The name I've chosen for the "business" (I use parentheses because as of right now I have no clients; it's more of a hobby at the moment) is Slow Match and Pyrite. For those unfamiliar with the reference, the title refers to the agents of ignition in two styles of early firearms: Matchlocks and Wheellocks, respectively.
On Matchlocks:
Matchlocks were (typically) shoulder fired, smooth-bored, black powder firearms. They first appeared in the hands of soldiers in about the the mid 15th century, and represented the first leap in technology since the introduction of gunpowder over a century earlier. The advancement was in the method in which the burning wick, known as a slow match, was brought to ignite the priming charge. The match would be held in a set of jaws, the cock, and when the trigger is depressed, the cock lowers the match into the gunpowder. Prior to this invention, the match would generally be lowered into the priming charge manually, making aiming awkward and difficult. Matchlocks remained in use among European armies until the early 18th century, and lasted much longer in many parts of Asia. Their advantage was in their simplicity, but they also had a number of disadvantages. For example, in order to shoot, one must have a lit match ready. In a situation where a soldier is caught without a lit match, he would first have to find a source of fire and get the match burning hot before he can meet the enemy. Sometimes those first precious seconds could be all they had to react. Another downside is is that in wet weather, it can be difficult to keep a match lit (or even get it lit in the first place). The priming charge is also exposed to the elements when readying to shoot, and wet powder doesn't work. Still, it's proven effectiveness on the battlefield outweighed its faults for the better part of 300 years. It wasn't until the development of the true flintlock and their "modern" manufacturing methods that armies began to abandon the matchlock.
On Wheellocks:
The history of the wheellock begins around the beginning of the 16th century. Their development came about as a way to solve some of the problems of matchlocks. As stated before, one must have a ready source of fire in order to light the match of the matchlock. For the wheellock, this isn't an issue. The method of ignition on the wheellock is similar to that of a modern day cigarette lighter. Through the use of springs, a serrated steel wheel is wound and locked to hold tension. The cock holds a piece of iron pyrite which is then lowered on top of the priming charge, held in a pan surrounding the wheel. When the trigger is pulled, the spring tension is released, causing the wheel to spin. The serrated edge rapidly strikes the pyrite, causing sparks that ignite the charge. Using this method, the wheellock can be considered the first self igniting firearm in history. A soldier carrying a wheellock could be ready for combat at a moment's notice. Later, an automatically opening pan cover was developed that would protect the priming charge from the elements until the second the trigger was pulled. The combination of these new technologies also meant that wheellocks would develop into the first effective pistols. Fully loaded and armed pistols could for the first time be concealed beneath a cloak or jacket, leading to the first handgun regulations and bans during the Renaissance.
These advancements did not come without their price. In order to facilitate all these movements, the "guts" of the firing mechanism, the lock, became very complex. Looking at the inside of a wheellock looks like looking at a finely made watch or clock. Because of this, wheellocks tended to be expensive to produce. All the tiny moving pieces also meant they were prone to break or malfunction, costing even more money to repair. The high cost generally meant that these weapons would remain in the realm of wealthy nobles or issued to small numbers of specialist troops (such as cavalry and dragoons, who could have trouble lighting matchlocks on horseback).
While I do enjoy snaphaunces, flintlocks, percussion cap, and other later ignition systems, the two described above are particularly my favorite. Both the simplicity of the former and the complexity of the later are intriguing to me, and I hope to have a lot of fun with them.
