How to make a Hinged Floorplate
By Don Markey
Continued........

Now clamp the lever to the floorplate and file the part that extends through into a square shape to act as a key.

Now take a piece of flat stock and drill a hole. Next file it into a square to match the lever.

Next drill and tap a 6-48 hole in the lever to clamp the 2 pieces together.

The last step is the tedious task of filing the latch plate until it fits into the guard with the lever turned about 45 deg. Do this with it turned both ways. Then file a little step in the middle to lock into the guards recess. Sorry I didn’t get a lot of pics, but here it is completed.

Here it is installed on the guard locked closed.

And now in the open position.

Now let’s do one more guard. This one with a 1909 style release lever. Start by milling to slot for the latch.

Done with the mill work, now onto filing the edges square.

Here it is side by side with an actual 1909 guard for comparison.

Next make the latch. I use a jigsaw with a metal blade to rough out the shape and they refine it with a file. This pic is of one done and one roughed out. I start with the profile for an actual 1909 guard and modify it to fit the standard guard.

More file work, just file and test, file and test until it fits. Once it fits drill through both the guard and latch at the same time to make sure the alignment is perfect. I use 1/8” pins for the floorplate hinge and 1909 guard’s latches, but standard guards are a little thin. So I went with 3/32” pins on this one. After it is drilled install the pin or temporary pin in my case, since I was waiting for the pins to come in from enco. My pin was a welding rod, hey whatever works. Next file the inside and the outside flush except the part that holds the floorplate shut.

Fine tune the latch until it allows the floorplate to open easily.

Now some polishing and it will be done. All in all they are fun projects




I would like to give a Huge Thanks to Don Markey for this HowTo !
If you have any questions about this HowTo you can catch Don over
on the MC Forum ! Thanks Again Don ! If you write any more
HowTo's send em to me and we will get them on the air !