Striker straightening

[tbonesmith]

Hi guys, I've come to need a striker for a little job, and the only ones I have are a little bit bend, only really apparent when I roll them on my thick piece of glass.
I'm told they can be straightened, but is there any "proper procedure" with this one. I'd thought of chucking it up in the 3 jaw chuck in my lathe and indicating on an end and just gently hammering until it spins with no or very little runout...
My only hesitation it that if I chuck it not quite at the bend I might end up with 2 bends, I suppose I could chuck up the straight section and run the dial indicator along it, and find the point where it starts bending like that...
Any expert advice might save me some time and possibly some damage.
Will post photos of the process when done.
Thanks.

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

Just hold it up to the light with a straight-edge (a steel rule will do...) and you'll see the bend. Mark it, set it in the lathe at just before that point and 'tweak' it straight until it's perfect

[Son]

Take your striker, hold it up to the light with a rule as Peter suggests. Confirm the position of the bend and mark it. Now stick it back in your bent striker box, send me your address and I'll send you a new one. (as long as Australia post doesn't bend it)
Seriously, if you can't get it good enough, let me know. I got a couple of spares.

Brad.

[Fred G.]

Laying it on a flat wooden surface, note the arc of the bend and taking a rawhide or a wooden mallet, gently hit it at the top of the arc and keep doing this while turning it to determine where the areas are that need to be addressed. If you hit it too hard and bend it the other way, just roll it again and correct.

[RJW NZ]

Just been through this, a huge pain in the as I chased the curve this way and that, for quite a while. it turns out that hole through the rear of the bolt holds the pin a lot straighter and hence binds faster that I'd've ever believed. But I discovered a happy option, got it as straight as I could and I was still getting friction/slight binding so I cleaned up the shoulders of the ridge where the bolt tool engages. I rounded off all the sharp edges and nicks and scratches, and then polished the sides where it contacts the bolt tunnel, now the movement is a slick as glass and no more binding.
It may not be as good as a new part, cos there's still a tiny bow in it, but it will work forever or until I can get a new one delivered.

[Peter Laidler]

I was talking about this an hour ago and from the other Armourers, they say that that the No4 strikers only ever bend where it extends out of the rear of the bolt in the cocked or fired position........... just where it is positioned when someone drops the rifle. It's obvious really!

On that basis, the position of the bend is known so straightening it should be a doddle.

[Thunderbox]

they say that that the No4 strikers only ever bend where it extends out of the rear of the bolt in the cocked or fired position........... just where it is positioned when someone drops the rifle. It's obvious really!

It was also a gunsmiths' bodge to bend the cocking piece down (ie bend the arse end of the pin up) in order to restore a normal trigger pull to those rifles that had developed a "hair trigger".....

[Peter Laidler]

Gunsmiths................ I say no more!