Gather 'Round the Stove
Click on the following to move down the list:
Applying Bluing Solution « Barrel Lap « Barrel Sweat Box « Brass Chisel
Breech Plug Wrench « Carpet as a Cushion « Centering the Percussion Lock « Clean Bore?
Cleaning the Slots After Browning « Clogged Files « Correct Position of the Drum
Correcting Defected Flints « Corset Stays as Springs « Creating a Matte Finish
Creating Non-Slip Surface « Custom Clamp « Cutting Sandpaper « Drilling Clamp
Drilling for Barrel Staples « Drilling Holes for Lock Bolts « Drilling Holes for Trigger Pivot Pins
Drilling Precise Holes « Eliminate Slack in the Trigger « Emergency Front Sight
Engraving Small Parts « Eye Protection for Forging « Faulty Tumbler Geometry
Files and Chisels « Fingerprint-Free Blueing « Flint-Knapping Tools
Flintlock Helper Spring « Floating Pad for Vice « Forming the Inlay
Handy Bore Protector « Homemade Small Files « Improved Patchbox Release
Inclinometer « Inexpensive Lubricant « Inletting Black « Inletting a Butt Plate
Inletting a Lock with a Beveled Edge « Jaw Screw Tightener « Keeping up with the Barrel Key
Keeping "Skin" Off Bottle of Finish « Keeping Track of Small Parts « Loose Hook & Breech Joints
Loose Set-Trigger Adjustment Screw « Loose Sight Base « Magnetic Screwdriver Uses
Malfunctioning Locks « Measuring the Bore « Modify a Ramrod « Movable Counterweight
Muzzleloader Bore Light « Nailing Inlays « Pistol Carrying Ring « Pistol Stand
Plastic Wrap on Top of Bottle « Popsicle Sticks as Sanders « Preventing Mortise Damage
Putting Soft Sheen on Metal « Reinforcing the Butt of a Pistol « Repairs Using Rawhide Chew Toys
Removing Oil From Hands « Reproducing Gray Patina « Sanding Concave Surfaces
Sanding Sponge « Scrapers « Secure Way to Carry a Pistol « Shortening Bolts
Shortening the Journal « Sight Leaf Cutout « Sight Shade « Silver Inlays « Spring Stock Material
Steel Instead of Brass « Stock Finishing « Tap Extension « Tightening a Loose Frizzen Boot
Transferring Engraving Patterns « Truing Up Ramrods « Tumbler Fly Keeper
Use Magnets for Sight Placement « Using Magnets « Using Old Socks « Weighting the Muzzle
Working on a Patch Box Lid « Working With Curly Maple
KEEPING UP WITH THE BARREL KEY
WEIGHTING THE MUZZLE
MUZZLELOADER BORE LIGHT
made flintlock guns that have a dangerous gap between the flash pan and the breech of the
barrel. Without a proper seal, the priming powder can sift into the lock mortice of the
stock undetected. Not only will this cause fouling to accumulate in the engine room, it
can also produce a nasty little explosion in the shooter's face. I've seen it happen on
replicas and even original weapons.
EMERGENCY FRONT SIGHT
HANDY BORE PROTECTOR
DRILLING FOR BARREL
STAPLES
USE MAGNETS FOR SIGHT PLACEMENT
INEXPENSIVE ENGRAVING HAMMERSometimes
after cleaning a muzzleloader, unless you dismantle the gun and remove the
breech plug, it is difficult to ascertain whether the bore is really clean,
especially in the area where the sides of the bore
meet the flat face of the
breech plug and of course on the face of the plug itself. It is vitally
important to clean and dry this area well to avoid the formation of rust and
corrosion in the breech plug threads.
In
the rifles I build, I take an extra
step, which in my experience
aids the inspection process a great deal. I very carefully file the face of the
breech plug to get it smooth and flat, and using successively finer papers down
to number 600 grit, I polish the plug face as well as I can. Finally, using a
hard felt wheel and tripoli, followed by jeweler's rouge or Fabulustre on a
motorized polisher, I put a chrome/mirrorlike finish on the plug face.
Then even on an overcast day or when cleaning indoors
with artificial light, by resting the butt on the ground/floor and angling the
muzzle properly (sometimes you have to dance around a bit to get in a position
where you can see down the bore without blocking the light with your head),
light is reflected up the barrel off the mirror finish on the plug, usually
sufficient to see the entire bore, even on a 44-inch .45 caliber barrel. If not,
chances are there is still some crud down there to go after.
A
word of caution. When installing a breech plug, it is important to make sure the
threads on the plug "bottom out" in
the barrel just as the tang
comes to the correct orientation on the top flat. This makes sure there is no
gap in the threads between the bore and the plug face where fouling can build
up. For this reason it is best to do the filing and fitting of the plug first
and only then do the final mirror polishing at the very end, because by then you
are not really removing any significant amount of metal from the plug, you are
only making it shine. Most breech plugs, even in a used but well-cared for gun,
are relatively smooth and very minimal filing should render it ready to polish.
Therefore, this can make an improvement to storebought guns or guns that
you've shot for many years. Just be careful to remove the absolute minimum of
metal necessary to achieve a high polish.
--D.M. Dickie Pennant, Saskatchewan, Canada J/F 95.
The use of a properly constructed stand makes loading a pistol at the range much easier and faster, but a stand should do more than just hold the pistol vertically. The photo shows some characteristics that a good stand should have: 1) holes to hold starter and ramrod, 2) padded areas where the pistol contacts the stand, and 3) tin for holding patches and/or balls. Don't affix a container for caps on your stand, or you might be tempted to cap at the loading bench rather than at the firing line.
