Finished: My Traditions Kentucky Rifle kit

[JB67]

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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[JB67]

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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[RobD]

most excellent!   

[JB67]

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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[JB67]

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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[JB67]

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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[JB67]

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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[Ohio Joe]

Outstanding! Absolutely Outstanding!!! 

[JB67]

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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[JB67]

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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[JB67]

most excellent!   

Thank you, Rob!

[JB67]

Outstanding! Absolutely Outstanding!!! 

Thank you, OJ!

[Two Steps]

Very nice!! 

[Ohio Joe]

Hey, I like that Powder Horn as well 

[ridjrunr]

Nicest Traditions kit I've ever seen! Good job👍