Iron Butt Plate

[George F.]

I'm starting, well, because I'm real good at starting projects, my first iron mounted rifle. I'm inletting the Bivin's buttplate. I've locked the bottom of the butt plate in a vise, beat it with a 3lb. hammer trying to bend it some. No go. Tried laying it on the small anvil(10 or 20 lb.)and beat it pretty good with a 3lb.hammer . It just wont bend, period. What gives?  ...Geo.

[billd]

Heat

[George F.]

There are a few factors involved. I only have a plumbers 'B' tank, air, not oxy-acetylene. The wedding band is sterling,and it's soft soldered on.  I guess I could put the forward extension , is it called that? in the vise using it as a heat sink. Will it be mallable after heating it, or do I have bend it hot?  ...Geo

[billd]

Mapp gas should get it hot enough. Oxy/ac is best. It will bend at a dull red fairly easily.

[Leprechaun]

What gives?  ...

Apparently not the butt plate

[George F.]

That butt plate, hitting it with that lump hammer, was like hitting a rail road track. It was  like holy s---!!! Tomorrow, I attack it with the fires of Haddes.   Thank you Bill ...Geo

[Leprechaun]

It was  like holy s---!!!

It's OK to say 'holy smoke'

Tomorrow, I attack it with the fires of Haddes.   Thank you Bill ...Geo

But that's not where to GET holy smoke

[Acer Saccharum]

Geo, with the kind of heat you need, a forge would be the best, oxy-acet next best. You probably will melt the soft solder in the process, so save yourself some grief, and de-solder that part first so you don't lose it.

T

[T*O*F]

George, you said you are inletting it.  That entails removing wood until it fits, not bending the part to fit the wood. 

Put the piece on a block of lead and hit it with a compothane or hard rubber hammer.  It will bend.

[rich pierce]

This is a common problem with cast parts made of 'iron".  They are about 10x less ductile than wrought was.  It's almost impossible to form/deform them locally w/o heat, as indicated above.  That Bivins design is pretty straight and easy to inlet so not sure why you're bending it.  I thought that was the whole purpose of the Bivins design- to be straight and easy as pie to inlet.

[Don Getz]

George....you can bend it cold, but takes a little effort.   If the toe is twisted one way or the other, hold the comb extension in a vise and bend the plate using a 12" crescent wrench, it can be done, have done it.   That is why I don't
use that buttplate, or the smaller version that comes with an Isaac Haines kit.   They are too thick, and actually don't
even look right.  This is one thing that John Bivins did not do right, may he rest in peace..............Don

[George F.]

I've got 99% of it inletted now. The toe is not touching the wood right now. I'm not interested in giving the butt plate more curve, just a slightly less, maybe 1/8"-1/16" to mate these two surfaces. I put about 2" of the toe in the big vise, and hit it a good blow, checked it, no movement, repeated. This time a beat it really hard a few times, no movement. Then I turned it so the inside was up on the anvil, beat it a few times, and nothing. I'm just tired of chiseling the butt plate into place, especially since everything is fitted so well. On a bras plate, it would be no big deal to bend it this much, or a screw would pull it into place, but this plate is  so un-yielding, like trying to bend a truck spring, It try heating it with my mapp gas and my plumbers torch, see if I can get it hot enough. Thanks Guys,   ...Geo.

[TPH]

George, put the toe of the plate in the vise and see if you can bend it enough to fit by pulling on the top of the buttplate, doesn't sound like you need to move it much....

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I think you may be asking for more problems than you already have George.  If it were mine, I would just continue inletting until it was done.  Be sure to keep the butt plate return parallel to, and in line with the comb.