--Fred
Stutzenberger Clemson, SC. M/A 95
I like to carry my Hawken pistol on treks but thrusting it in my sash
or hanging it from my belt hook is far from secure afoot—and horseback, forget
it. I've seen some rigs made to pack the big single shots, but until now I never
saw one authenticated. On page 62 of the book, Packing
Iron, by Richard Rattenbury is just such a holster.
By an unknown maker, circa 18401850, it's a simply
constructed scabbard made from stiff, black bridle leather. Two slits in the
back made the belt loop. According to Rattenbury, the Eastern manufacturers
began featuring them during the late 1830s and 1840s. They were
characteristically a simple leather sleeve folded over and sewn up one seam.
Early models were open toed, though by the late 184a, toe plugs were added to
strengthen the holster and protect the muzzle.
I was
frustrated for years
by the problem of finding small nails of the proper color for German silver
inlays on my rifles. I tried small brass nails, brass nails with the heads
colored by various solders, making my own nails from wire, plain brass nails and
steel nails, yet none of these was satisfactory.
One day while studying a jewelry findings catalog it jumped
out at me that what I wanted had been available all along, but I was asking for
the wrong thing. Go to a jewelry supply house that sells parts to jewelry makers
and ask for tie tack studs. They are small, flat-headed; German silver nails of
just the right size. They even have rough ridges on the shanks that increase
their holding power in wood. They cost me less than a nickel each in quantities
of 100 when I bought mine several years ago.
--David
M. Dolliver Shelton, WA
M/A 96
Although scrapers were routinely used by gunsmiths in olden times, the tool is often
neglected by modern rifle builders. The scraper is a versatile tool that can
remove a lot of wood in a hurry, yet leave a surface needing little sanding if
prepared and used correctly. Sets of cabinet scrapers in convex, concave and
straight configurations are widely available from woodworking supply companies.
The burr necessary for a good cutting edge can be easily raised by lightly
filing the edge square. Then burnish the edge at a twenty to thirty degree angle
with any hardened rounded tool, such as a piece of drill rod or even a
case-hardened nail. If the edge is properly set, you can feel it with your
finger as you brush it lightly at right angles across the edge.
When the edge of the scraper is set correctly, it should
produce tiny crinkled shavings of wood as you scrape with the grain. When you
start to produce only dust, the burr on the edge needs to be raised again.
--Fred
Stutzenberger Clemson, SC M/A 96
STEEL
INSTEAD OF BRASS
Most muzzleloading guns are fitted with brass
furniture and sparingly, but if the pieces of gun on your workshop bench would
best be authenticated by steel fittings, there is a readily available stock
source of flat tool steel for the asking. Visit your local lawn mower repair
shop and ask to go through their disposed blade pile.
You will find that flat steel lawn edger blades range from
1/16" to 3/32" in thickness and 1-1/2" to 2-1/2" in width.
They start out at either 7 or 9 inches in length until worn down and discarded.
Select ones with useful length that have the least marring on the ends from
running along the concrete. The least marred and most useful extent is around
the arbor bolt hole, which ranges from 7/16" to 5/8" in diameter.
The 3/32" thickness is best for relief side plates and
reserve the 1/16" thickness for flush side or toe plates. Flat lawn mower
blades (not formed with reinforcing curves) are 1/8" thick. The center
portion can be used for relief side plates, or lock plates for the real student
of gunsmithing.
Of course before working, the hardened blade must be annealed
in the hearth fire to red hot and allowed to cool slowly in the outer ashes to
soften the steel. The plate can be re-hardened and tempered after working,
especially if you make a lock plate. Consult the excellent article by Peter
Alexander, "The Gunsmith of Grenville County: The Side Plate" in the
July/August 1992 issue of MUZZLELOADER for specifics of side plates.
--Curtis Dillon, Conroe, TX J/F 92.
Locating the correct position of the drum in the bolster of a percussion lock can be difficult if the cutout is not already provided. The best method I have found for locating the cutout is to coat the outside of the bolster area with machinist's layout dye. Then cut an outline of the desired drum/nipple assembly from any stiff paper, such as that used in manila file folders. Use a little dab of rubber cement to stick the paper outline in the correct position relative to the hammer. You can then scribe around the paper template and be assured that when that area is cut out, the drum will be positioned correctly.
--
Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson. SC M/A 96.
ELIMINATE
SLACK IN THE TRIGGER The
drawings show how I eliminated
the slack and rattle in the trigger unit of my rifle. The first drawing shows
the original trigger unit. After removing the trigger, I filed a narrow notch as
shown. Next I cut a notch in the trigger plate and slipped half of a ball-point
pen spring over the end piece next to the notch in the trigger and reassembled
all of it.
When installing the lock, the trigger has to be held forward
so that the bar of the sear will slide in place.
The trigger has practically no rattle, and there is no
slack to take up in firing the gun.
--Claude H. Adams Houlton, ME. J/F 95.
Most
people will tell you not to nail your inlays and escutcheons to your gun
stocks because over time they will loosen and fall out. But sometime ago I had
an original Ohio-made rifle come into my shop for repair. It had a cracked stock
and the crack ran through a silver inlay on the wrist. The inlay had to be
removed. I found that the old gunmaker had used nails cut from a silver sheet
(nickel silver?) and even after 140 or 150 years, it was nearly impossible to
remove these sharp, crooked, raggedy little buggers from the wood. The maker of
this unmarked rifle is unknown, and it's a shame because he surely knew what he
was doing.
