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Author Topic: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket  (Read 4990 times)

Offline Dstavlo

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Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« on: July 26, 2016, 05:39:43 PM »
Hi Everyone,
I saw the thread on converting a Brown Bess to a Committee of Safety
Musket and figured I would post some pictures of one that I just
finished up. I copied it from an original found in Neumann's BATTLE
WEAPONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

This musket started out life as a Pedersoli Brown Bess that I picked up
at a gun show last year. I removed all the markings from the lock, cock,
and top jaw and re-shaped the cock and frizzen spring finial.

I planed the "swell" from the forend and re-cut lock moldings,
eliminating the brown bess "tear job" finials. I also re-shaped the
molding around the tang gave the whole stock a general once-over to even
out any lumps and bumps from Italy.

I engraved the wrist escutcheon with an English regimental marking to
give it the appearance of having had a "past-life" on an English-owned
Brown Bess. I also put a false wood screw in it - a feature I've seen on
many originals.

I antiqued all the metal components and the stock to so I didn't have
to spend hours re-polishing steel and brass every time I shot it.

-David

















« Last Edit: January 21, 2020, 01:41:46 AM by Tim Crosby »
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Offline grabenkater

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2016, 06:51:20 PM »
I'm currently in the early stages of the same project. I hoping that mine turns out half as nice as yours.
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Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2016, 06:57:56 PM »
Nice job and well done. Any reason you decided to put the wrist escutcheon on upside down?
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Offline Cory Joe Stewart

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2016, 07:22:38 PM »
Well done.  I really like the metal finish you achieved.
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mattdog

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2016, 07:27:43 PM »
I like it. Now I want one....

I'm also puzzled about the medallion being upside down, or downside up.  It is so obvious, there must be a reason. 
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Offline art riser

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2016, 07:48:29 PM »
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Offline Dstavlo

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2016, 11:02:08 PM »
Thanks for the kind words everybody. Regarding the wrist escutcheon: While researching the project I had a chance to look over an original owned by a local collector. The wrist escutcheon was installed upside down on that piece and I thought it would be a nice bit of "character" to replicate that feature on this one. You'll notice that I made sure to engrave the British Regimental markings "right side up" though,  ;).

 My assumption is the builder of the original musket either wasn't aware of/didn't care about the correct orientation of the escutcheon plate and put it the wrong way.

Since I built this one from a partially assembled Pedersoli kit from the '80s, I had the freedom to cut the mortise upside down since it's previous owner never got that far in assembling it.
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Offline bones92

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2016, 11:40:10 PM »
Very cool. 
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Offline Ed Wenger

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2016, 03:41:08 AM »
Very cool...  I just finished a similar project.   Did you have any problems with filing off the lock engraving?  By problems I refer to lock plate thickness.  The plate on the Pedersoli Bess I worked on was thin to begin with, and I was concerned about how thin it might get after filing out the deep engraving.  Just wondered if you had any issues...


          Ed
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Offline SingleMalt

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2016, 05:39:47 AM »
I like it.  It looks like a musket found somewhere after hiding for 240 years.  I'm starting to collect parts for a 1730/40 Brown Bess. 
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Offline B Shipman

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2016, 05:58:44 AM »
Kudos. Like it.
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Offline Keithbatt

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2016, 06:22:19 AM »
Makes me want to work on my Pedersoli Bess. Thanks for posting.
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Offline Dstavlo

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2016, 12:04:30 AM »
Quote from: Ed Wenger on July 27, 2016, 03:41:08 AM
Very cool...  I just finished a similar project.   Did you have any problems with filing off the lock engraving?  By problems I refer to lock plate thickness.  The plate on the Pedersoli Bess I worked on was thin to begin with, and I was concerned about how thin it might get after filing out the deep engraving.  Just wondered if you had any issues...


          Ed

Funny you should mention it, but I did run into some issues with filing off the engraving. The engraving was cast so deep that by the time I had removed all of it, I had broken through into the sear spring slot. I had to weld it back up and dress everything back down. Other than that it was just a lot of elbow grease.

-David
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Offline Ed Wenger

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Re: Newly Finished Committee of Safety Musket
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2016, 05:10:00 AM »
Thanks for the reply, David.  Something like that was my fear...   Good save on your part, it looks great.  Since the one I did was someone else's musket, I decided to leave it alone and do a COS musket with a "reclaimed" British lock....  Thanks again.


       Ed
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