{"product_id":"original-british-wwi-lewis-gun-gas-regulator-key-with-square-hole","title":"Original British WWI Lewis Gun Gas Regulator Key with Square Hole","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: The Lewis gun featured an adjustable gas system, in which two different gas ports could be selected, L (for large) and S (for small).  A lever about 5 inches long was used to rotate the gas regulator 180 degrees to select one port or the other.  One end of the lever was machined with a small loop to facilitate grasping, while the other end was machined to be used as a screwdriver for the clamp ring screw.  The screwdriver section was normally seated in the gas regulator.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the First World War, it was decided to give the gas regulator key an additional function:  it would be turned into a wrench to unscrew the tiny locating stud inside the clamp ring.  This is the same purpose behind the modification of the Lewis spanner.  The modification involved two steps:  the loop end of the key was machined a little thinner on one side, and the round hole of the loop was filed to produce a 0.25-inch square hole.  This square hole became the stud wrench. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe?ve found a few modified keys among our Lewis parts, and are offering both unmodified and modified keys as follows.  Note that the unmodified key is itself a basic Lewis gun tool due to the screwdriver feature. This is the modified Key with a square hole.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":26169993349,"sku":"LMK1A7S","price":44.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/products\/lmk1a7s__01.jpg?v=1601831506","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-british-wwi-lewis-gun-gas-regulator-key-with-square-hole","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}