Insights of German Wheellock Mechanisms

[Matchlock]

For sporting guns and rifles, from top to bottom:

Nuremberg, ca. 1575, both outside and inside views, the first sadly inversed left to right

ca. 1650-60

ca. 1670-80

ca. 1735-40

Best,
Michael

[rickystl]

Hi Michael !!! Thanks for posting these great lock photos. Especially the very clear parts description. I saved that for future use. Thanks again, Rick..

[Matchlock]

Thank you, Rick!

m

[fernando]

Originally Posted by rickystl

Hi Michael !!! Thanks for posting these great lock photos. Especially the very clear parts description. I saved that for future use. Thanks again, Rick..

Ditto

[Matchlock]

Thank you too, 'Nando!

Michl

[Pukka Bundook]

Thank you for posting these pictures, Michael.

Very nice to see such well made solid locks, in such good order.

I was a bit surprised to see so much engraving on the internal face of the last one, but then again,... a wheellock has to be removed much more frequently than other locks for cleaning, so the inside would be appreciated each time it was dismounted!

Thank you again,
Richard.

[Matchlock]

Hi Richard,

It's been so good to hear from you again!

As to internal engravings on wheellocks, usually only the better quality locks - which were mostly used with sporting or hunting guns and rifles - have decorated internal mechanisms. However, from ca. 1650 to the end of the wheellock era in the late 18th c., such hidden decoration can be found relatively frequently, as all regular military use of wheellocks stopped by the end of the 17th c.

Best wishes, my friend,
Michael

[rickystl]

Hi Michael. While at a local gun show last week, I met a collector/dealer that purchased a beautiful German/Selician (spelling?) Wheelock sporting rifle. It has eight groove rifled barrel and an EXTERNAL main spring. He would not let me take pictures of it at the Show, but I did receive an email from him saying he will take pictures and send them to me. So, I should receive them sometime next week. He's owned it for only three months, but might be willing to sell it next year since it's not in his normal interest of collecting. I would really like your opinion on the gun. So, I'll Post it soon for comment. Rick.

[Pukka Bundook]

Michael,

Thank you for the explanation re. engraving on lock internals.
It is good to be here again and talking to you!

Rick,
Silesian might not be far from the mark, we will see when you have photos, but it sounds like Maybe a Tzchinke...(Cannot think how it is spelled!)

Generally fairly small claibere, with distinctive stock shape,...Eastern Germanic/Czech. ....May be way off, but more often than not such pieces have external mainsprings.

[Matchlock]

Richard and Rick,

The item we're anxious to see is most certainly a Polish (Silesian) Tschinke (the historic spelling) of mid-17th c. date. Let's hope it's o.k. in all its parts.

Best,
Michael

[rickystl]

Richard and Michael

Thanks for your comments. The owner did have a small index card describing what he believed the gun to be. It did in fact say Tzchinke/Silesian on the I.D. card, but I can't remember the rest. But I seem to recall he had a date of 1575-1600 on the information. I'm not an expert on Wheellock guns. But I believe these dates would be too early for a Tzchinke? It does not look like other Tzchinke rifles I've seen. But, again, I anxiously await photos. It will be a week's time tomorrow since his email. If I don't hear from him in a couple more days, I'll contact him again.

Of course, a better idea would be for him (since he is local) to bring the gun to me and let me take the photos, since I know what we all want to see, and can re-size photos, etc. Then I'll recommend that he leave the gun with me for a while - about six months - for furthur evaluation. LOL

Rick.

[Pukka Bundook]

Rick,

If it doesn't look like other Tschinke's you have seen, then it will be very interesting to see the photos!
Do you recall how it differs?

Leave it with you for six months?!...........Six Years would give you a better time for evaluation! :-)

[Matchlock]

Oh no, Richard,

Once we have seen the photos, I'm quite sure we will soon know what it is. I don't thik it will take us six years ...

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

Until we see Rick's Tschinke, I recommend concentrating on this unusually fine and early Nuremberg wheellock mechanism I photographed in the Tojhusmuseet Copenhagen. The gun it belongs to is dated 1548 on both the barrel and the stock.

Now isn't this a breathtaking piece?

For the whole gun please see

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...openhagen+1548

Best,
Michael

[fernando]

Oh, that wonder again

[Matchlock]

More.

[Matchlock]

The rest.

[Matchlock]

Yeah, this is a wonder of arts and crafts indeed!

m

[rickystl]

Michael: That lock (and the complete gun) is FANTASTIC !!!!!!
The amount of chiseling work must have taken hundreds of hours. Don't recall seeing another with that amount of chisel work. It's also wonderful that it can be specifically dated!! And wonderful condition. Thanks for sharing. Rick.

Still waiting for photos.

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by rickystl

Michael: Don't recall seeing another with that amount of chisel work.Thanks for sharing. Rick.

Well, Rick,

You can't because none of them has ever been published!

I took those photos myself, by special appointment of the curators of the Tojhusmuseet Copenhagen. They took the gun out of a big glass case and dismantled it especially for me!

