Pictures Of the Factories

[kurusu]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

Thanks,
I see rifles, M1896 pistols, and Mauser typewriters and sewing machines too!

Those calipers you see being used are most likely also Mauser made.

[mrerick]

Those pictures are all from the Mauser history anniversary book Geschicte Der Mauser-Werke, 1938. It was published 100 years after Paul Mauser was born and 125 years after the king's armory was established in Oberndorf at the Cloister.

[Puretexan]

Thanks those are nice.

[Wastoute]

Thanks so much for the photos. Interesting to note, the one picture with the "lines" of milling machines. Notice only one guy in between each of the lines of four or five machines? When I was a machinist in the 70s we had one "operator" per machine. I talked once to an old guy who had been a machinist during the depression who spoke of having to run multiple machines at once. You had to start a cut on one and then while the cut was being made you went on to the next and so on. You can see that in this photo, that is why there is only one guy per each of the machines in that line.

[Wastoute]

My recollection of historical progress was that somewhere around 1890 to 1900 was when machine tooling really began, and in some respects it was. I had thought that prior to that era even Colt SAA had to be assembled from parts that were hand forged into rough shape, filed, then hardened and ground into a final "Go-No Go" piece for assembly. Turns out early mills were around some 30 years or so before that so perhaps that 1860 to 1890 and the process of machining was really in evolution on conjunction with metallurgy to provide some steels for cutting and others for products.

I guess "W-group" tool steel was the first. I wonder if they even really knew why it was harder. Perhaps all they knew was "some ores produced harder steel" and they could use that for cutting softer steel. Then "high speed" steel in the 1910s really opened things up, and carbide in the 50s.

[SIGP2101]

Originally Posted by Wastoute

My recollection of historical progress was that somewhere around 1890 to 1900 was when machine tooling really began, and in some respects it was. I had thought that prior to that era even Colt SAA had to be assembled from parts that were hand forged into rough shape, filed, then hardened and ground into a final "Go-No Go" piece for assembly. Turns out early mills were around some 30 years or so before that so perhaps that 1860 to 1890 and the process of machining was really in evolution on conjunction with metallurgy to provide some steels for cutting and others for products.

I guess "W-group" tool steel was the first. I wonder if they even really knew why it was harder. Perhaps all they knew was "some ores produced harder steel" and they could use that for cutting softer steel. Then "high speed" steel in the 1910s really opened things up, and carbide in the 50s.

Colt was a pioneer in machining tools and tooling. Most of the machines were produced in Hartford and exported throughout the world. Here are some of the early Colt's machines produced in Colt's armories. Most of the black powder revolvers were produced on those type of machinery.

For those who would like to know more here is interesting article from 1857 describing Colt's armory at that time.

Armory

Pictures are courtesy of Connecticut State Library. I have many more but getting tired of resizing them just to be able to upload to server.

Enjoy!

[Wastoute]

Also notice the one picture of milling machines where only some of the machines have belts running from the overhead drives and the rest have electric motors.

[mrerick]

It looks like that collection is online at:

http://cslib.cdmhost.com/cdm/landing...n/p128501coll6

with images from Colt digitized and indexed at: (but I don't see the machinist photos you posted. Are they in different collection?)

http://cslib.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/...r/title/ad/asc

[Wastoute]

Thanks for the Colt photos. The lathes were more advanced for the time than I would have guessed. That second machine, I don't even recognize, maybe a key cutter or broaching machine for the frames. I am guessing (since the black and white photos don't show the color of the metals) that for the most part they used cast iron and brass for these machines since they didn't have good tool steels. Fascinating. Notice the "mill" hadn't really been introduced yet. I would imagine they needed really good tool steels to make that step. Wiki mentions an early "file mill" which was really a lathe with a "face cutter file". And that hadn't even been done in 1854.

[SIGP2101]

Originally Posted by Wastoute

Thanks for the Colt photos. The lathes were more advanced for the time than I would have guessed. That second machine, I don't even recognize, maybe a key cutter or broaching machine for the frames. I am guessing (since the black and white photos don't show the color of the metals) that for the most part they used cast iron and brass for these machines since they didn't have good tool steels. Fascinating. Notice the "mill" hadn't really been introduced yet. I would imagine they needed really good tool steels to make that step. Wiki mentions an early "file mill" which was really a lathe with a "face cutter file". And that hadn't even been done in 1854.

