Buttcap inletting guide

[eddillon]

This is my second buttcap inletting project.  The first had material soft enough  (silver) to bend out the tang and then inlet.  This one is a thick brass casting that does not want to bend.  My solution is pictured below.  Lots of preplanning before drilling the hole for a 1/4" guide pin.  I probably have another 10-15 hours to go on the inlet.  Any suggestions for making it an easier task?

[Artificer]

That is an ingenious way to align the butt cap. 

I'm sorry I can not offer any suggestions for you.  I have been trying to figure out how to put a georgian butt cap with splines on it that go up the grip.  The more I think about it, the more difficult it seems it would be.  Of course before I get to that point, I have to find a casting of a small round faced lock plate and parts or decide to make it myself, so that project is a good ways off. 

[4ster]

The pin guide is an interesting idea.  It would sure help to index the cap to the same spot on the stock as you inlet.

My only experience with inletting a butt cap in a pistol is my Kentucky pistol I built from a kit with a pre-carved stock, something much easier to do than what you are doing.  The inlet for the butt cap was there and I just had to refine the shape of the stock a bit to get it to fit.  So there was no need for an indexing pin.

In your first picture it looks like you are inletting the cap more where the palm of the hand will rest, not on the butt of the grip.  Is this correct for your gun?

All the pictures I've seen of pistols with butt caps have the  butt cap lower on the pistol butt.  I assume these heavy butt caps were designed to "impress" upon the head of your enemy if your pistol shot was not successful.  In the picture your placement wouldn't do that.  I could be ignorant of your particular style of pistol though.  That is a nice looking cap.

[eddillon]

Majority of the cap will under the palm and heel of the hand.  The grip profile is that of "birds head" similar, but larger than a Colt lightning.  1760 Belgian from photos and castings supplied bu Ron Scott.

[Mike Brooks]

I've inlett a few pistol buttcaps and never look forward to the job. Pain in the butt. I don't know if that post will help or not. If you,ve got another 10-15 hours to go something isn't quite right. 3 or 4 hours for the job ought to have it covered.

[eddillon]

Using nothing but a Jerry Fisher scraper.  Any suggestions?

[Mike Brooks]

I use a 3/16" straight chisle, no messing around with scrapers.

[eddillon]

I'm baaack!  Been fishin up on Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories.  Land of giant Lake Trout-catch and release.  Now i am scaping wood again.  Here is the progress after four more hours of scaping.  Wish i could visualize and carve the proper shape without all this @#&!! scraping.

[eddillon]

OK,guys.  Over 700 have looked at this post.  There must be someone out there who has inletted a butt cap similar to this.  How about one of you who may have attended Ron Scott's 1760 Belgian Pistol building class?  Any short cut or am I a slave to the scraper for some more fun filled hours?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I've inlet butt caps similar to yours, and have always used chisels - never a scraper.   Sometimes I use the edge of a carving knife to scrape, though.  Here's one I did with a homemade butt cap, and chisels. It sure seems to me that the butt cap your adding is on the back side of the grip...a little strange to my eye.

[eddillon]

It may have been possible to inlet on adifferent plane but I wanted to use the screw hole for a guide pin.  Here are a couple of photos of the original supplied by Ron Scott



Hope they show that it is a little more challenging than inletting from the bottom and bending back the butt cap extensions.

[Jim Kibler]

A couple things...  It's very likely that there isn't much support under the cap of the original.  Might be some, but might not.  So don't get carried away with having contact everywhere.  Also, I would suggest going at it with chisels and gouges as others have said.  Sure you can spot cut / scrape etc. but it will take lots of time.  Tilt you head while looking at the second picture.  Not too different than a fowling piece butplate, huh?

[eddillon]

I actually thought of it as a buttplate with a tang along the top line of the comb.  i guess i got caught up with the guide pin.

[Vomitus]

  Taylor, I really like that lock. Bob's?

[eddillon]

A couple things...  It's very likely that there isn't much support under the cap of the original.  Might be some, but might not.  So don't get carried away with having contact everywhere.  Also, I would suggest going at it with chisels and gouges as others have said.  Sure you can spot cut / scrape etc. but it will take lots of time.  Tilt you head while looking at the second picture.  Not too different than a fowling piece butplate, huh?

Thanks, Jim.  I am about to pull the guide pin and start chiseling from the end of the tang to the butt.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Now I see what you're doing, having now seen the original.  It's a completely different style than the one I showed for sure, and a lovely pistol too may I say. 
When you are inletting a piece that has curves going in different directions, the locating pin might be hampering your inlet.  It has to 'flow' a little as it seats itself, and then the wood is taken down to suit.

[whitebear]

Inletting the but cap to the back makes more since now that I see the original.  From the descriptions I could visualize a blob of brass on the back of the grip, not a pretty vision.