Reassembly of High Standard Victor Hammer

Well I sweated through the detailed cleaning of my old HS Victor the other night. The air was getting a distinct blue tinge in it from well chosen oral encouragement when it came to getting the mainspring and hammer back in place. Bob Marvel markets a tool that is supposed to be necessary to push the hammer in while compressing the spring. May be so. I took a piece of hardwood dowel (will be duplicated with aluminum rod) about 1/2-9/16 diameter and cut a fairly wide slot in the end so that the hammer strut would fit into the slot. I used another dowel that was flattened on each side so that it fit into the top of the frame far enough to compress the strut and mainspring. Inserted the slotted dowel through the round cutout in the frame and over the strut to hold it in the compressed position. The hammer can then be installed without difficulty. Cock the hammer and remove the slotted tool. Maybe this is not big news but I thought it might save someone some frustration.
                                                                       Cliff

I have a way to avoid frustration....after years and years of use, I've still never taken my Hi Standard apart that far.

If I can't get it clean with a tooth brush or pipe cleaners, it gets to stay dirty!

Have you no sense of self destructive adventure Rob?

Al Marvel makes that tool.. It's on his website.. VERY handy if you have a HS..

Have you no sense of self destructive adventure Rob?

....Ain't nobody got time for cleaning the innards of a Hi Standard!

I must be slipping. Al Marvel.   Somehow I thought it was Bob.  Anyway, His tool is much more of a machinists solution that costs you $20+ .  This is cheap and gets you a nice clean, well serviced pistol.

http://www.marvelcustomguns.com/high_standard_hammer_installation_tool.htm

The picture has the hammer in the wrong place ,the holes should be outward.
Best $23.50 I've spent . Replacing the original spring with a Wolff spring makes a huge difference in locktime,you can hear it.
It's near impossible to dissasemble and reassemble the hammer spring without this tool.

Is the Wolff spring heavier?  Crap, I'm going to need a hydraulic press.

I do believe the Wolff spring is heavier but easy to manage with the Marvel tool.I've done three of my guns so far.Worth the effort.After 30+ years the original springs take a set.Like I said before ,you can hear and see the difference in your locktime.

I'm pulling your leg Bubba. And just so everyone understands, I'm not bashing Mr. Marvel's tool. I just came up with a method of getting the job done with stuff that's at hand and doesn't require a machine shop to do it, so I wanted to share it since Jerry and so many here have given so freely of their knowledge and experience.  Now, I was prowling around Brownell's catalog and saw a jig listed as "Bob Marvel's" trigger jig. Is there a Bob and an Al Marvel? Are they related?

No offence taken.
I bought the Marvel tool because the first hammer spring I changed I tried to push the hammer in with my fingers. Ouch !
Good topic Kwikdraw.
BTW I sent you a PM .

kwixdraw wrote: Is there a Bob and an Al Marvel? Are they related?

Yes. Al is in Maryland, Bob is in Nebraska

....but Al is not related to Bob.