After examining his work, I came up with a way of using this
method to nail inlays into my own rifles. I especially like it for silver inlays
since silver nails are as hard to find as a tooth in a prairie hen.
To make the nails, take a nickel silver (or
brass) sheet about .050-inch thick and cut a strip 5/8-inch wide. I use
the cut off end of my silver patchboxes because they seem to be a little softer
than the nickel silver sheet. Then take a pair of metal shears and cut
diagonally across the strip. Try to make the top of the nail square and taper to
nothing. The nail will curl during the cut but can be straightened somewhat in a
pair of flat jawed pliers. Care should be used in handling these little rascals
as they are very sharp and can put nasty holes in your fingers.
First, drill a #52 or #53 hole in your inlay and countersink
it slightly with a #125 Dremel countersink. Try your nail in the hole before
nailing the inlay to the wood. The nail must contact the sides of the hole about
two‑thirds up the length to make the next step work.
Drive
the nail though the inlay into the wood and cut off the nail about 1/16 inch
above the inlay. If the wood is very hard, such as maple, drill a #60 hole in
the wood to help guide the nail straight into place. Then peen the top of the
nail into the top of the hole and countersink with a small peening hammer.
Last
of all, file and sand the excess material from the inlay surface. If done
properly, the nail will disappear and blend into your inlay.
If
you are taking the time to make your rifle as original as possible, why not take
the time to use cut nails?
--Ramon Carson Carrollton, OH. J/F 91.
PISTOL
CARRYING RING I found the belt hook on
my hunting pistol to be quite uncomfortable and not very secure. Since I
generally carry my pistol while I walk, I only need a good, secure way to hang
my gun while I clean game. A small brass snap hook and a saddle ring attached to
the pistol works very nicely for me.
Make a belt ring from 1/8" brass rod to attach the snap
as shown. The saddle ring can be attached by soldering a U-loop to a brass
washer that accommodates the lock bolt. The pistol hangs comfortable muzzle down.
Please note that this is not a substitute for a holster. If
your pistol will not be your primary arm at the time, use a holster.
Have you ever wished that you could reproduce the nice gray patina with black specks that you have seen on old Colt revolvers? I have used this method on knife blades, but I have not yet had the opportunity to do a rifle barrel or lock. Clean the surface and then apply brown mustard. You’ll need to experiment with it a bit to get the desired look. Leave the mustard on the surface from half an hour to a couple of hours. I apply the mustard with my fingers, and a thick coating seems to works best. It washes off with water, and if you don’t like the finish, it is easily removed with sandpaper. It does not pit the surface like bleach will.
--Dan Hendricks,Broomfield, CO M/J 05.
Drilling precise holes for trigger pivot pins can be tricky. The hole has to be aligned square in two dimensions to prevent binding of the trigger blade against the plate or bolster. Trigger assemblies are curved in one dimension to fit the underside of the stock and tapered in another dimension to facilitate inletting. This makes them hard to clamp in a conventional vise. To ensure correct alignment, mill or solder a ledge on a piece of steel plate. The flat underside of the trigger plate can be clamped to the fixture for precise drilling.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC J/A 04.
When putting a hand-rubbed finish on that new rifle stock, the linseed oil or tung oil is a pain to get off of your hands. I used to clean with gas to remove it. This was undesirable from a safety standpoint, and the smell sticks with you. Now I use a small dab of lard. Rub it on your hands and work it in like soap. Wipe it off on a rag, and then wash your hands with soap. Works like a charm! I haven’t tried shortening or cooking oils but cannot see why they would not work.
--Mark Horvat, Eureka, MT M/J 04.
Removable sight shades are easy to use on full-stock rifles since the wood along the barrel channel supports the edges of the shade. However, the front sight shade for a half-stock rifle will often slip down and block the line of sight. Bend the bottom edges of the shade to provide a little flange that rests on the oblique barrel flats. Cover the gripping edges of the shade with duct tape to prevent scratching the barrel’s finish.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC M/J 04.
When you buy a batch of flints, say 100, some of them are unusable—too thick, thicker on one side than the other, rounded base and so on. To correct these defects, you can use a special grinder used to sharpen industrial carbide cutters on two conditions: a maximum speed of 1000 RPM and watering (a thin trickle).
To do this, I built the frame shown in the drawing. The electric drill is far enough to avoid spattering water, and you can tune the speed to obtain the best results. Of course, this gadget must to be firmly fixed on a bench or shelf, but mind your fingers when working! I built mine entirely with scraps found on a factory’s junkyard and use it also to refresh old flints or shorten too large ones.
--Bernard Lequertier, Caen, France M/J 04.
Most rifle building is done while the piece is held in a vise. If your vise has an exposed lead screw, its threads could damage the underside of your rifle if it falls down out of the vise jaws. To prevent damage, drill a hole slightly larger than the lead screw’s diameter in a block of soft wood. Back the vise jaw all of the way out and insert the screw through the hole. The result is a “floating” pad that will cushion the underside of the rifle should it slip out from the vise jaws down upon the screw. Add a scrap piece of carpet or leather for extra protection.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC M/J 04.
