Ithaca Lewis Restoration

[B. Dudley]

It is hard for me to follow if parts are needed for this project or not. But if they are, let me know what you need. I have stuff for Lewis, Minier, Flues and NID guns. Just not crass.

[ssgross]

Stan, Dudley. Thank you most kindly. As of now, the only parts I am missing are the trip spring and trip pin, and the trigger lock (T shaped). If you have these, it will save me an afternoon. Feel free to send me a PM.

As a last resort, I've already cut a piece of an old worn out hacksaw blade to use as a trip spring. Hopefully its spring-steel is thick enough. I've got a drawer of old pin punches and broken drill bits to make a trip pin out of, and like I said I don't think the T shaped trigger lock would be too difficult to make once I know how it functions in each of the 3 positions of the safety switch.

It is more or less clear to me now in the design that the safety bar MUST be adjusted anytime the top lever is adjusted. To get a worn top lever back to center, the bolt guide block moves further to the rear. This requires the forward contact points of the safety lever (the part that goes through the receiver as well as the backside of the vertical part that connects to the T-bar) to be reduced. The point can be stoned down, and the t-bar connection can be gently bent further to the rear. I think I'm off by about 1/16", plus whetever the thickness is of the t-bar between the safety bar slot and the back of the receiver. This will all make better sense with more pictures. I'll get some.

Comparing pictures in alcaviglia's posts and album of a lewis, I am fairly confident I have the right safety bar. I am a bit confused be the long skinny groove along the underside of the tang. It seems the safety bar should ride in it...but it does not and I don't think it can, unless there is a bend in the bar that I don't have. alcaviglia's lewis pictures show the same. This could be easily adjusted as the safety bar is easily malleable - it's not hardened spring steel.

Pictures of a functioning safety in each of the 3 positions would be most welcome. I'll wait to form my safety bar until I see them.

EDIT: This is precisely the safety assembly I have.

[Stan Hoover]

Sam,
Here is a picture of a 3 position safety without disassembling, I believe you have the parts you need there, is your gun definitely a Lewis model? I was looking over another gun I have that I thought was a Lewis because of the side bolsters\clips, but after verifying the serial number, it is a 2nd to last year of the Crass era.

[ssgross]

Thank you, Stan. Your second pic shows the safety int he middle position, and clearly shows the the forward part of the T-bar...which is exactly the dimensions I found with trial and error with a 3d-printed version. Here is my safety selector in the REARmost position, with triggers and plate installed.
20240301_222644.jpg20240301_222639.jpg
As you can see, I have just a bit of slack to take up by adjusting the link of the bar. It has a notch/recess in the bottom into which I believe the trigger pin passes through snuggly.

Here is the forward most position.
20240301_222752.jpg
It doesn't quite make it far enough forward to clear the safe position, and cocking throws the bar past safe all the way to the rear position. The picture looks like my block is pressing agains the receiver, but it is not. Without the block, the bottom of the safety bar shows the same position. So I need to do 2 things (iteratively). 1) adjust the slot in the T-bar a bit to the rear, and gently form the link of the safety bar to take up the slack so its notch meets the trigger pin. 2) I need to remove 1-2mm of material from the forward most part of the safety where it enters into the receiver and contacts the bolt guide block.

I got my initial measurements from al's album of parts, since his photo was on the back of wrapping paper with a 1"x1" grid. I got within ~0.3mm of my final attempt (took 3 tries, 4 if you count the final rendering tomorrow. once I'm happy with the safety bar rear position, I'll adjust the slot in the bar to be perfect.) The same picture shows the forward pin of my safety bar is upwards of 2-4mm longer. Sorry for not using inches...I used freeCAD, which is set in mm.
Funny, my 3d print T-bar is working find. I stress tested by squeezing the triggers pretty hard in the safe position, and they didn't even deform. They will fail from friction of sliding, though, eventually. Once I get everything perfect, I'll make a steel one.

I'm as certain that I have a Lewis gun as whoever made the serial number tables. I'm at 76,xxx, well into the Lewis range. My safety parts match your's exactly. Al's selector looks a bit different than ours.

[ssgross]

Also, just to confirm - The forward most position is fire+auto-safe-when-cocking. The middle is safe, and the rear is fire-without-auto-safe-when-cocking?

[Stan Hoover]

Originally Posted by Samuel Gross

Also, just to confirm - The forward most position is fire+auto-safe-when-cocking. The middle is safe, and the rear is fire-without-auto-safe-when-cocking?

That is correct Sam,

I have a few Lewis frames, it will be this afternoon till I can check if I have a T shaped piece for the safety

Stan

After looking again, you have the T shaped piece, but the bottom of your main safety slide piece is bent to the side, that tab fits in the slot on the T shaped piece to engage the safety??

[ssgross]

Originally Posted by Stan Hoover

After looking again, you have the T shaped piece, but the bottom of your main safety slide piece is bent to the side, that tab fits in the slot on the T shaped piece to engage the safety??

Yes. the bottom of the tab is in the slot, and does move the T-bar. In the first few pictures the angle makes it hard to tell, but you can see it in the last picture. It (the tab on the safety) needs to be adjusted to the rear, and the pointy end that enters the receiver trimmed a bit, so that the T-bar has room to travel all the way forward.

[Stan Hoover]

So you have all the parts needed?

[Steve Hodges]

My 1912 Flues 16 gauge has the same three position safety.

[ssgross]

Originally Posted by Stan Hoover

So you have all the parts needed?

I think I'm good on the safety parts now. I'll use my 3D-printed T-bar as a pattern to make one very easily, if I don't find one in the next week or so - need to pick up some bar stock for it.

All that is left that I'm missing then is the trip spring and trip pin. If I don't find one before I'm ready to deal with it, I will make one out of some scrap spring steel.