A new piece of scrap metal

One can only conclude that it was for use with an automatic welder of some sort so that the position of the lug is constant to the path of the welding rod, and used on a production basis. On those that I have done I have just held the body in a pair of aluminium jaws in the vise and TIG welded the lug. They were only ever done on a one-at-a-time basis, and hand fitted. This jig could also be used to position the bodies for a milling operation to provide a constant dimension in the refurb process.

Thinking about it, we had a similar jig for rebuilding the top cover latch area of the M1919 Brownings. Mind you, like Woodsies method, the actual fitting was done on the bench by hand using a file and the Browning that you were working on.

Come on KtK..... lets see a few more of these special fixtures. It's strange how these gadgets were devised and presumably sent out to the workshops. But, alas, the Armourers on the ground had already encountered the problems years earlier and had devised other much simpler methods of fixing stuff.

One I remember was a special tool for tightening up the bush on the L1A1 TMH that positioned the pistol grip. Except that it didn't! The only thing that did the job was a hard steel tapered rod or drift that entered the top of the bush. Then you knocked sxxxe out of it. Others prefer to use the phrase '.....gently swage....' but to do THIS job, you knocked the living xxxx out of it! By doing so, the tapered drift opened up the internal diameter and spread the whole diameter of the top part of the bush out to grip the whole diameter of the TMH. Problem solved and the special jig stayed in the A in U cupboard along with the other useless stuff - like the extractor removal tool!

Happy days

Ahh yes Pete, but the bean counters kept a good eye on all those special jigs and tools, just getting one out of stores to look at was more drama , so much easier and less hassle to revert to the hammer/punch technique.

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Originally Posted by muffett.2008

Ahh yes Pete, but the bean counters kept a good eye on all those special jigs and tools, just getting one out of stores to look at was more drama , so much easier and less hassle to revert to the hammer/punch technique.

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Nice to know some, Military 'Traditions' never change! :madsmile: I SWEAR, Storemen go on a course. To learn a Hundred Different ways to say: 'No we haven't got it'. When you can see for yourself, the item concerned. Is sitting on the shelf in the background!!....:mad:

........ or, when you see it, they reply '....but it's the only one we've got.....!'. They have no concept of '......well get some more then or you'll only EVER have one left.......

The good ones learned that being a good storsie meant having nothing on the shelves and a pile of paper that proved all was on order...the rest was on issue...

Others will be having a chuckle about this attack on dopey storemen......, but it's true! I went in to exchange some worn and tatty overalls/coveralls, and I mean old and well used. He just asked me what was wrong with them so I put them on. Still no change in attitude. except to comment that a good laundry would sort them out. I went back and grizzled to the Tech QM (under whom we operated) and he made a phone call......, a phone call with some authority I should add. 10 minutes later I was back with a new pair, just as the Tech QM had suggested the previous day!

But the same storemen wouldn't hesitate to call into us if there was some technical problem or if they were, say 8 BFA's or magazines or scabbards etc etc short for a check the next week. Could we help? They soon learned about back scratching.

We had a RQ at my last came while we trained reserves. He commented one day about having to sit down all ranks of the Adm Corp in his unit and explain that "Your hatbadge says SERVICE...that means YOU!" He lived that motto. He and I worked together well during that short 4 months...