Tickler safeties

What is the easiest type of manual "safety" to make and use for a med type crossbow with the usual tickler?

Pavise

Pavise,

I made a safety some time ago for a bow (actually, it was on my very first 'client' bow, a bit over a year and a half ago) .. it was NOT a 'medieval' safety, to be sure, but a simple safety that we make for bows that legally need one for hunting.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swifthoundbows/3264185605/in/set-72157611937565699/

Very simple, a bit crude, but it works. Perhaps it could be elaborated upon? To have it appear more "medieval".

Lightly

Lightly is right: In our shop, we generally use the rotating-bolt safety as illustrated on her flickr page. It's pretty reliable but not self-setting and you CAN bend the safety bolt if you pull hard enough on the long tickler.
The authentic safety I've seen for single-axle roller-nut bows is a swing-away crutch mounted to the underside of the stock. This can be hinged down to rest in a little detent in the top of the tickler. Presumably it's spring loaded. I have seen such things but haven't had the chance to examine them in detail, so I could be totally off the mark there.
Back when we made the original Padre Island bow for the Museum of Science and History in Corpus Christi, Tex. We fitted a sliding-wedge safety that worked tolerably well. The wedge fitted into the trigger passage. If you pushed it all the way in, it locked the trigger (more or less) if you pulled it back, the trigger was free to move. It was a nuisance to fit and I wouldn't trust it. Was it authentic? Maybe. There's something up there in the trigger passage. It looks like a wooden wedge in the radiographs, but then again, it might be a rather dense horn trigger-spring instead. I really don't know. Anyhow, we made one like that and it worked after a fashion.
Geezer

Dear Lightly and Geezer,

Thank you for your kind and quick responses. The build pictures you provided Lightly, certainly illustrate how neatly you guys have been tackling the task.

However in an attempt to be authentic and knowing this is an almost imposssible goal these days, I have been considering the type of safety that you now describe Geezer. The few examples I have seen, looked like they were designed to be convenient as well as soldier-proof too. A spring loaded, drop down, tickler interrupt leaf, hinged at the position where an index finger might easily activate it, would seem to be the ideal arrangement and is the one I will now try to replicate.

Pavise

I saw a sliding pin trigger block where the pin (wooden dowel) had a flat for the fire position, like modern shotguns. Needed a way to keep it from turning or it became 'All safe'. Otherwise a quick poke is all it takes to select safe or fire. 'Button' ends kept the pin captive.
matching key ways in pin and stock makes most sense to me to keep pin properly aligned, maybe black wood for safe, reddish for fire for the buttons?

Here is my take on safeties that I incorparated on a couple of crossbows I have made.


I think this is very close to what Pavise was saying. It is a simple spring load hinge i made myself. Works great. Being spring loaded it sets the tickler when cocking the crossbow and sets itself automatcally to "safe mode". To use it you pull back and hold the safety with your index finger and then you can squeeze the tickler with you remaining fingers.

This really clever. Reminds me of an over travel block a fellow put on his stock to improve accuracy.

Here are some pics of the safety on my ballestrino.

The thing that looks like a modern trigger is the safety. It is pivoted on the sliding body of the lock. The safety's nose engages a notch in the trigger. A leaf spring on the safety and another on the trigger, ensure that the safety engages the notch in the trigger as soon as the lock is set. Pulling back the safety with the index finger allows the trigger to move.

All in all the safety is a pain in the ass to use. I would just remove if I hadn't spent so much time designing around it.

Mac

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Awesome balestrino! I can't even begin to imagine how you made that outer shell. Just the looks blow my mind. What are the specs?

And yeh...

I think on a balestrino the tickler would make a better safety switch. While a regular trigger hook be moved up the tiller in front of the tickler. That way you grip the balestrino to arm it and press the trigger to shoot it.



Looks like a bit of a challenge, but might just be doable.

Ivo

Might be easier to make it a set trigger using the tickler the setting trigger. Other option would be to have an offset tang that under hooks a side pin on the trigger.

Thanks Ivo!

The body of the balestrino is welded up out of three pieces; two sides and the bottom.....that was the easy part.

I don't know what the draw weight is....somewhere between 300 and 500lbs. (136 to 227kilos)

If I were going to make another, I would not even bother with a safety.

Mac

8fingers wrote: Other option would be to have an offset tang that under hooks a side pin on the trigger.

I'm having trouble imagining that. Can you make a sketch?

Mac

Think of it like an under claw release where the tickler hooks the front side of the rotating claw part.
Now in this example the claw becomes a trigger, held from moving the next lever in the trigger group and because it is easier to flatten the tickler and put a stair step bend in it than making a hollow trigger, use a side pin as a sear. Thinking this over, a tickler engaging a sear on the back of the trigger might be easier, but it would require a 'hammerhead' shape, or a cavity the nose of the tickler would slide into when the trigger was pulled.
Tried drawing and scanning but I can't run my computer. I'll send something on tomorrow.

8fingers wrote: I'll send something on tomorrow.

Excellent! Thank you.
Mac

Wright now i realize how much the draw weight increases as the prod length gets shorter.....unbelievable!!!!

Still haven't figured out my scanner but if you go to
http://www.thecrossbowmansden.com/Triggers.html#2 Top figure.
Extend the trigger to a tickler, the claw becomes a safety block to your trigger or nut.
Spent yesterday getting a crossbow style ballista field ready. I'll post some pictures later.