Bookmarked. You can never have enough sources for metric stuff. :thumbup:

No, it really doesn't take much. One way to do it (which I have used with great success on other projects) is to drill a tiny hole in the end, then stake it with a center punch. The end will look kinda like a short tube, and the wall will flare out easily by hitting it with the center punch. However, on a P.38 you'll have to stick the staking tool through holes on the opposite side of the frame, so it takes a pretty slim center punch to do it. I want this to be an easy DIY installation that doesn't require any special tools, so that's why I want to go with the Loctite. Still, it wouldn't be a problem at all to make another version for those who really want to stake it in one way or another.

Anywho, I spent some time in the shop last night, scrutinizing the loops on my P.38s to see if I could find any forensic evidence of the manufacturing process. One interesting observation is the presence of a mark on the straight part, it clearly shows that there was some kind of "stop" in the tool. It only makes sense, an industrial tool wouldn't have the cap I'm using so it needs to come to a stop somehow. Of course, this is no big surprise, but if I can use a similar arrangement I will not only be able to straighten the loop, I will also be adding an authentic tool mark.

I believe the next step will be to fabricate a die and a saddle that I can use for an additional straighening step, like what you described earlier. These tools will need a slight bend to compensate for springback, but I believe I can actually hand form that with a riffler file. Stay tuned.

It took a while to get around to it, but here’s “the rest of the story”: I already had a working tool to bend the loop, so I figured that the easiest way to adjust the top part was to make another tool:

http://i47.tinypic.com/1gm4g7.jpg

I stuck the loop in the tool and tapped it in...

http://i49.tinypic.com/1gj284.jpg

...and then I put it in the vise and pressed it:

http://i45.tinypic.com/2j4f5g7.jpg

I anticipated that the loop would stick in the tool, so I added a hole in the center to be able to tap it out with a punch. It worked like a charm, one firm tap and it came right out:

http://i46.tinypic.com/v60mch.jpg

And here’s the finished product, nice, straight and square:

http://i50.tinypic.com/slmjhs.jpg

The greyish one was made from the material GT sent me (thanks again, I owe you one!). It wasn’t really easier to press, it may be softer but the surface isn’t polished so it didn’t slide through the tool as smoothly as the drill rod did. On the other hand, the duller material looks way more authentic than the shiny drill rod, so I think I’m going to ask my buddies in Sweden to look for something similar. It should hopefully be easier to find metric material over there, if not I can always etch the drill rod to make it less shiny.

Very, very nice process, tools, and results. My hat's off to ya--great when a labor of love (obsession?) pays off!

David

ditto! Nice to see.

Brilliant!

It is actually some kind of obsession. You wouldn't think that it's difficult to bend a piece of wire, but when you consider that it has to be bent in the right places, to the right radius, with the right spacing between the legs and be nice, straight and square when it's done... I knew that it could be done so I just had to figure out how, that's the way I'm wired. :)

Really Nice custom machine work... we are proud of your efforts to create a part as close to the original as possible...

Now, did anybody check with LugerDoc (Tom Heller) to see if he doesn't have a big box of these laying around his shop? :confused:


BTW, Gun Parts Corporation lists this part as available on their website for $14.90

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/200270.htm

Now, where's the sport in buying them already made? :D Seriously, there are loops available but they are pulled from parted out guns so supplies will dry up sooner or later. Also, I wanted to make one that's an easier retrofit than an original part that has already been staked and then pulled out. I made mine with chamfered ends to make it easy to install, and they will hopefully look better than a used part as well. I'm not sure if Numrich carries used or repro, but their repros usually suck so I'm not really counting them. ;)

And again, I really wanted to find out how to do it. There's many different guns with missing loops and it's really tedious to make one-offs, so a large part of the process was to get the method nailed down for future projects. I'm not doing it to get rich, I just enjoy tinkering with stuff like this.

You have an enormous talent along those lines. All of us that have obsolete firearms NEED people like you that can help us keep our firearms complete.

Olle, I have a similar project on the shelf but it's been sitting because my 1-ton press isn't strong enough. What did you use to press/bend the rod through the first set of dies [pg 2]??? :confused:

I just used a large bench vise. I don't know how much pressure it generates, but (even if it has been a while) I can't recall it being extremely hard to turn the handle. There was quite a bit of initial resistance, but once the rod started to bend it just slid right through. IIRC, there was a bit of trial and error before I had the clearances figured out, there's a fine line between getting sharp bends and not being able to push through at all. The only major difference the clearance makes is in the radius, so if you add clearance you will probably have to reduce the radius of the "ram" as well. The loop will spring back and won't be 100% square after pressing it anyway, so the legs will have to be squared up after pressing regardless of clearance.

Beveling sharp edges and polishing the bearing surfaces really helped more than anything, so that's something you might want to try first of all (if you haven't already). Some copper grease might also help.