Why, oh, why I didn’t think of this twenty or thirty years ago is a mystery to me! The idea is simplicity itself. Flintlock shooters are familiar with the leather “frizzen boot” or “hammer stall” that is sheathed on over the frizzen plate to prevent the flint-bearing cock from accidentally falling forward on the frizzen when the firelock is loaded and primed and the flashpan is closed. The hammer stall is a required accessory in all flintlock reenactment groups.
A problem (or advantage, depending) with leather is that it stretches. After months or years of being slipped on and off a frizzen, a “boot” may no longer fit snuggly and will slip off when the firelock is not in the upright, horizontal position. Sometimes the firelock is turned to an extreme angle for one reason or another. You look down, and the boot is hanging uselessly by its thong, the frizzen left naked. Then you think you have to make or buy an entirely new frizzen boot. Not so! By simply inserting a straight twig or broken off matchstick or toothpick, you can take up the slack, and the boot will fit snuggly again. I have been using glue to hold the stick permanently in place. Without glue, the tiny sticks can fall out and the boot will be loose again.
--George “Peskunck” Larrabee, Woodbury, VT M/J 04.
Drilling precise holes in round material (such as ramrod tips) is easier if you have a little fixture that secures the work piece in the vise. A workable fixture can be made of wood by filing a V-groove in a block of wood with parallel sides. When the ramrod is clamped against one of the grooves, it stays aligned both vertically and horizontally.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC M/A 04.
Inlays along the forestock must be bent to fit the curvature of the stock. Trying to do this with two pairs of pliers often results in a crimped inlay. Better to use a little swage, either milled from mild bar stock or filed from hardwood. Several different contours can be cut into a single block. Lay the inlay over the appropriate contour and press it down into the contour with a piece of rod. If more force is needed (which means you forgot to anneal the inlay before forming), you can tap the rod lightly with a hammer to get the desired contour.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC M/A 04.
It’s difficult to get a fine matte finish on three-dimensional surfaces, such as this sling swivel. Rather than use up a lot of sandpaper, get the smallest rotary wire wheel you can find at the local hardware store. Mount it in your electric hand drill and then secure the drill between vise jaws. The little wires impart a nice brushed finish to metal surfaces that is easy to blue or brown.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC M/A 04.
I find it easier to drill the holes in the barrel lugs, ramrod thimbles and stock of a rifle with the help of a short piece of angle iron and some spring clamps. Clamp the angle iron to the table of the drill press. Then, with the barrel in the stock, clamp the top flat to the angle iron. I find this type of clamp strong enough to hold the work in place, yet it is easy to adjust both the angle iron and rifle for location.
After final sanding of a barrel, use a piece of soft leather and a dusting of talcum powder to put that final soft sheen on the metal. I use buffalo leather scraps because they are very porous and hold the powder better than other types of leather. The talcum also acts as a degreaser prior to bluing or browning.
--Fred J. Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC N/D 03.
Holes for lock bolts should always be tapped from the off side (opposite the lock) through the stock to assure proper alignment of the threads. However, for big rifles such as Jaegers, the breech area is so thick that a standard tap is not long enough to thread completely through the lock plate. A tap extension can be made from a common carpenter's nail that is the same diameter as the body of the tap. Drill a hole in the end of the nail, leaving about 0.020 inch wall thickness. Grind down the shaft of the tap to fit the hole and silver solder them together. Cut off the head of the nail and file it square to fit the tap wrench.
--Fred J. Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 03.
A tubing clamp (the kind plumbers use to hold thin-walled copper tubing) is versatile for holding any round object (such as drums or lock bolts) for shaping or decoration. You can also make a custom clamp for round objects by sandwiching a piece of manila folder paper between two pieces of square stock, drilling the hole the exact size of the object to be held and then removing the paper. The few thousandths difference will enable the clamp to bear around the whole circumference of the round piece without marring it. The two pieces can be bolted together but not necessary if held in a vise.
--Fred J. Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 03.
REPAIRS USING RAWHIDE CHEW TOYS
The thin wrist section on Pennsylvania rifles and fowlers are notorious for being weak and tend to crack. Such was the case with my Andreas Albrecht-style "smooth rifle.” I had decided to repair it with epoxy glue to affect a stronger repair than the traditional hide glue used in the 18th century. However, as there were some chips of wood lost at the crack, the glue line would still be very noticeable. After gluing and clamping the break, I wiped the excess glue away with acetone and then let the joint cure for three days. Then taking a tip from 18th century repairs that I have seen, I decided to wrap the joint in rawhide.
After pricing rawhide pieces at my local leather supplier, I decided that the price was too high. Besides, the pieces were much larger than I would ever need. Then I hit upon the idea of using a rawhide "chew toy" for dogs. Going to my local pet supply store, I bought a large rawhide “bone” and put it on the back of the stove in simmering water for about a day.
When the bone had soaked until it was limp, I undid the knots on each end and, laying it out flat, cut the piece of rawhide to the size that I needed. While still wet I wrapped it around the wrist area of my stock twice and then stitched it tightly using waxed linen thread. I set the gun aside for another three days and, when completely dry, finished off the rawhide wrap with a couple of coats of varnish to keep it from soaking up moisture in the air during rain or snow. I chose to leave the rawhide its natural color, but if one wished, you could either dye it (water-based dye only) or give it a couple of coats of a water-based paint.
--Ted Rensland , Edmore, MI S/O 03.
