What to do?

[Keb]

I got the forestock a little thin and the ramrod hole broke through when I put the finish on.
How do I fix this? Apply a thin brass or copper plate over the hole? Should a cover plate just sit on the wood or should it be inlet flush? Attach a plate with nails or screws?

Here's a picture. The white is the ramrod shining through
Yeah, I'm a dork :/

[PPatch]

Check your picture, looks like the link is broken.

dave

[Ken G]

Keb,
No worries.  I've seen plenty of original repairs for this and a few intentions contemporary patches.  I have always assumed the originals were wore through due to being carried on horseback with rifle laying across the saddle.  Could be that some are the same as yours.  Either way it will add character to the rifle.

Cut a piece of sheet brass large enough to cover the area and pin/nail to the stock.  I don't remember if the ones I have seen were pinned with brass or steel nails?   All the ones I have seen were surface mounted but I'll bet some were slightly inlet?    If you put a steel rod into the ram rod channel it will deflct any nail tips that might enter into the ram rod hole.

Hopefully someone can post a picture.

Cheers,
Ken

[Ken G]

I found an example in the library in just a few minutes.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=8823.0

[Herb]

No, you're not a dork.  Many people do this.  I took a class in Antique Custom Riflesmithing at the Green River Rifle Works in 1978 and the shop manager, Greg Roberts, drilled the ramrod hole out the bottom on the Leman I was building.  He said, "Now you have two choices.  Throw that stock away and start all over, or cover it with a wear plate".  So I fitted a brass wear plate, top photo, inlet and screwed on.  Second photo is a .54 Christian Hawken I built, wear plate to cover a fault in wood, inlet and nailed on.  Third is an exact copy I made of a Jacob Wigle rifle (Westmoreland Co., PA).  They fitted wear plates as a matter of style.  This one mostly sits on the wood (well, I inletted it nearly flush) and is nailed on.  Avoid the ramrod hole.  The bottom one is a copy of a Thomas Oldham rifle (Bedford), inlet and screwed on.  Rifles carried across saddles could wear through to the ramrod hole and be patched as a repair. 

[b bogart]

Keb, yours is just a booboo. Here's what a dork has to resort to! Yes it is inlet

[JTR]

Well at least you know you didn't leave too much wood on the forestock!  

I'd inlet the brass plate flush, then nail it in place with iron/steel nails. Use a rod like Ken suggests.

John

[b bogart]

Thanks John that makes me feel better (not).