Silver Bands

[n stephenson]

If this has been covered I`m sorry , but I didn't find it on the search. My question is , how do you apply , the silver bands , as seen on thimbles , trigger guard ends , butt plates etc ? . I will be building a Cumberland school rifle similar to the Jacob Young , Thomas Simpson rifles. Young used a lot of silver overlays . Thanks in advance . Nate

[Rolf]

The thimbles were made from 0.04" steel sheet and shaped the same way as you would brass thimbles. All the trim is sterling silver. The thin bands are half round wire, I make by by pulling a round wire through a draw plate I have.  The band on the tail is 0.02" sheet metal. I file trenches in the thimbles were the silver fits snugly, paint the trenches with a little liquid flux. Bind the silver to the trenches with iron binding wire. Silver solder with a medium silver solder , flow temp 600 Celsius.  I use a propan torch, heat the part to flow temp, apply silver solder to only one side of the trench. If the heat is right and you have the right amount of flux. The solder flow down the side of the trench, under the silver and up the other side of the trench. To much flux and it gets clogged, to little and it won't flow. Be sure to file away all excess solder before bluing.

Best regards
Rolf

[T*O*F]

I don't know if these pics are too dark or not.  This is a smallbore rifle and I used 5/16ths steel thimbles.  I cut the silver pieces from a sacrificial 3/8ths silver thimble, fitted them over the 5/15ths ones and soft soldered them in place.

The patchbox overlay was soft soldered on.