I spent some time recently at Dick Miller’s place in Michigan learning to carve gun stocks and came away with an appreciation for the small files that he has made for himself to clean up around embellishments and level the area around carvings. When I got home, I looked around for the least expensive way to add another tool to the growing list of specialty stuff on my bench. I came up with using those ubiquitous and cheap Chinese screwdrivers that you see by the millions in flea markets. They are cheap, easy to bend and have a comfortable handle that fits my grip nicely when in use.
For this project I use the short flat-tip models that cost about 50 cents each. I bend a dog-leg on the tip and shank and then polish off the tip to remove that black parkerization used to retard rust. I silver-solder a small patch of a broken jewelers’ file on the flat end and then carefully shape it to whatever configuration I want on my bench grinder. Cheap, quick, easy and very effective at removing wood.
--Jerry Crawford, Alfred, ME J/A 03.
A drill press can make quick work of cutting the mortises in the barrel channel for the pin or key underlugs. However, the heavier butt end of the stock should be counterweighted to prevent it from levering the forestock up out of the vise. A piece of steel rod can be secured in the barrel channel by an elastic hair-tie or rubber band to serve as a movable counterweight.
Some percussion locks are designed to look as if they have been converted from flint. The back of the flash fence on these locks ideally should line up with the back of the barrel. A little centering device can be made from a scrap piece of rod that is the same diameter as the drum (usually 7/16 inch or 1/2 inch). Paint the side of the barrel with lay-out dye so that the marks can be easily seen. Then place the lock in the correct position, place the centering device in the drum cut-out in the lock plate and mark through the hole in the center. That is the point to drill and tap the hole for the drum. This ensures that the lock is in the proper position after the drum is installed.
Working on the lid of a sliding wood patch box can be problematic, as it is tapered and odd-shaped with sharp edges that you don't want to bugger up. It's going to be pretty difficult to hold it securely for shaping. My solution is one that I've used in woodworking for years: glue it to another block of wood that you can hold in the vise. The trick is to place one or two layers of newsprint between the two wood parts. You need not be overly generous with the glue—just a smear on both surfaces is OK, as long as the newsprint is saturated. Clamp it off and let it dry overnight.
You can now hold the lid securely in a vise and put whatever shape or finish you want on it. When you're finished simply part the patch box lid from the hold-down block using a sharp chisel at the paper seam.
--Jerry Crawford, Alfred, ME J/F 03.
Those little magnetic stickers that companies use to advertise their products are great for keeping track of small lock and trigger parts in the shop. Glue a sticker (advertisement side down) to a small block of wood as a collection pad for any ferrous metal part.
--Fred J. Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC J/F 03.
When drilling the holes for the lock bolts, always drill the plate from the inner side to make sure that the hole is placed correctly to avoid blockage by internal parts. Mount the plate on a scrap block of steel that is tapped for a 1/4-20 stove bolt. The tapered head of the screw will center itself in the tumbler hole and hold the plate securely against the block during the drilling process. Multiple holes can be drilled in the block to accommodate various plate styles and sizes. Always position the plate so that the pan presses firmly against the side of the block.
--Fred J. Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC J/F 03.
When sanding a gunstock or any other irregular surface, it is always difficult to get into the nooks and valleys. I recently ran across a useful item at the local Wal-Mart that eliminates these problems—a "Sanding Sponge" made by the 3M company. This is a soft sponge that is covered with sanding grit. They come in several grades of grit, from an 80-grit coarse sponge to a 320-grit fine. They also come in several sizes. The larger size has a beveled edge that makes it particularly useful for getting into tight places. Because they are soft they conform to the surface of the item that you are sanding, making it a snap to sand any shape.
--Tom Hodge, Canandaigua, NY J/F 03.
LOOSE SET-TRIGGER ADJUSTMENT SCREW
A loose set-trigger adjustment screw can cause annoyance or even an accident if it will not hold its setting. A washer cut from thick, resilient leather will allow easy adjustment of the screw while still keeping it in the desired position.
--Fred Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 03.
The geometry of some lock tumblers will not allow the sear arm to contact the trigger blade at all three positions. Don’t bend the sear arm to fix this, because that may make the rifle unsafe if the trigger holds the nose of the sear partially out of the half-cock notch. If your single trigger is loose when the lock is in the rest position, it could be because the belly of the tumbler pushes the sear nose down too much. Grind a tiny amount of metal from the belly of the tumbler to create a little notch for the nose of the sear to rest in. It may only take removal of a few thousandths of an inch to correct the faulty tumbler geometry so that the sear arm rests at the same elevation at all three positions.
--Fred Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 02.
A cheap and versatile breech plug wrench can be made from two scrap pieces of 1/2-inch mild steel square stock. Drill clearance holes for 1/4-inch or 5/16-inch bolts. Pin the bolts in place with common roofing nails (the kind that you find in the treads of your flat tires). Drill the holes in the short arm of the wrench oversize, so that it can "float" to accommodate any taper in the breech plug tang.
--Fred Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC J/A 02.
Commercial lock bolts and tang bolts must always be shortened in the finished rifle. To make sure that you don't cut them too short, thread on two nuts as shown to lock against each other at the desired position when grinding or sawing off the excess. Then when you turn the nuts back off, they will clean up the threads, so that the bolts will be easy to start in the holes.
--Fred Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC J/A 02.
Here is a tip that saves me a lot of aggravation. When I am working with a bottle of gun stock finish, before screwing the lid back on, I lay a piece of plastic wrap over the top. It makes it a lot easier to get the lid off the next time.
--Jerry C. West, Davison, MI M/J 02.
