Arkivism
Spanner for a Wheel Lock Gun
CC0 · no rights reserved

Spanner for a Wheel Lock Gun

1600s · steel

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Early firearms required many different tools to operate. These tools did not have to remain purely practical but could be decorated and embellished. A spanner was integral to a wheel lock gun. The wheel lock works by spinning a spring-loaded steel wheel against a piece of pyrite to generate intense sparks, which ignite gunpowder in a pan, which flashes through a small touchhole to ignite the main charge in the firearm's barrel. The spanner was needed to turn the wheel and spring, readying the gun to be fired.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineSpanner for a Wheel Lock Gun, 1600s. Germany. Steel; overall: 16.5 x 2.5 cm (6 1/2 x 1 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. Marvin Shie, 2008.171

Similar works