That's nothing though. I will soon post just incredible insights of the highest adorned early wheellock mechanism to my knowledge.

Best,
Michael

[Pukka Bundook]

Michael,

having done a small amount chiseling myself, I can appreciate the terrific amount of work that went into the above gun!

Re. the crocodile;
I have only seen the crocodile I think on arms made from the mid 1500's to mid 1600's.
Is this the case?...and can you tell me why /how it became part of the decoration?

Take care my friend,
Richard.

[Matchlock]

Hi Richard,

As always your observations are just on the point though this is is not really a crocodile but a lizard.

Animals like birds, lizards, snakes and sea monsters became a fashionable decoration in the Renaissance period, usually the Italian High Renaissance, correspondig to the German Early Renaissance which is the early to mid 16th c. They can mostly be found on barrels, entwined in foliage and botanic scrollwork.

This zoomorphic decoration was especially employed on ironwork of all kinds, as well as by the stone masons.

In the case of the laid-on fire-gilt brass attachments of the 1548 lock, they are definitely not soldered or riveted but, in my opinion, just had one or two rectangular conical pins on the underside which were just hammered into corresponding holes in the lock plate.

Best, my brilliant friend,
Michael

[rickystl]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

Well, Rick,

You can't because none of them has ever been published!

I took those photos myself, by special appointment of the curators of the Tojhusmuseet Copenhagen. They took the gun out of a big glass case and dismantled it especially for me!

That's nothing though. I will soon post just incredible insights of the highest adorned early wheellock mechanism to my knowledge.

Best,
Michael

Michael: It is wonderful you are able to take those photos. I would have a difficult time taking those close up photos myself. I would be too busy wiping the sweat off my hands and the druel off my mouth.
Can't wait to see the photos of the Lock you mention!!!
Again, thanks for Posting and sharing your knowledge. Much appreciated.
I'm going to email my new collector aquaintence today and gently remind him to send the photos of the Wheellock gun. Rick.

[Matchlock]

Here it is, folks.

It took me a lot of time to scan the analog photos of 1990 when I took this breathtaking beauty out of its case in the Vienna Hofburg and shot it in broad daylight on a balcony high above the roofs of Vienna! I have to admit my hands trembled a bit - not only because of the mechanism but remember: it was laid on the 30 cm broad railing of the balcony, some 60 m above street level! It might have fallen down on the streets of Vienna....!

Please note the difference in quality when comparing the first image that I took thru the glass and the others when I had the object in my hands. Of course this a priviledge not many people are granted.

But back to this mechanism. Though there are no marks I guess it was made by a Nuremberg locksmith; it is dated 1551 and still retains the old-fashioned sickle-shaped dog spring running around the wheel while the dog represents the modern style of the mid-61th c. I don't really think it was ever mounted on a gun; it most probably was a master piece and kept on display in the locksmith's showroom.

Take your time to explore this beauty, and how it was made. Maybe with your help we can discover some of its secrets, e.g. why there are so many holes drilled in the frame encircling the inner mechanism - something I have never seen before or after and which doesn't make any sense at all.

Anyway, I think this is the most refined early wheellock mechanism I have ever seen.

A highly notable feature is the long brass arm reaching up to the pan cover left of the wheel. What one would expect to be an additional snap match holder, here it is only a stylized ornament though srewed to the lock plate like a working match holder!

Richard, I'm sure you're just itching to rebuild this on the long winter evenings - one for you, one for me!

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

The rest.

m

[rickystl]

Michael: I'm speechless. Thank you sooooo much for posting these photos. Hope you won't mind me taking copies of these for my own keeping?
I agree with you that this Lock was probably never made to be mounted on a gun. This may explain the extra large size of the lock, and possibly the holes around the outer edge. Yes, I believe this was made for display in the Lock Maker's shop so potential customers could view the high-end of the gunsmith's capabilities. What also makes me come to that conclusion is that I have two LARGE decorated miquelet locks that I previously posted on this Forum. The locks are done in the sporting style, but are larger than musket size and look as though they were never mounted to a gun. Additionally, one of the locks has two holes drilled (a long time ago) in the middle of the pan.
This Lock you just posted is Fabulous!!!! Even though there is no maker's mark (which surprises me) it is wonderful that we can authenticate a date of manufacture. Again, with much THANKS for posting. Rick.

I just received the first two pictures of the Wheellock Rifle previously discussed. The owner has promised me additional close up photos and description of what he "believes" it to be. Rick.

[Matchlock]

Thank you so much, Rick,

I was wondering whether anyone would care to respond to this actually unique - and never published! - masterpiece ...

Best,
Michael

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

Thank you so much, Rick,

I was wondering whether anyone would care to respond to this actually unique - and never published! - masterpiece ...

Best,
Michael

Is it been too busy lately, justifies ?
Also, as someone said the other day: one just keeps admiring, often failing to coment

.

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by fernando

one just keeps admiring, often failing to coment
.

Exactly, 'Nando,

That's me too though I have seen, handled (and photographed) literally thousands of related objects!

Thanks, and best,
Michl