Popsicle sticks do a great job of sanding around the curves of lock plates and other radii if they are wrapped with a layer of felt or other resilient material. A strip of sandpaper can be adjusted a little every so often to provide new abrasive at the working edge.
--Fred Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC M/J 02.
The first Americans trued their arrow shafts by rubbing them in straight grooves cut into a slab of sandstone. You can use the same strategy for truing up ramrods by making grooves of various radii in a piece of 2" X 4" using a router or drill press. Line the grooves with 80-grit silicon carbide abrasive paper, which lasts longer than aluminum oxide or flint paper. The grooves should be 1/16-inch oversize to allow for the thickness of the abrasive paper.
--Fred Stuzenberger, Clemson, SC M/J 02.
KEEPING "SKIN" OFF BOTTLE OF FINISH
The long time between finishing rifles allows commercial linseed and tuna oil finishes to skin over or harden in the can. These finishes are formulated to dry rapidly when exposed to air, so it is important to exclude as much air as possible from the container. Clear glass marbles, sometimes called craft marbles since they are used in flower vases and aquariums, can be dropped into the can to take up the excess space as the finish is used. A handful costs just a few pennies and can bring the finish up to the neck of the can for minimal exposure of the surface to the air.
--Fred Stutzenberger , Clemson, SC J/F 02.
TRANSFERRING ENGRAVING PATTERNS
The modern photocopier is a great tool for transferring complex engraving patterns. An engraved pattern on an old rifle or other article can be enlarged from a photograph (or copied full size from the part itself). Then outline the copy with a sharp pencil and glue to carbon paper with double‑sided tape. Coat the metal surface to be engraved with latex paint diluted 1:1 with tap water and allow it to dry. Position the pattern carefully on the surface and hold it with bits of tape. Tracing the pattern will leave a clear outline on the latex paint for easy engraving.
--Fred Stutzenberger , Clemson, SC J/F 02.
A cheap and effective lock and trigger lubricant with high film strength is l0W30 motor oil. As with any lubricant, it should be applied to friction areas in small amounts to avoid gumming or soaking the wood around the mortises. Make a little oil applicator (that works just as well as those fancy original ones) from a round toothpick and a plastic pill bottle. Drill a tight‑fitting hole in the center of the lid, push the toothpick through and secure with a bit of glue on both sides of the lid.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 01.
Holding small parts for engraving is difficult. For engraving the cock, choose a screw that is a slide fit through the squared tumbler axle hole. Place the cock so that its shoulder (which normally stops its rotation against the top of the lock plate) is firmly against the edge of a scrap piece of metal plate or block. Drill and tap the metal to hold the cock as shown. Keep engraving pressure in the direction that forces the cock shoulder against the block.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 01.
To modify a ramrod with a tulip end to accept threaded attachments, shorten a 1/4-inch diameter ramrod tip to 3/4 inch. Drill a hole in the tulip end of the ramrod, insert the second ramrod tip, and then epoxy and cross pin the tip in place.
--Daniel R. Hendricks, Broomfield, CO S/O 01.
During stock staining and finishing, some of the oil or varnish will get down into the lock mortise. If the lock is pressed into the mortise without the removal of excess finish, the fit will be too tight or the lock edges will pull out little slivers of wood when it is removed. To prevent damage to the edge of the mortise, square up the rounded tip of a manicure emery board and carefully remove excess finish from the sides of the mortise before final lock fitting.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC J/A 01.
REINFORCING THE BUTT OF A PISTOL
The cross-grain in the butt of a pistol is a vulnerable area, particularly in highly figured wood, so reinforcement of this area is a good idea. Before the installation of the butt cap, determine the center of the butt, drill a hole up through the cross‑grain area at the correct angle, coat a scrap section of hickory ramrod with epoxy and insert it into the hole.
--Fred Stutzenberger , Clemson, SC M/J 01.
A magnetic screwdriver, with its wide variety of interchangeable tips, is a great tool for removing metal cuttings from a blind hole, both after drilling and after threading. Usually the smallest hex head insert is best for pulling every fragment from the threads.
--Fred Stutzenberger , Clemson, SC M/J 01.
For a flintlock to spark consistently, it is important for the flint to be held firmly in the cock. If the lower jaw is not serrated, a non‑slip surface can be created using an engraving tool. Raise a series of sharp little burrs to grip securely the leather or lead flint wrapping.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC J/F 01.
When sanding a stock, it is most convenient to use the sandpaper cut into small squares. Cutting sandpaper with a knife or scissors will dull the tool. Instead, nail a used hacksaw blade to any convenient corner of the workbench. Its serrated edge will easily cut sandpaper into any desired length by holding one side flat on the work surface and pulling the free end down over the blade.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC J/F 01.
INLETTING A LOCK WITH A BEVELED EDGE
When inletting a lock with a beveled edge, for best appearance, the surrounding wood of the mortise should be brought down just to the point where the bevel begins. Ted Peterman saws out an insert from sheet metal of the correct thickness that he puts into the mortise as a gauge to tell when to stop sanding. Since he builds a variety of rifles, he marks the plates for future reference and drills a hole in each for easy hanging.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC N/D 00.
CLEANING THE SLOTS AFTER BROWNING
After browning a set of lock screws, it is difficult to get all of the scale out of the slots. A bit of 00 steel wool can be rolled into a little strand and pushed down into the slot. A toothpick can then be used to work the steel wool back and forth to cleanse the slot of all residue.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, South Carolina N/D 00.
