Little Boy A-Bomb Safety plug relpica.
Hello everyone!
This is my first post here.
I need some help. I am trying to make a replica of the safety plugs from the Little Boy/Fat Man atomic bombs, and I have already created a preliminary blueprint of all the components.
However, I have absolutely no idea how the wooden handle is attached to the body. For some reason, there isn't a single angle available online that shows the mounting method on the original plugs. There is only one photo of a green plug where a top-down view is crudely visible.
Judging by how it looks, at first glance, it seems that there is some sort of metal insert with a rim/stopper inside the wooden handle, and then a metal rod was inserted from below through the body and riveted, thereby securing the handle in place (see my blueprint). But I am not sure if that is correct. I have noticed that on replicas of atomic bombs in museums, the wooden plug handle is simply attached with a nut, but I suspect that could be an incorrect representation. Although some ASNA or similar Nut-Spline seems to be a pretty good option....
In any case, only a photo of an original plug from the top will be able to answer this question. Does anyone happen to have photos from museums that clearly show how exactly the handle is attached?
I would be grateful for any help!
Now, a bit more about my small project. I found two MS3106-A20-14P (quite difficult to find) series plugs online, which are slightly more modern analogs to the original AN3106-20-14P (impossible to find) used in those two atomic bombs. They only differ in that the modern version is coated with Chromium VI, and unlike the AN version, it has ink markings rather than stamped ones; otherwise, they are identical. Knowing the size of the plug, it was easy to calculate the proportional dimensions of the other parts of the assembly based on original photos and create a blueprint in AutoCAD.