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Author Topic: A Blunderbuss Commission - Finished.....Finished !!!  (Read 40287 times)

Offline davec2

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A Blunderbuss Commission - Finished.....Finished !!!
« on: February 09, 2016, 05:41:52 AM »
A while back, a fellow commissioned me to build him a brass barreled blunderbuss.  I took on the task reluctantly because of my work schedule.  However, he said he wasn't in a rush, so I took the job.  I told him the first step was getting a barrel out of Ed Rayl, which might take some time.  It did, but Ed eventually got me a couple of 10 gage brass barrels, one 20 inches long and another, for this customer, 18 inches long.  The barrels showed up a month before Christmas but I am just now getting around to starting the project.

The fellow I am building this for really liked the muzzle rings I had added to a few of Ed's 4 gage barrels in both steel and in brass, one of which was to my own 4 gage blunderbuss.  So, today I managed to rough machine the two brass rings, silver braze them to the barrel, and then machine them in place to their final configuration.  ( A previous post on a steel barrel mod     http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=37545.msg360437#msg360437   )

Anyway, here are some photos of todays barrel work.........

Machining the rough muzzle ring...........





Getting ready to braze the rings in place.........



Brazing...............



First machining of the rings on the barrel........



Finished........



Polished.........





« Last Edit: January 12, 2020, 11:40:44 PM by davec2 »
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
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Offline Acer Saccharum

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2016, 05:12:26 PM »
Lovely work, Dave!
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Offline gunmaker

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2016, 06:36:31 PM »
Now that is nice, make a good pistol to repel boarders... ;D....Tom
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JCurtiss

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2016, 08:18:26 PM »
Very impressive!
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Offline flatsguide

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2016, 06:28:10 AM »
Sweet
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Offline davec2

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2016, 12:02:00 AM »
Gathering additional parts..........



Stock wood........

« Last Edit: January 12, 2020, 11:41:01 PM by davec2 »
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline David Rase

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2016, 01:08:11 AM »
I am starting to get scared.
David
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Online Daryl

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2016, 04:06:42 AM »
Most lovely work, Dave.
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Daryl

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Offline oldtravler61

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2016, 04:23:38 AM »
David you are a real craftsmen. Can't wait to follow this build.
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Offline davec2

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Next steps
« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2016, 10:01:13 PM »
OK David.....now you can really get scared.  I will be sending the stock and barrel for inletting in the next few days.  Progress is slow, but here are the next steps.......

Made a few sketches of the profile.  This is the final selection.....



Cut out the stock profile....left the butt long for now but will cut it to the correct length once the barrel and lock are in place......





Polished up several of the brass parts........





Refining the detail on the side plate.....not quite finished yet.....

« Last Edit: January 12, 2020, 11:41:34 PM by davec2 »
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline EricEwing

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Next steps
« Reply #10 on: February 24, 2016, 10:17:43 PM »
this is a great thread!
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thimble rig

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Next steps
« Reply #11 on: February 24, 2016, 11:38:05 PM »
That's is going to beautiful when its all done.With the barrel all polished and the walnut stock.
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Offline Jim Kibler

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Next steps
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2016, 11:40:32 PM »
That is a perfect stock blank!  The grain seems to fit the architecture amazingly well.  Great work!

Jim
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Offline smart dog

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Next steps
« Reply #13 on: February 25, 2016, 01:11:41 AM »
Hi,
Looking great, Dave.  Thanks for posting this.

dave
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Online Daryl

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Next steps
« Reply #14 on: February 25, 2016, 05:53:16 PM »
Quote from: Jim Kibler on February 24, 2016, 11:40:32 PM
That is a perfect stock blank!  The grain seems to fit the architecture amazingly well.  Great work!

Jim

Going to be beautiful, the way the figure matches from comb to butt.
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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline davec2

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #15 on: June 13, 2016, 07:52:52 PM »
Well, it's been since February since I had a chance to work much on the blunderbuss......work, medical issues, travel....life !  But here is some recent progress for anyone interested in a blunderbuss.

Next step was to have Dave Rase inlet the barrel and drill the ram rod hole for me......(I don't do these by hand any longer - Dave is just too good at this to pass up his expertise.)

Next I planed the stock to a good starting width to get rid of a lot of excess wood......and started inletting the lock.  The entire lock is not in yet, but the plate is.......



My two least favorite tasks are the rear ramrod pipe and the butt plate.  I started with the butt plate......





Then I took off the extra wood on the underside of the butt.....



Current state of progress.......

« Last Edit: January 12, 2020, 11:42:07 PM by davec2 »
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Online J. Talbert

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #16 on: June 14, 2016, 01:25:12 AM »
Dave,
I concur on the least favorite tasks, but yours looks just fine and that lock inlet looks like it was part of the tree.
I've seen you do that muzzle treatment before and your skill with the lathe amazes me.  It really puts the icing on the cake.

Not to mention the progress on the Chambers copy   ;D

Jeff
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Offline Joe S.

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #17 on: June 14, 2016, 01:30:39 AM »
always had a soft spot for the blunderbuss, that will be a fine one!
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Online Daryl

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #18 on: June 14, 2016, 04:49:39 AM »
What an alley (or rigging) cleaner with a handful of buckshot. ;)
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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline davec2

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #19 on: June 15, 2016, 07:41:32 AM »
Little at a time......had some time to shape and inlet the barrel tang today and make the barrel under lugs.  Next is finishing the lock inletting.




« Last Edit: January 12, 2020, 11:42:24 PM by davec2 »
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

thimble rig

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #20 on: June 16, 2016, 01:41:33 AM »
That's looking really good.Cant wait to see the finished product.
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Offline tim crowe

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #21 on: June 16, 2016, 04:04:43 AM »
I should order one from Dave and report back with jungle usage! I bet I could get way more shot in it! ;D
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Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #22 on: June 16, 2016, 03:50:00 PM »
 Dang Dave, it looks like the wood grew around that tang. Thanks for the progress report. Now that your back at it at the rate you build I figure it will be done by Saturday :)

  Tim
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Offline davec2

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #23 on: July 06, 2016, 04:23:07 AM »
Back at it......Got the ram rod pipes in place.....



Made up the heavy duty barrel lugs by silver soldering the blade to the base and then used a lower temp silver bearing solder to mount the lugs to the barrel.  These are the rough lugs.....



Then the lugs were final shaped, inletted, and drilled.  The forward lug has a 0.125 inch diameter hole to accommodate a 5-40 sling swivel screw.....





Off to polish and engrave the lock now.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2020, 11:42:46 PM by davec2 »
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Online Daryl

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Re: A Blunderbuss Commission - Long break but back at it !
« Reply #24 on: July 06, 2016, 04:32:15 AM »
Love your fine work, Dave.
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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V
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