Author Topic: Making a "Chiefs Grade" Trade gun Trigger guard Photos Fixed (Read 23950 times)

Curtis · « **on:** July 31, 2015, 09:31:05 AM »

I just finished a trigger guard for a Chief's grade trade gun I am building. I took a lot of photos along the way so I thought I would share some of the steps I went through while making it, in case anyone is thinking about building a trade gun for the first time. I also did some engraving on the guard, I am a beginner engraver but early English trade guns didn't usually have the best engraving so it might work out.

I started with a sheet of .80 brass, first I hit it with some cheap white spray paint and sketched on the design:

Then cut it out with a jeweler's saw:

Next I bent the finials 90 degrees at each end of the bow:

Next anneal the bow area with a torch and start the bending process. I made a poor man's swage block by using a hole saw to cut a hole in a hard scrap of lumber, then sawed the scrap in two in the middle of the hole. Then the pounding begins:

Annealing again:

Using the "hole" to bend the bow over:

Then switched to an old pipe section:

I dished out a swaging area on the face of the same board with a gouge, and used it to put some rounding across the bow for strength and appearance:

Then switched to a lead block for fine tuning:

And back to the cutout hole for some adjusting:

These three pics somewhat show the convex shape:

A little adjustment to the finial bends and it is close enough for now:

Now some file work to smooth the dings and add dimension to the finials:

I drew my designs on the brass in pencil and started the engraving process. For the more complex design on the bow I spritzed a light coat of white paint. It was more durable than the china white I have. Here I am using a graver that TOF made for me:

My inspiration for the bow design:

Finished! Unless I decide to retouch some lines,anyway:

Thanks for looking!

Curtis

Angus · « **Reply #1 on:** July 31, 2015, 12:29:49 PM »

That will make the Chief happy, nice work!

James Wilson Everett · « **Reply #2 on:** July 31, 2015, 01:37:05 PM »

Splendid! Thanks for posting the photos.

jrb · « **Reply #3 on:** July 31, 2015, 02:33:45 PM »

Thanks for sharing that, Curtis. As a trade gun nut, i'm really looking forward to seeing your completed gun.

Tom Currie · « **Reply #4 on:** July 31, 2015, 02:38:29 PM »

Curtis, Nice job on that guard. Thanks for sharing your process with us.

Marcruger · « **Reply #5 on:** July 31, 2015, 03:08:45 PM »

Good gracious. I love seeing raw material turned into functional art. Well done sir. Marc

brokenflint · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2015, 03:20:24 PM »

Hey Curtis, nothing at all to be worried about on the engraving job, good work all the way around.

BOB HILL · « **Reply #7 on:** July 31, 2015, 05:31:56 PM »

Well done. Thanks for posting.
Bob

FDR · « **Reply #8 on:** July 31, 2015, 05:32:41 PM »

Well done! Well done! Thanks for showing us how it was done. Very educational to us 'want to be".

Daryl · « **Reply #9 on:** July 31, 2015, 05:50:46 PM »

Quote from: FDR on July 31, 2015, 05:32:41 PM

Well done! Well done! Thanks for showing us how it was done. Very educational to us 'want to be".

Exactly- well done indeed.

PPatch · « **Reply #10 on:** July 31, 2015, 06:28:15 PM »

You done good Curtis!

dave

Acer Saccharum · « **Reply #11 on:** July 31, 2015, 09:14:40 PM »

Thanks for posting this great photo series!

This make me think 'I can do this!' Good going, Curtis!

Tim Crosby · « **Reply #12 on:** July 31, 2015, 09:45:10 PM »

Really neat, we'll move it over to the Tutorials in a couple weeks.

Thanks For Taking The Time to Photograph and post, Tim C.

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #13 on:** August 01, 2015, 12:22:01 AM »

Nifty I bumble along and make my bends just by hand and eyeball....I like your bending blocks. Next time you might consider concaving the front and rear finials too.

Curtis · « **Reply #14 on:** August 01, 2015, 02:38:38 AM »

Thanks for all the positive input guys! Mike, now that you mentioned that about concaving the finials I remember reading about that on your website. I couldn't have made the trigger guard on my first trade gun without your tutorial!

Curtis

hortonstn · « **Reply #15 on:** August 01, 2015, 02:39:48 AM »

Really nice thanks for posting
Paul

Glenn · « **Reply #16 on:** August 01, 2015, 02:41:37 AM »

That is absolutely AWESOME !!! You did a great job and I sure do appreciate you posting all these photos. I've got plans in the future for a 16 gauge Trade Gun. I'm going to log this thread for future use. Thanks Again !!!

elk killer · « **Reply #17 on:** August 01, 2015, 02:09:47 PM »

that's great,,
How long is it?

Hemo · « **Reply #18 on:** August 01, 2015, 03:29:37 PM »

Nice job, Curtis! Thanks for sharing this!

Gregg

T*O*F · « **Reply #19 on:** August 01, 2015, 04:38:51 PM »

Curtis hasn't been at this all that long. By profession, he's a technogeek, however he has acquired a lot of "life experience" along the way. He built his own shop and then lived in it while he built his house. The thing I respect most about him is his "can do" attitude. He doesn't ask how to do something. Instead, he figures it out on his own and then posts a "this is what I did and how I did it."

Others should take note of this. The ability to think outside the box and accomplish something using only one's imagination, thought process, and problem solving skills is a rare thing. He has no fear of failure. Knowledge is gained thru experience. To often others ask the most basic questions because they are afraid of making a mistake. Things which they could easily figure out on their own. Perhaps by emulating Curtis' attitude, they could become more proficient in what they attempt. These are skills that are being lost in today's society.

Curtis · « **Reply #20 on:** August 01, 2015, 08:44:26 PM »

Wow Dave, I guess all I can say to that is thanks for that most gracious review! I can feel my head swelling already....

I do want to point out that I am not afraid to ask questions when I am stumped or figure there has to be a better way to do something. Dave has been one of the people that has answered many of those questions over the past few years. He is a very talented, primarily self taught builder that has tackled some very complex projects.

Also I just want to say I make a lot of mistakes when trying to figure things out, and folks should not be discouraged by their mistakes as they are often some of the most valuable learning tools for anyone.

Curtis

B.Habermehl · « **Reply #21 on:** August 01, 2015, 11:36:20 PM »

Amen to learning from your mistakes. Every time I think I've made mostly all of them.... Suprise, here's a new one. Or worse yet, yup ya did it again. BJH

Ed Wenger · « **Reply #22 on:** August 04, 2015, 04:55:17 AM »

I always enjoy your "how I did it" posts, Curtis! Always learn something. Thanks for posting the process, and nice engraving!

Ed

David Rase · « **Reply #23 on:** August 04, 2015, 03:40:39 PM »

Great post and a just as great triggerguard. Making as many parts for a rifle on your own that you can is always rewarding and many times humbling as you work through processes, techniques and jigs and fixtures. I love seeing a piece of raw material transform into a functioning part as I work it through all its stages.
David

Curtis · « **Reply #24 on:** August 05, 2015, 07:50:40 AM »

Thanks Dave and Ed!

Quote from: elk killer on August 01, 2015, 02:09:47 PM

that's great,,
How long is it?

elk killer, it was approx 10-3/4" when flat, 9 after finished (with the bow bent)

Curtis

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Author Topic: Making a "Chiefs Grade" Trade gun Trigger guard *Photos Fixed* (Read 23950 times)

brokenflint

Hemo

Author Topic: Making a "Chiefs Grade" Trade gun Trigger guard Photos Fixed (Read 23950 times)