Carpet demo samples or pieces of clean deep pile carpet scrap are ideal to hold a rifle or pistol during sanding. When clamped to a picnic table, their surface holds the rifle quite securely while protecting it from contact with other surfaces.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC N/D 00.
One of the little irritating parts of spotting and inletting the barrel and lockplate is that the parts are often tight in the inlet and when trying to pry them out you make false marks on the wood because the part didn’t come straight out of the wood. Having that problem recently and looking around my shop for something to help, a “light bulb” went off when I spotted the magnetic base of the dial indicator that I use with a lathe. When it was time to pull the barrel out of the stock, I turned the switch to “on” and set it on the barrel. These magnets have a tremendous pulling force and the stem attached to it is a handy handle to pull. It worked like a charm—probably the best idea yet!
--Joe Wood, Amarillo, TX N/D 00.
Sanding the concave surfaces of your rifle stock goes a lot easier if you use rubber tubing (available at auto supply houses) to sleeve dowels of various diameters. Hydraulic tubing works well on the larger dowels and windshield washer tubing is good for dowels down to 1/8” diameter. Wrap the sandpaper around the sleeved dowel to provide a firmly resilient abrasive surface.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 00.
Just because the elastic is shot in your athletic socks doesn't mean they are worthless. Cut a few inches off the toe end and slide them over that beautiful longrifle to protect the finish whenever it is clamped in the vise. The sock does not unwrap or get caught in the vise screw like a loose piece of cloth.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 00.
Your common office supply spring paper clip is an excellent source of spring stock material for small springs such as sear springs and set trigger springs. If a Dremel-type tool with an abrasive wheel is used and care is taken to cut out the spring without overheating there is no need to heat treat. For more complicated shapes, heating, bending and retempering may be required.
--Cam Fraser, Tiverton, Ontario, Canada S/O 00.
A new barrel will often have some rough spots in the bore, which cut patches. A quick and easy lap to smooth those spots can be made from an oversize pure lead ball that has been fitted with an 8–32 or 10–32 screw. The ball can easily be tapped into the bore to get the imprint of the rifling, marked as to its position in the bore, then withdrawn. Coat it with some fine valve‑grinding compound or other similar fine abrasive and reinsert it into the bore in its original position. Screw on your cleaning rod a turn or two, allowing enough free thread to allow the lap to turn freely with the rifling. Work the lap up and down the bore a few times to smooth its surface.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC J/F 00.
Hook and Breech joints often become loose with repeated removal or are even a bit sloppy from the factory. Since any barrel movement in its channel can’t add to accuracy, here’s an easy way to tighten that joint.
Shim stock brass of varying thicknesses can be had at hobby shops and hardwares. Determine where the gaps are and cut the shim stock to fit. However in fitting the shims, be sure to maintain firm engagement and locking of the hook in the tang. The point is to fill any gap between the hook and its cavity with the brass shim stock to make for a tight fit.
When a good fit is achieved, the shims should be soldered in place to the tang cavity using 430 degree, five percent silver solder. If they’re too tight to accept the hook, file them down for a snug fit of the hook into the tang.
It is my belief that this procedure (in addition to working up a good load—i.e. patch, powder and ball) makes a genuine contribution to the overall accuracy of a rifle, at least in my experience.
--Gary Brown, Liverpool, NY J/F 00.
If the locks on your double-barreled shotgun start to malfunction in the field, it might be that during loading, some stray shot have fallen through the ramrod hole into the lock mortise and jammed up the parts. Lead shot are so soft that they will easily deform into lock crevices if they get caught between moving parts. Gluing a wedge of wood in the gaps between the standing breech and the stock inlet will prevent this problem.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 99.
If the base of your front sight becomes loose because of frequent adjustment or an improperly shaped dovetail, place the tip of a flat punch or a piece of rod down on the trailing side of the base and give it a gentle tap with a hammer. Very little force is required to spread the base sufficiently for a tight fit.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 99.
If you ever had need to shorten the journal on a flint-style breech plug to make it fit to the barrel or even make it fit into the barrel, here is a little tip that will make the job much easier.
Rather than just filing or hack sawing it shorter freehand, or rather than chucking the plug into the lathe’s four-jaw chuck, make a fixture for holding the plug by paying a short and rather inexpensive visit to your local auto parts store.
Purchase two large hex nuts, for automobile use, one in 3/4-16 and one in 5/8-18, the former about 1-1/8 inch across flats and the latter about 15/16 inch across its breadth. If using a lathe, simply screw the breech plug into the hexnut, chuck in the lathe’s three-jaw chuck and machine its face to your heart’s content.
If you are using the hand method, shim the breech plug with large washers and then screw on the hexnut until just the desired amount of material to be removed is exposed. Grasp firmly in your vise and file away using the plane created by the large hexnut as a guide for your file strokes. In this way you can come pretty close to maintaining the squareness of the breech’s journal.
The hexnuts are not “rocket science” components, but they will surely aid you in your quest to maintain some degree of precision in performing this task.
--William C. Young, Wahkon, MN
Highly figured curly maple has a tendency to chip and shatter when roughing out a stock if the gouge strokes are parallel to the grain. If you encounter this problem, try running the gouge across the grain for a smoother cut. Remember to whet the gouge frequently on both convex and concave surfaces with Arkansas stones to keep it razor sharp.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC M/J 99.
