I've finally finished my early Lancaster, and submit it for review and criticism. You generous folks here have been invaluable. Before every operation, I searched for and usually found what I needed in old posts. I hit a few snags and asked for some architecture and carving help and received great advice that made the rifle much better.
This is my third rifle from a blank, but the last one was 18 years ago and I forgot most of what I had learned. A lot of firsts on this one for me: swamp barrel inlet, patchbox, making trigger, pipes, nosecap, sideplate, rear sight, rust bluing (barrel and trigger), heat bluing (screws), relief and incised carving, ferric nitrate stain.
Much of what I learned was from folks bravely posting their rifles for review, so perhaps this one will help others, and certainly all critiques will help me! I'll add them to my loooong list of what not to do next time. Overall, I am pleased with it but of course want to do much better.
Barrel: Rice 44 in. C wt. .54 cal. Finish is rust blue, Mark Lee's product, five rustings/boilings, 20 minutes per boil. Great stuff.
Lock: Chambers Deluxe Siler.
Triggerguard from TOW, buttplate from Chambers.
Stock is supposedly sugar maple. Think this one had crossbred with some pine. Very soft - my pencil left grooves when I erased lines, and the carving was hard to get sharp. My ineptness certainly contributed to that, though. Stock finish is ferric nitrate crystals dissolved in alcohol, 1.5:1 alcohol:crystals, blushed with a heat gun. Chambers oil finish, one wet coat, then about 5 thin coats finger dipping and rubbing til sticky. Use a toothbrush vigorously in the carving when wiping off that first coat! Otherwise spend several quality hours with a small scraper getting rid of shiny dried finish in the cracks and edges....
I dulled the shine with a light rub of 0000 steel wool, then some wax.
Here are some photos:
