Author Topic: metal finish  (Read 3202 times)

Offline Daniel

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metal finish
« on: February 03, 2014, 07:12:38 PM »
I traded up for a Caleb Vincent rifle parts. Plus cash to boot. Beautiful curly/quilted stock, in 40 cal.
What or how was the metal finished? Browned or blued? I have to get a few small parts but
this one is sweet.  

Daniel
Daniel     Ecc.4:12

Offline Dphariss

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Re: metal finish
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2014, 07:40:47 PM »
Brown barrel. Lock would likely have been case hardened, maybe trigger plate as well.

Dan
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Offline Daniel

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Re: metal finish
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2014, 08:01:42 PM »
Alright. I'll do that.
Daniel     Ecc.4:12

galamb

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Re: metal finish
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2014, 12:34:22 AM »
On the lighter side, something to think about during your build.

From Caleb's diary in 1865.

It appears that he may have priced his rifles by how long it took him to build them unless it was something fancy (according to some letters between him and a few customers) - it generally took him 17-22 days to complete a rifle, so they sold for $17-22 ($242 - $315 in 2014 dollars) - he considered a dollar a day (including the cost of parts) as a "good living" :)

It cost him $4 to have a whole maple tree hauled away, sawed up, and brought back which he used for his blanks (from his diary he repaired far more clocks and restocked way more rifles then he built)

He sourced his barrels from Pittsburgh, but made his own set triggers. In his later years (post 1910) he would sell you a set trigger for $3 (with inflation that is $73 today - looks like "off the shelf" triggers are still a bargain).

Offline Don Stith

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Re: metal finish
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2014, 12:46:59 AM »
The Vincents I own were left in the white on the barrels.
Just as a curiosity FYI:
 The buttstocks are virtually identical with the only variation being the thickness across the lockpanels to match the different size barrels.  Makes me wonder if he had a pantagraph to rough out the stocks with

Offline Acer Saccharum

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Re: metal finish
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2014, 12:49:35 AM »
Good question, Don. Harper's Ferry had a duplicator. It's not out of the question that Vincent could have had a duplicator of sorts.
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Offline b bogart

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Re: metal finish
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2014, 02:27:00 AM »
The Vincent shop tools in Marietta don't include a pantograph or duplicator that I noticed. Pretty fine collection of rifles tho!