If you hover your mouse over pics it should give you a name of each machine depicted in it. Back in those days they run many mills but not as mills as we know them in todays typical configuration. Back then mills were mostly of horizontal type mills and they would wary in sizes. Typical operation for such mill would be production of percussion musket lock plate, for example.



Also, shapers , played big role in production of various parts back then. Horizontal, vertical large and small shapers were utilised in production of many parts.

[cirelaw]

Mauser factory in Fred Datigs book

[cirelaw]

Krieghoff Factory Tour~ http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=426910

[Puretexan]

I wonder what kind of machine they used to cut the rectangular hole for the safety bar.
Its already thin and they cut a perfect hole for it to ride in. I can't imagine how they did it. I have a mill and doubt that I could do it.

[SIGP2101]

Originally Posted by Puretexan

I wonder what kind of machine they used to cut the rectangular hole for the safety bar.
Its already thin and they cut a perfect hole for it to ride in. I can't imagine how they did it. I have a mill and doubt that I could do it.

By broaching on vertical press after drilling initial hole. Custom made broach would be used for this. That is one possibility, another way would be shaper tool.

[Chickenthief]

Originally Posted by Puretexan

I wonder what kind of machine they used to cut the rectangular hole for the safety bar.
Its already thin and they cut a perfect hole for it to ride in. I can't imagine how they did it. I have a mill and doubt that I could do it.

A round pilot hole drilled and a square reamer pushed through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n1r5XfVkyk

Way back then they had umpteen machines in a long row each only doing one operation.

[Wastoute]

PureTexan, chickenthief, knowing how and doing it are two way different things. But go back and look at SIGP2101's Mauserwerke photos. In one photo they have two guys at two machines and they are observing their work through magnification optics built into the machines. I recall being struck by that because I had never seen such machines in any machine shop, then it struck me, some of these skills must require watchmakers and these are the kinds of machines watchmakers must use. Talk about a forgotten art! Like you said, I could not imagine drilling a 1mm hole 1 cm deep and then turning it into a broached, rectangular hole 5 mm long by 1 mm wide. If my life depended on it.

[SIGP2101]

Originally Posted by Wastoute

In one photo they have two guys at two machines and they are observing their work through magnification optics built into the machines.

Back in old days, very often, precision work (optical instruments parts for example) was done under microscope or stereoscope, todays is done through the camera lens and observations is done on monitors.

Here is one example of lathe microscope:

[Wastoute]

Thanks, mrerick. Interesting tidbit about the floors at IBM. I figured the standard had been bolted to a slab and then grouted since early on. Not so, it would seem.

To think, we once had a country full of folks like your family who built not only handguns but rotary airplane engines, tanks, bombers, etc. and won two wars. What happened? I guess I better stop here or I will get into politics.

[Wastoute]

SIGP2101, thanks for the tip about hovering. I guess my Ipad didn't do that. It didn't hit me until just now what that photo in the last of the Colt series was. That "bank vault looking contraption "behind" the machine? Is that an indexing tool head? So turning it connects a new tool to the drive? Incredible. 100 years before CNC...

[SIGP2101]

Originally Posted by Wastoute

SIGP2101, thanks for the tip about hovering. I guess my Ipad didn't do that. It didn't hit me until just now what that photo in the last of the Colt series was. That "bank vault looking contraption "behind" the machine? Is that an indexing tool head? So turning it connects a new tool to the drive? Incredible. 100 years before CNC...

That is exactly what it is/was. On the back of the picture:
"The use of the revolver frame jigging machine is demonstrated by a Colt worker. This machine could cut both the interior and exterior surfaces of a revolver frame. The inner hub of the machine is engraved "Col. Saml. Colt Hartford Ct." The employee wears a unique hat that is square at the top and seems to be made of folded paper.

Museum of Connecticut History, Accession 2002.431.01"

In essence it is a mill with multiple heads that holds various milling cutters. Fascinating, is it? Here is a bigger pic. Click on it.