Bob,
Here are some pictures of how John Young did it in Easton Pa. around 1800ish.
This rifle has had the toe of the stock knocked off, and I'm in the process of putting a new piece back on, so it's partly done but not completed yet.
The 1st pic is with the PB closed, and the tip of the release rod sticking out from the toe.
The 2nd pic , patchbox open, shows the angle of the rod as it fits against the spring.
The 3rd picture shows the release rod hole drilled through the center of the toe down to the release spring.
The 4th and 5th pics show the angle of the release rod as it passes from the toe to the spring.
The next pic shows the rod angle from the toe to the spring from the patchbox side.
And the last 2 pictures show the release rod/button. This original release was in the patchbox when I bought the gun. :-)
I hope these might help you get an idea of how it was done back in the day.
John
