Need help on Whitney 1861 navy revolver

[tangolima]

Eli Whitney 1861 navy in .36. A cap and ball revolver brought in by a client. Hand spring is broken and missing, so cylinder doesn't always move when hammer is cocked.

Found replacement hand for colt 1961 navy. Will it fit? I understand parts need fitting to work correctly, but they need to be close enough.

Also some of the nipples are plugged, possibly by residue from last firing decades ago. Tried picking them with thin spring stock with very little success. What's the proper way to clear the nipples? Small drill bit?

Thanks in advance for your advice and comments.

-TL

 

[velocette]

TL, The area in which E. Whitney ran his factory was in the heart of Connecticut's gunmaking area. Whitney was a contract manufacturer of some of Colt's early revolvers, (I believe that the Walkers were one of them) so it would not be unusual for many of the parts to be quite similar. (Whitney and his sons actually was a contract manufacturer of many items across a wide range of products.)
As an aside, I have and shoot an Whitney Rolling Block rifle, circa 1885, made when his sons were running the factory

 

[James K]

If you have the hand, you can probably fit a new spring easier than you can make or fit a new hand. IIRC, that hand spring is fitted into a slot in the hand just like the Colt, so it is only a matter of tapping out the broken end of the spring and fitting a new spring. You can use a Colt spring available from parts companies or any handy spring of the right size and tension. That avoids the need to fit a new hand.

I recommend using a small drill bit on those nipples, but after soaking them in a solvent for a couple of days. Do not use a power tool, though, you can easily break the bit off. At the most, use a "T" tap handle and work very carefully.

Jim

 

[tangolima]

Thanks gentlemen. It was an interesting gun. It got more interesting when I read into its background. Whitney was the inventor of the cotton gin that had a lot to do with the causation of the civil war. A lot of soldiers on either purchased the gun possibly because it was cheaper than the colt. He was contractor of colt. He started making his own gun when colt's patent ran out. The Whitney does resemble the colt.

Anyway, I decided to make a spring for the hand. Managed to punch out the spring's stump with a small screw driver last night. I was so afraid that the hand would snap along the slit. Also cleared the nipples. A #40 drill bit on hand chuck did the trick.

-TL