Tutorial:Making a spurred pistol buttcap from scratch.

[Acer Saccharum]

Crazy, man. You are one wild wooly mammoth of a glutton for punishment!

I am mighty impressed!

[David Rase]

I am never going to tell anyone again that I tend to do things the hard way.  Rolf, your pistol buttcaps take the cake for hard work, hands down. 

I did make a steel one spurred buttcap.  I used a trailer ball, reshaped it a bit, drilled and tapped the center which allowed me to hold the pattern in place while I formed it over the ball.

I made another pistol buttcap at the Montana Historical Gunmakers Guild a couple of years ago using a set of dapping blocks provided by Ryan Roberts from Muzzleloader Builders Supply.

Again, I stand in awe of your buttcaps.
David

[WadePatton]

Excellent presentation. thanks

[runastav]

Rolf, it is almost TO  perfect hehe
Runar

[Acer Saccharum]

I believe that a cap can be made from one piece, after looking at how a silversmith can raise a tankard or a vase from a disc of silver. I've only seen it in books, and not tried it myself.

Anyway, these caps are just great. Thank you very much for showing the process!

[Pete G.]

Yet another reason why a pistol costs more to produce than a rifle. Most people don't understand and think a much smaller gun should cost much less. I keep saying that I will never build another, but every couple of years or so something happens and I forget.

[louieparker]

Rolf, A very impressive presentation !  Quiet a process with a great outcome.  You are a fine craftsman .    Louie

[Acer Saccharum]

Rolf, may I move your tutorial to the 'Metalworking' section?

If it's OK with you, I will do that after everyone has had a good look at it here.

[Robby]

Great stuff there Rolf, really enjoyed your presentation!!! Is it possible that you may have burned some of the zinc out of the brass during the annealing, causing a slightly more red hue?
Robby

[P.W.Berkuta]

TRULY AMAZING Rolf. Words can not describe such talent  .

[Rolf]

I have a picture of an original but cap that shows the marks from the hammer forming  process you started out with.

Thank you for posting those pictures. It looks like the metal is thickest around the rim of the cup and thinnest  at the bottom.  Which means it proably started as a thick blank and the metal was stretched and thinned to fill the depression in the swageblock. This would reduce the need for contraction of the rim. Makes sense, brass wants to stretch and thin. Unlike copper, silver and tin, it resists contraction.
Whats the thickness at the spurs, cup rim and cup bottom?

Best regards
Rolf

[Rolf]

Rolf, may I move your tutorial to the 'Metalworking' section?

If it's OK with you, I will do that after everyone has had a good look at it here.

Thankyou, please do so.

Best regards
Rolf

[Rolf]

Great stuff there Rolf, really enjoyed your presentation!!! Is it possible that you may have burned some of the zinc out of the brass during the annealing, causing a slightly more red hue?
Robby

Don't think so. The brass on the ends of the spurs was not heated and has the same red hue.

Best regards
Rolf

[jerrywh]

 Rolf.
    you did a great job on those butt caps. I have done a lot of stuff like that and know how much work it is.  I finally went to wax casting.  Wax casting is a lot simpler if a person wants to make 25 or more but to just make two there is no easy way. Casting in a clay or sand mold might be less labor intensive. In England they  were cast in Silver casters sand most of the time. The Ames sword company used clay molds that were smoked for a lot of sword parts.
 Once again that is a great job. I am anxious to see the finished pistols. You a definitely a super craftsman.

[PPatch]

Boing! Mind blown Rolf. About half way through what you went through I would have jumped off a very tall building.

Excellent tutorial.

dave