Foreign Objects

[frogboy]

Having stripped and inspected a BSA Model D light pattern, that I've had for a while but just not got round to having a play with.

I found the keeper screw for the cocking link axis pin had no head on it, a scratch of the surface revealed it to be rather soft, and I rapidly realised someone had filled the vacant hole with lead.

On stripping the internals down I found a piston seal that is ok-ish, but with what I thought was the top of ridges of metal, as if there is a metal coil band in the leather, a dig with the screwdriver revealed a cut down pointy wood screw, that I expect had been loaded for projection at some foe, but instead had ended up sucked in, compressed and embedded into the piston seal.

So tinkerers what spurious items have you found in your restorations?

[MattyBoy]

I had to dig the rotten piston seal out of a Relum Tornado I got recently. There was a 1.5" nail embedded in the gooey leather

Same story as above I guess.

The good news is that after cleaning and modding the piston to take a 26mm HW seal the gun shoots really nicely at 8 ft lb

Matty

[grieva]

3- 1" oval brads,don't know how they got there,it was an old bsa taploader?

[piggy589]

Automotive bodyshop pulling pins,several linked together in the barrel and welded to the bore....scrap,a crying shame.

An otherwise clean .177 Airsporter.

[frogboy]

When I first started collecting I did buy an early BSA (Lincoln Jeffries) model from a member on here, it arrived through the post and looked superb, but something wasn't quite right.

I thought the keeper screw for the underlever was a little spurious, so purchased one from John Knibbs. Having taken the old screw out that was fitted I tried to screw in the replacement, but it would not engage. I compared the 2 screws, the one from Knibbs was a much larger diameter shank. A dig round in the hole to try and clear the threads released a tiny spring washer that had been wedged into the hole to retain the spurious screw. After that the new screw located and was a perfect fit.

[averageplinker]

I had a Relum break barrel once that had previously been tuned by putting several obscure coins in the piston before the spring was put back in. It also had a few small nails embedded in the piston seal. Those leather piston seals keep going with all manner of crud in them!

[Garvin]

Apparently it was an old gunsmith's 'trick' (ie shortcut) to drive nails into an old shrunken piston washer to spread it and so improve compression/power in a poor-performing rifle. The owner would be none the wiser...

[I. J.]

I had to dig the rotten piston seal out of a Relum Tornado I got recently. There was a 1.5" nail embedded in the gooey leather

Same story as above I guess.

The good news is that after cleaning and modding the piston to take a 26mm HW seal the gun shoots really nicely at 8 ft lb

Matty

SNAP !

I had to dig a rotten Relum Tornado off a bent 1.5" nail I wanted.

[MattyBoy]

SNAP !

I had to dig a rotten Relum Tornado off a bent 1.5" nail I wanted.

Very good Ian.

[ChrisGerr]

I had to dig the rotten piston seal out of a Relum Tornado I got recently. There was a 1.5" nail embedded in the gooey leather

Same story as above I guess.

The good news is that after cleaning and modding the piston to take a 26mm HW seal the gun shoots really nicely at 8 ft lb

Matty

Just my observations guys when I did my relum it had an asbestos gasket and certainly not leather. Gun looked original and not been opened up, so be careful 'smoothing' the rough edges just in case

Just proves it's eastern European agricultural reputation I suppose

Chris

[MattyBoy]

Just my observations guys when I did my relum it had an asbestos gasket and certainly not leather. Gun looked original and not been opened up, so be careful 'smoothing' the rough edges just in case

Just proves it's eastern European agricultural reputation I suppose

Chris

This was defo oil-soaked leather which had broken up having hit a bent nail goodness knows how many times in the past

The HW seal along with a piston liner, polished piston, top hat etc. shoots really very nicely. I was pleasantly surprised - and I shoot several highly tuned springers

Matty

[junglie]

This was defo oil-soaked leather which had broken up having hit a bent nail goodness knows how many times in the past

The HW seal along with a piston liner, polished piston, top hat etc. shoots really very nicely. I was pleasantly surprised - and I shoot several highly tuned springers

Matty

so you're out the closet as a relum fan matty admit it! I must confess a liking for the old telly break barrel my brother owned years ago, a powerful & accurate .22 in his hands (after he'd crammed an airsporter spring in it)