard) cigar box as a sort of steady rest, and let it go for a few hours. Every ten minutes or so I would run it in until it squealed like a distressed maiden. After half a day I opened it up from 600 to 605. I took it down to bigsky sporting clays to test it out, and it seems to be much improved.

Its obviously still concentric to the bore... 1/2 a day and all that hastle though for 5 thou - sorry, I would have sent it out ;-)

j

Next time, you might try a harsher abrasive....slit that 5/8" dowel to hold some coarse emery cloth - lubed with 30 weight oil....the honing marks from the coarse emery are easily polished off once you've gotten within a half a thousanth of your desired diameter....that's a nice looking Southbend Lathe....I remember when mine was that clean.....

I use a dowel more aggressively. I bandsaw a split in one end and insert two back to back strips of emery cloth. I cut them so the can just be inserted into the barrels when rolled around the dowel. I chuck the dowel in an electric drill and run the drill as fast as it will go. You can hone out several thousandths in just a few minutes, and even polish out minor pits in the bore or chamber this way. Use coarse emery to cut and fine emery to polish.

my lathe is that clean......only because I cleaned it yesterday. I use adjustable reamers for opening chokes, pretty quick really.
Steve

I've used a brake cylinder, flex-stone hone from Brownells and a hand drill to open choke tubes. For fixed chokes I use Mr. Orlen....highly recommended!

Barry you didn't get that lathe dirty did you ?

I usually wear an apron and some good eye protection.
Yes Joe, one could eat off that bench without much danger from heavy metal poisoning.

Why the photo?

I know Parker Brothers made coffee grinders, but I didn't know that W.& C. Scott made rolling work tables.

What is that little bench top lathe you are using?

Because he can.....

According to Mike Orlen it is a South Bend.

Mike,

They finally pulled the plug on the old Worthington facility where you bought your lathe. Atlas Copco as you know owned the facility. There is still an portable equipment assembly plant in Rock Hill, SC but the manufacuring has all gone back to Belgium.

All things come to an end eventually.

Barry: Thanks for sharing that. Is that choke "much improved" sort of like improved cylinder only definitely improved now?:-)

That's the cleanest shop I've ever seen. White walls no less!

That is not a shop, it is a studio. You know, where studs do io or some thing like that. If my shop was that neat, you could take it for a sign that I have been dead for long enough for my sons and friends to have taken what they wanted and left the rest for the auction. Oh well, I will not care then anyways.

Lefever 'Optimus' 12 bore. Removed Chokes" The Old World Way" crossedchisles..

Yes Jonty, hehe. I like to do things the hard way. But actually, I saw the dowel in the hardware store, and the lathe is right next to my workbench-so it really was not too time consuming. I did not hover over it, and it was done the same day I decided I wanted to do it, quicker than sending it out. And Joe I was careful not to get the lathe dirty.
Jerry Fisher told me where to find the lathe. It’s a Southbend model A light ten. It belonged to Lou Leonard. He bought it in 1967 put it in his basement, and never hooked up the motor. When I got it from him it had never been run. All the parts and pieces were in original boxes with inspector’s tags, packing slip, original invoice etc. I have only put about 20 hours on it.
I wish I could find a parker in this condition,HAHA.

South Bends are a nice little lathe for the hobby crafts and that one Barry has is tits. They suit the needs of these crafts very well for the most part. However, having owned a machine shop, I tend toward larger equipment knowing full well I'll get involved in turning something like a car wheel or axle or even a rifle barrel. I'm just partial to larger equipment.

Chuck,
So are my women.That's perhaps why I'm single, I keep telling them good things come in small packages.Do you know whenever one leaves, I can never find my wallet.

That's a thing of beauty...

A few hours worth of honing...sounds like a lot of heating to me.

..here's a "dirty" Southbend lathe set up to do the job with a reamer.....the lathe's power feed and a well serviced tool insure a very smooth cut....as you can see, the tool is piloted right behind its cutting head (bronze pilot) and the tool handle is piloted in the bore (nylon pilot)....looks like I'd better get this machine cleaned up!

Now that's more like it!

Chuck, my old friend, you have always had larger equipment than me. And I might add you know how to use it.
My shop assistant ( shown here in official Barry Lee Hands shop assistant uniform) prefers small equipment. She is handy for all kinds of odd jobs around the shop.
I use this lathe mainly for cutting bbl band inlay slots so it works fine. If I need a bigger one I can go over to Lee Helgelands or borrow Jerry Fisher's for an afternoon.

.....glad to see the steel toed boots and safety glasses.....

Barry.

You can't fool me, I know better.

She only put on the eye protection for the picture!

Jeff

Safety first!

No wonder he cleaned up his shop.

I don't think he's gettin much done .... on guns that is.

An explanation of my Photo that Barry H' 'Tossed into the Fray',..Of the 3/4oz of choke I 'Removed' from the Lefever Arms Co."Optimus" 12 bore, Whitworth Steel Tubes.Apologies to "XXXXX" for my error of putting the 'D' in front of Lefever! These 'dealers' are like knives,Some keep their Edge, Some don't)What does a London Gunmaker know about American Built Guns?!!! I am sure that one of the Eagle-Eyed"Webers Warriors" will notice that I opened up the choke .004" more in the left Bbl.than the choke is in the Rt. Bbl.!I also changed the Front trigger over to the Left Lock/Bbl.Then I Set the stock from 7/16th cast-off at the Butt-End, to 3/8th" Cast "IN" at the B/End. Mr Lefty has had me make several other of his 'Shot-Guns'Opposite to Cast-Off Stocks.In answer to Email..JSW.The"Swarff"(Oily cuttings) are inside a plastic container, this makes a great Toy for sticky fingered Kids,of all ages, when in the Workshop, You place a magnet on the under-side of the case,and they can watch 3/4oz of Sir Joes Best Steel Jumping around inside. I think this Gun is pictured in Elliotts Lefaver Books. Crossedchisles.

I'd enjoy a similarly complete explanation of the OTHER PICTURE that got thrown into the fray. My little shop area was never really disappointing when compared to a professional's - but now the difference has been made clear.

Yup, that's what they mean when they say "...that's what separates the men from the boys"

From Trevallion: more boring doubles, or-Bob Heath, Purdeys,1962.:A Little Boring History'.

Does she take appointments ?

Homeless Joe, I glad to see that your assistant is so healthy. You must offer great medical benefits!

Oh no, not another woman reified as a machine-shop accessory. Timeless calendar art! Don't show it to your mother, Barry.

jack