Traditional Muzzleloading Association
Traditional Firearms => Caplock Long Guns => Topic started by: JB67 on July 31, 2019, 05:34:38 AM
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I finally finished my Traditions kit. I made some major modifications to it, wanting something unique that wouldn't look kit-built. I'll start with the finished product, my own comments will have more details.
I bought this kit back on June 13 and have spent many hours on it. All the inlays are inletted entirely by hand, no Dremel. I even made the eagle and stars. I also made the end cap, wear plate, and entry pipe. It follows no particular school, but I think it looks pretty good for a modified kit.
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This was a good test of patience, and skill. There was a fair amount of inletting to be done to get things to look right.
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Also, I had seen pictures of wrists with carvings, so I came up with a pattern that would fit my abilities.
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I knew it would need additional thinning in the wrist, so I adjusted the profile accordingly, bringing it down to meet up with the trigger guard.
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most excellent! :bl th up :bl th up
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Another detail is the entry pipe. These often have an extension that helps protect the underside of the forearm, sometimes extending into a wearplate. So I made a pipe and plate, using a solid brass kickplate from the hardware store (and for the eagle/stars seen elsewhere. ) Inletting the pipe was a little challenging because of the compound curves involved. The plate was made oversized and trimmed to fit afterwards to ensure fit.
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The Traditions kit comes with a chunky endcap. Because I glued the 2 stock pieces together, it shortened the overall length just enough that the holes didn't line up. A new cap was made from the brass kickplate sheet, and the end profile lightened up.
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The capbox required a fair amount of inletting to get it to fit and function, all done by hand with knives and small gouges. I also had to file down the sides to meet the stock profile. I wasn't sure how deep to go, so I went just enough to hold caps but still be able to pick them out.
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Every inlay is held in by a nail. No glue or epoxy. A hole is drilled, then countersunk (I did use a Dremel for that.) The nails are brass #18 brads, given a matching countersink head. To do tgat, I drilled a hole in a steel plate, countersunk the hole, then peened the brad into it so the hrad would take the countersink profile.
The brads were cut to about 3/8" long and driven into pilot holes. The excess gets filed down, then sanded. When done right, it should virtually disappear. The inlay then gets filed down where needed to match the wood profile. On that eagle alone there are 5 brads holding it in.
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Outstanding! Absolutely Outstanding!!! :toast :hairy
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What's that eagle about? It's a nod to the Republic of Madawaska, a "territory" in the dispute over the border between Maine and Canada in the early 1800s that led to the Aroostook War. The flag was an eagle with 6 stars. These were all handmade by me (using a Dremel and files.) Each star was a little different and individually inletted to fit, meaning I had to keep careful track of what went where and how.
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One other thing I did was to sand the barrel with 220 grit paper and treat it with naval jelly. It has a nice gray finish now.
That about sums it up. Stain is Feibrings leather dye, roughly 4 parts saddle tan and one part dark brown. Watco Danish Oil was then applied until the desired finish was reached. During the final sanding (done after the inlays were mounted), the dust filled in around the inlays a bit, helping improve their final look.
Here it is again, with my shooting pouch and horn, along with a Revolutionary War style horn I bought from a local club member.
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most excellent! :bl th up :bl th up
Thank you, Rob!
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Outstanding! Absolutely Outstanding!!! :toast :hairy
Thank you, OJ!
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Very nice!! :bl th up
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Hey, I like that Powder Horn as well :hairy
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Nicest Traditions kit I've ever seen! Good job👍
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It's beautiful. :hairy
Makes me want to take my Traditions kit rifle apart and start over.
But my limited skills will never match what you've done.
I'll have to settle for it shooting straight.
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Very nice!! :bl th up
Thanks!
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Hey, I like that Powder Horn as well :hairy
Thanks. A local clubmember made it and had it for sale at my 1st (and so far only) BP event. He was asking $50, I had $45 cash, and he thankfully took it. I like having historically inspired items, especially when they're handmade.
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Nicest Traditions kit I've ever seen! Good job👍
Thanks! I wanted to see what I could do, and maybe inspire others to look beyond a simple kit and get creative.
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It's beautiful. :hairy
Makes me want to take my Traditions kit rifle apart and start over.
But my limited skills will never match what you've done.
I'll have to settle for it shooting straight.
Thank you. I don't think of myself as skilled, just determined. I've had some experience with sheet metal (I made a few medieval fighting helmets and did brass chasing for some drinking horns), and have worked with models off and on for much of my 52 years. I do a lot of reading (thank God for the internet!) to study styles and techniques, then adapt to my skills and tools. The leaf on the top of the wrist, for example, was about as ornate as I dare try. Simple done well is better than fancy done mediocre. My biggest challenge is to not rush myself but go slowly and methodically.
My advice to anyone is study, practice techniques, think the process through, and execute methodically. Half the work is mental.
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Thanks! I wanted to see what I could do, and maybe inspire others to look beyond a simple kit and get creative.
I think you very well may have achieved that. :hairy
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I am simply amazed.
:bl th up :bl th up :bl th up :bl th up :bl th up
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Absolutely stunning! I wish my patch box on the Hodgepodge rifle came out half as well!
~Kees~
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Very nice, something to be proud of. Thanks for posting it. Mark/WI :bl th up
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Got some range time in. Shot 25 yds offhand, 50 grains Triple 7, spitlubed 1.5" sq cotton cleaning patch for the ball patch. Started with Hornady .490 swaged balls.
The first shot went low, knew that as soon as I pulled the trigger. Next few were on. Then I tried a couple shots with cast balls from the Log Cabin Shop, aimed at lower left diamond. I loaded them sprue up. Didn't seem as accurate. Then another Hornady, that was better. Swabbed the barrel. Two more cast balls upper left, hit a little wide. Back to Hornady, upper right, spot on. I wonder if the sprue is messing up accuracy.
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Then I went back to 50 yds. Two were barely on paper. 3rd was 3" from center. I have to work on holding steady, but I'm happy.
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I take it you were shooting offhand? If so, and this is the first time out with your new build (which once again is very nice) I would suggest shooting from a bench in the rest position with your fore hand under the stock where you would normally hold when shooting offhand.
Get some pillow ticking - .017 to .020 "anywhere in that neighborhood" (all cotton of course) and cut some patches into 1 inch squares (your 1-1/2" patches are way to big) and just spit patch them at this point. [make sure you wash the pillow ticking first to get the sizing out - and it will also tighten up the cotton fiber]...
You got some good potential going their IMHO! :bl th up
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I take it you were shooting offhand? If so, and this is the first time out with your new build (which once again is very nice) I would suggest shooting from a bench in the rest position with your fore hand under the stock where you would normally hold when shooting offhand.
Get some pillow ticking - .017 to .020 "anywhere in that neighborhood" (all cotton of course) and cut some patches into 1 inch squares (your 1-1/2" patches are way to big) and just spit patch them at this point. [make sure you wash the pillow ticking first to get the sizing out - and it will also tighten up the cotton fiber]...
You got some good potential going their IMHO! :bl th up
I did some test shots a couple weeks ago from a rest, it hit dead center. This was all offhand, in part to learn how to hold it steady.
I will look into ticking or similar, but thinner. I have some commercial pre-lubed ticking patches that are. 018 thick and very difficult to start and drive home. The cleaning patches are .012. The large size certainly could be a factor. The material does bunch up a bit.
Thanks for the advice, and the compliments! 8)