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Author Topic: Barrel welding  (Read 17418 times)

Offline tim crowe

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Barrel welding
« on: January 25, 2016, 04:31:00 PM »





Making a rifle barrel with Steve "Bookie" Bookout. The shopmaster is happy with the results.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2016, 06:35:34 PM by Ky-Flinter »
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thimble rig

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2016, 04:44:20 PM »
That would be awesome to learn how to do that.Youre a lucky man.How long does it take do that part.Then you have to draw file it ream and cut the rifling.Yeah that would be cool.Keep us posted on all the fun.Thanks for posting.
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Offline crankshaft

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2016, 05:44:31 PM »

  I thought Bookie retired from rifling, etc. ? ?
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2016, 06:41:42 PM »



He is retired , but I had a pending project we had been working on. So I am finally posting what we are doing, forging a barrel .










« Last Edit: January 25, 2016, 08:00:19 PM by tim crowe »
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Offline Cory Joe Stewart

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2016, 07:24:42 PM »
That is fantastic.

Coryjoe
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Offline runastav

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2016, 07:37:34 PM »
Lucky you Tim, working with  Bookie the master :)
Runar
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2016, 08:05:09 PM »
Runar,
I am fortunate, but it is like working with a demanding Dwarf Swordsmith from Lord of the Rings! ;D ;D I don't think we will forging any" rings" yet? :o
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Offline Steve Bookout

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2016, 10:55:18 PM »
Swab, There you go suckin' up again.  Flattery will get you no where ----unless there is a cheese burger and fries that goes along with it!  I'm glad you could pound some iron.  I know that Angus and Dan had a good time.  Start making some short bits so we can finish up that old water pipe of yours.  As for being retired, at the present it is from building, not at playing at the forge, BUT!  No customers.  Just lending a hand to those who need it.  Here are a few more pics:











  Hei Runar!
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Steve Bookout, PhD, CM, BSM
University of South Viet Nam
Class of 1969
Class of 1970
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2016, 10:59:57 PM »
Angus with the shop Orc. It was a balmy 15 degrees outside.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2016, 11:02:05 PM by tim crowe »
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Offline Steve Bookout

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2016, 11:31:21 PM »
Orc?  I thought you were an Under The Hill dwarf!
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Steve Bookout, PhD, CM, BSM
University of South Viet Nam
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2016, 03:01:45 AM »
LOL good one! Then Angus must be?
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JB2

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #11 on: January 29, 2016, 02:22:16 AM »
Y'all are havin waaaay too much fun!  looks like you started out with a wagon tire?
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #12 on: January 29, 2016, 03:32:50 AM »
Yes it was a wagon rim. It was a high quality piece and forged well.
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Offline Daryl

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2016, 10:25:59 AM »
THAT gentlemen is a LOT of HOT work and it ain't any where even remotely over yet. WOW- hat's off and toasting you lads.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2016, 11:30:57 PM by Daryl »
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Daryl

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Offline Don Steele

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2016, 01:49:45 PM »
Thank you for taking the time to document the work and share it here. If it's not too much to ask...I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping you will share the progress you make, all the way to a functioning rifle barrel.
We read about this incredibly laborious process..but few ever get to share it, even in pictures.
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Offline Acer Saccharum

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #15 on: January 29, 2016, 05:12:06 PM »
Just awesome thread, Tim. Better forge now than in July(tho' you don't need as much coal to heat the iron).
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Offline Steve Bookout

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #16 on: January 30, 2016, 09:18:58 AM »
Von Swab of Under the Hill, when you decide to work on that barrel again or work on Angus' tube, if you wish to invite any forumites to join in, you decide who, what, and when. 
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Steve Bookout, PhD, CM, BSM
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Offline Angus

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #17 on: January 30, 2016, 05:14:49 PM »
Tim, this will be interesting to see the bear rifle come together. Let me know what you want for bit steel, I might know a guy that can source a few pieces.  ;D
We gots to give a big shout out for Dan cranking the blower too. He keeps a pretty steady heat, enough to defrost the roof and make icicle showers.
Thanks to the Master for teaching the way! Strik 'er while the iron is hot.
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #18 on: January 30, 2016, 08:18:24 PM »
Don Steele,
We are shooting pictures and as soon as I can get them off the phone , I will post more. Bookie is willing to keep posting pictures of the work and put up with Angus , Myself and Dan the blower man. We are shooting video on Bookies methods on forging barrels. Hopefully to inspire people to keep the art of the Longrifle alive. Maybe it will look like Runar's posts.

Acer, Winter is better for forging. My face was  burned like being out in the Sun. It doesn't help my dashing good looks. :o

Daryl , Thanks for the toast, hopefully a Brandy or Guinness!
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ddoyle

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #19 on: January 31, 2016, 12:46:19 AM »

Brilliant. Thanks for showing there are still some useful folks out there having fun!
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Offline Dave B

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #20 on: January 31, 2016, 12:53:46 AM »
What a great time. Thank you so much for sharing the experience with us. I have always wanted to forge a barrel up from a slab of iron. Had a Class mate from a wood carving class talk about doing the class at Conner prairie and started out with a rifle barrel to forge that turned into two pistol barrels by the time he was done. Got the tube to hot and one became two. :-\  By the by what pound hammer is the under hill dwarf using in that shot at the anvil. 15 lbs's? It looks huge!
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Dave Blaisdell

Offline davec2

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #21 on: January 31, 2016, 06:55:52 AM »
Watching the amount of labor that goes into just welding up one barrel tube from a skelp....can you imagine it's 1796 and some poor slob of a blacksmith is working away in his shop in England when some British Army logistics joker or other stops by the shop and says, "Right -o, well, we we need 100,000 musket barrels....... by Wednesday next.  This dust up with Napoleon on the Continent seems to be taking a bad turn."

I mean really, how many experienced smiths would you have to have working all at the same time to manufacture 10,000 muskets....or 50,000.....0r 100,000.  And not just the barrels but lock, stock and fittings ???  And with 17th and 18th century methods and technology.
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #22 on: January 31, 2016, 08:16:36 PM »
Dave,
 1 lead smith, 3 labors=4 men x 10 hours= 75 to 80 barrels (WELDED not bored and rifled) starting with a skelp. Reference "Quest for the Indian Trade Gun".

I believe with starting the fire and the coal coking up, once we got into the rhythm ( of Galley slaves) the work wasn't that bad. The work including flattening the wagon rim , cupping the skelp, then welding the skelp together 12 hours give or take. I do believe it could be done in a shorter time with more practice.  My guess with practice 4-5 hours with 4 guys.

All this welding just to get a deep hole through a bar of iron, comparing modern deep hole drilling, I have been told usually 30 mins to drill a deep hole  in 48" barrel.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2016, 08:23:35 PM by tim crowe »
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Offline Angus

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #23 on: January 31, 2016, 10:10:38 PM »
Gentlemen,
If you notice the snow around the doorway to the shop is virtually gone. Now we had some heat rolling out of there to melt that snow while welding. I am guessing we should have been cooking steak and taters on the front step for supper while we were pounding iron. :D

Tim, we probably could have got this done a little sooner if I wasn't hung over from the night before, but those ladies that visit the gunsmith shop are a ball of fun. ;) You just never know what kind of cat chasin' nite it will be in that neighborhood!
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: Barrel welding
« Reply #24 on: March 01, 2016, 04:18:09 PM »
View My Video

A short barrel making video , a little choppy but worth the view.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2016, 04:22:01 PM by tim crowe »
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