Flint-knapping tools made from 1/4-inch drill rod (or cold-rolled and case-hardened) are superior to direct blows from a hammer for sharpening the flint while in the cock. The tools can be made with a filed notch (A), or if you have a lathe, turn several notches on each end (B), which will give you a lot of working surface. When used as a punch and struck with a hammer, the tool, with its little notches, will take off just tiny flakes when hooked over the edge of a flint (since the depth of the notch limits the amount of flint that will be removed).
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC M/A 99.
For cleaning up excess solder around sights, tennons and such, use a chisel made of brass to keep from marring the barrel. A piece 1/4" X 3/8" X 4" seems to work fine and can be obtained at almost any machine shop. Grind or file a chisel edge on one end and push or tap with a hammer.
--Tim S. Ridge, Crossville, TN N/D 98.
Although files and chisels are the two most commonly used tools in the building of a muzzleloading rifle, they are mortal enemies if thrown together carelessly on the workbench. Extend their working lives by keeping them in portable racks that can be moved around the shop as needed and that keep them safe and visible. These racks are much more versatile than the stationary wall racks and can be made from scraps of wood that everyone has lying around in the work area. Countersink all holes in the chisel rack with a 60 degree countersink to guide the sharp edges of chisels and gouges into the holes without hanging on the edges of the rack.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 98.
When working on a lock, the tumbler fly is an easy part to lose, particularly if one falls on the floor amid the shavings and turnings. Avoid the anguish of losing this little part by punching a hole in a piece of an index card, inserting the pivot arm of the fly into the hole and taping it over with a piece of clear tape. If working on multiple locks at the same time, avoid mix-ups by marking the card for identification.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 98.
If your flintlock is not throwing a good shower of sparks or if the flint is hanging up on the frizzen face, it may be that your mainspring is too weak. Although wedging a bit of wood into the V of the spring makes the spring stiffer, it is not a good idea. It increases the load on the thin portion of the spring and may cause it to break. A better alternative is to install a helper spring which can be made from 0.030-inch spring stock. The helper spring extends the whole length of the mobile arm of the mainspring and increases it strength and durability.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC S/O 98.
The stays in Grandma’s old corsets are enameled spring steel, which is ideal stock for making patchbox catches or trigger tension springs. For a trigger tension spring, I make my trigger plate with a little integral bracket to hold the rear of the leaf spring stock. A small screw (3–56 or 4–40) passes through a hole in the spring and threads into the bolster on the plate. The forward portion just presses up lightly under the trigger and keeps the slop out. Remember that too much pressure under the trigger tail renders the gun unsafe since it may prevent the sear from dropping all the way into the notches on the tumbler.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC J/A 98.
When applying bluing or browning solution to a barrel, always apply longitudinally on the lower flats along the full length first. Then work up, finishing with the top flat. That way any of the solution that runs down the sides of the barrel will only contact metal that is already covered with solution. If the solution is applied to the top flat first, there will always be vertical runs around the sight dovetails down on to untreated metal, leaving streaks that will usually be apparent on the finished product.
--Fred Stutzenberger, Clemson, SC M/A 98.
If you want to measure the precise diameter of a muzzleloader's bore, here's a way to create a bore-sized lead slug without removing the breech plug. Get a brass rod that is just under bore diameter and is at least four inches long. Lube it well and slide it in the bore. Next, lube a pure lead ball that is slightly greater than bore diameter and gently tap it into the muzzle about three inches. Pour a little lube into the muzzle. Now point the muzzle straight down over a soft surface and jounce the rod gently against the slug to drive it out. The lands and grooves should be engraved on the slug. If not, use a slightly larger lead ball and try again. The precise measurements from this slug can be used to work up a patch and ball combination from that particular gun.
--John Gottlob, Bacliff, TX J/F 98.
To make the semi-circular cutout in the front half of the rear sight leaf, I use the method described here.
By soft soldering a scrap piece of metal to the front of the leaf and center punching at the desired point, you can drill at the junction point of the sight leaf and the scrap metal with the proper size drill bit (for me 3/16 inch or 13/32 inch is about right) to the proper depth, thus half the hole is in the sight leaf and half in the scrap piece. Then melt the soldered joint and discard the scrap piece. This leaves the semi-circular cut that is desired. A little bit of filing gets rid of the leftover solder so that the sight leaf will brown, and this part of making the sight is done.
--Dean St. Clair, Salesville, OH S/O 97.
Files used on brass, copper, nickel, silver, etc. become clogged in most instances. Rub your file with a piece of chalk to help stop clogging. Never allow two files to touch in storage to prevent damage. I have found this to be helpful in knife and gunmaking and hope others will also.
--Tim Ridge, Crossville, TN M/A 97.
The magnetic-based inclinometer or angle finder is a cheap and useful, yet relatively unknown, tool in rifle building. Whether used on a straight sided, tapered or swamped barrel, you can use it to be sure you are drilling the hole for vent or drum at true right angles to the barrel surface (providing your drill press is leveled and trued as it should be.) Simply place the angle finder on the area to be drilled and adjust the barrel in the vise until its surface is horizontal. It’s also great for setting up the stock for lock inletting and if you have a two-axis vise on your drill press, you can true up the lock mortise surface relative to the barrel surface before inletting. You can read a good inclinometer down to 1/2 degree (which is only about 45 thousands over a five inch span). My inclinometer has been used for over a decade and has been accidentally knocked to the shop floor many times (hence the duct tape holding the dial cover on), yet it still reads true.
--Fred Stutzenberger, SC M/A 97.
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