Finished Project

[wetzel]

I have built a few guns in the past from precarves, this is my first gun from a stock blank.  There are many mistakes and the carving and engraving is kinda rough(this is my first real go at it).  I wanted to show it to you gents to get your ideas and recommendations for next time.  I live in Wyoming so I do not have access to many originals.  I based this gun off of the standard Jacob Dickert guns I saw on the web.

[wetzel]

I tried to get some better photo's of the carving, I need some photography skills as they still don't show as much detail as I wish

[greybeard]

Very nice indeed. You should be proud of your efforts. I will leave critique to more learned members than myself.  Bob

[roundball]

Wish I had what it took to do that...and any deer would be proud to be taken with that Flintlock !
 

[smylee grouch]

Well now you done it, what are you going to build next? Your first efforts were OK and you are ready to start researching for #2. Best wishes, Smylee

[Paddlefoot]

Very nice. I'm working on my first from a plank too. I expect I'll learn a lot just as you said you did. Be very proud of that one Wetzel, it turned out fine.

[KLMoors]

Looks good overall. I like the dark coloring you got. The cheekpiece looks like it sticks out more than usual. I don't know the specs for that style but I'm guessing a little under a 1/2 inch might be normal? How does it fit?

Also, your carving design behind the cheekpiece is taller than it is wide. I think I would have done it so it was wider than tall, but that's my tastes in that kind of thing.  I like the designs behind the tang and entry pipe. I'm with you, I struggle to get pictures of these guns that show the things as they  look to my eye. Maybe the problem's with my eye!

[Glenn]

Very nice job!  I agree with Capt. Ken about the dark color of the stain.  It goes real well with this rifle.

[Mike Brooks]

Cheek sticks out too far and you need a front lock bolt. Not a bad first gun from a blank.

[wetzel]

Thanks you guys for your compliments and especially for your critiques.  I wondered about the cheek piece, it just never looked right.  It doesn't seem to bother me when shooting, just looks weird from above.  Capt, now that you mention the carving, I can see what you mean, it looks sort of squished.  How does the angle of the cheek piece look to you guys?  I like the way it looks, but on many rifles the bottom line of the cheek piece runs parallel to the bottom of the rifle instead of converging as mine does.  Just wondering what is appropriate.  In looking over this rifle I see that the metal needs some more work to remove finishing marks and the relief carving needs to be cleaned up some more.  After relieving around a carving do you guys just keep at it with the emory nail file until its as smooth as the rest or do you have another strategy?  I run into problems relieving the wood when it goes into the grain, it pulls out nasty areas that seem to be impossible to sand out.

[KLMoors]

I looked up some Dickerts in RCA. Numbers 48, 49, and 50. The cheek pieces on those converge only slightly. Meaning they are slightly closer to the bottom of the stock at the front than at the rear. Yours converges a little more steeply, compared to those guns. Also, there is a flattish area at the bottom edge of the cheekpiece. Kind of hard to describe, but the cheek piece is concave and then swoops out to this flat area that often has some sort of longitudinal contouring done to it. It is a real simple way to add a decorative touch. Even just a couple of grooves cut can look real nice. Dickert's cheek pieces also stick out  less than the one on your gun. I'm guessing they are maybe 3/8 of an inch proud, plus or minus.

As far as cleaning up around the carving, I use scrapers to do the "field" that isn't close to the carving, but I use the cardboard nail files once I get close to the carving to avoid dinging it up. There are some really good carvers on this site and I'm always amazed at how their carving just grows out of the wood with no obvious transition.

[wetzel]

Capt., what do you use for scrapers?  In my time on this site it seems that many people use scrapers as opposed to sand paper.  I have no idea what they mean by scrapers and have been meaning to ask.

[Paddlefoot]

Scrapers are made from moderately hard springy steel with the shape made according to what you need it to scrape. You can find cabinet scrapers at just about any good woodworking store (Rocklers, Woodcraft, etc.) and sometimes at home improvement places like Ace or Home Depot. You can probably search the archives here and find info on sharpening and using them. Someone posted about making his from old saw blades not too long ago. Basically you roll a burr on the edge and it will cut like a razor if done correctly. Leaves a fine finish .

[KLMoors]

Paddlefoot nailed it. I've got a set of cabinet scrapers. The come is all sorts of shapes and sizes and you can really remove some wood with them. I've got one that is kind of a small french curve and it works great for shaping the hollow area at the cheek piece. I forget where I got my scrapers, but if you get some also get the tool for rubbing the edge onto them. It's called a burnisher and it is just a really hard steel rod that your rub along the edge of the scraper and it creates the burr Paddlefoot mentioned. I also made some small scrapers that I use quite a bit out of small lengths of hacksaw blade.

[wetzel]

Okay, I am going to do some searching and try to come up with some for my next build.  Once again, I appreciate everybodies comments!!

[FRJ]

It's hard for me to be critical of someones work that is better than mine, BUT you asked for it. I'm kinda anal about screws fitting properly and the screws at the top of the butt plate don't fit all that well also the screws in the patchbox should be flush and all the slots orented in the same plane and direction. The truth of the matter is however that I wish I had that  rifle on MY wall and was planning a hunt for it. Good Job!!!! Frank

[wetzel]

Thanks Frank, I am going to fix those screw issues.  Its funny that something as simple as that could slip by.  I guess that's the same reasons authors have editors, we can develop a blindness to our own work.  I bet you have some pretty nice rifles hanging on your wall despite what you say, though I do appreciate the compliment.

[Cody Tetachuk]

While poor fitting screws is an issue, orienting the slots is a personal preference thing. Personally, I agree that the screws oriented with the flow of the rifle looks better. However, it's not "wrong" to have them askew. Whatever floats your boat.

[dogcreek]

I'd say some of the brass could've been polished a little better, but then that depends on the effect you want to create. All in all, it's a fine rifle and a heck of a nice first effort! Congratulations.

[WV_Mountaineer]

Wetzel,  Congratulations on building a good looking rifle.  If you haven't read it, Acer did a good tutorial on  'relief carving' that shows and explains the use of scrapers.  It is listed in the tutorial section of the forum.  These is also a description somewhere of making the scrapers from hack saw blades.  I believe that was also by Acer, but couldn't locate it on a quick look this morning.  You can probably find it by search.

[wetzel]

Yes your right about the metal needing some more attention.  WV_Mountaineer thanks for the tip on scraping.

[Harris]

Nice rifle wetzel.
 
                            Ken Harris.

[Ron Brimer]

 Dont worry about the direction of the screw slots, The 18th C guys did not, its just personal pref ,Work on shape fit and finish. Hopefully you will never be satisfied with your work.
   Ron B

[whitebear]

I know that one of the bumps on the but plate return is the patchbox release but is the other a screw and if so isn't it standing out a little higher than it should be?

[wetzel]

Thanks Ron and Ken.  Whitebear, your right, I need a bigger countersink and get that head down low, thanks for the tip.