Chamber's Isaac Haines -Mostly done, shot it today

[Chowmi]

I know it's been awhile since I posted progress on this build.  It's been busy lately.  I was in Asia for two weeks etc etc. 
I don't have any pictures right now, (and know that this forum lives on pictures...).  but...

I think I have the stock down to final shaping, butt to muzzle cap.  I had a lot of issues with this that were entirely self generated. It's now about as good as I can get it, and nice and thin.  I've sanded it down to 220 grit, whiskered, 220 again, and then whiskered again and 320 grit after that. 

I then took a bit of a break from stock sanding and shaping so that I can look at it later with fresh eyes.  I filed, sanded and polished the ramrod thimbles and the triggerguard. 

I've had a real issue with the trigger guard.  The bow of the guard was twisted quite a bit, and I didn't see it until the guard was inlet and the stock was shaped.  It was close to 25-30 degrees off. to explain, the bottom of the bow should be parallel to the top flat of the barrel.  It was not.  It was way off.   I know, should have seen it earlier.  I don't think I twisted it during the build, but can't be sure.  Anyway, I tried bending it several times and always seemed to end up bending or twisting parts that didn't need it, and then having to correct the mistake.  I finally pinned it into the stock and twisted/bent the bow in situ.  It worked a bit. It's not great, but I'll accept it for now.   

Tomorrow, I expect to have the trigger and set trigger polished up, as well as the muzzle cap, and maybe finish up the rear sight.  The kit comes with a silver front sight with a brass base.  I think I will make my own folded brass front sight.

Pictures tomorrow, I hope,

cheers,
Norm

[Chowmi]

Forgot to add this to my last post:

I learned a few things in the process of filing and polishing my brass. 

For one thing, it's wonderful to have softer brass.  Kudos to Chambers' for the brass hardware they supply.  I have worked with brass from other vendors and it was a trial of endurance. 

The biggest lesson learned was that brass can be scraped after filing.  I had seen a post from ( I believe it was) DaveC2 that mentioned using a scraper on the butt plate.  In any event, I have more cabinet scrapers from woodcraft than I need, so I tried one on the brass.  With a light touch, it works very well to remove filing marks from the brass before you move to sandpaper. 

I was very happy with the results, and it saved me a bunch of time and effort at sanding.  This may not be news to anyone, but it was a welcome addition to my small bag of tricks. 

cheers,
Norm

[Chowmi]

I've managed to make some progress, albeit while sneaking away for one or two hours at a time.  At my pace, that means only partly finishing any job at hand. 
The only assembly task left is to drill for, and install the touch hole liner. 

The rest is checking for final shaping, polishing metal, carving, engraving and of course wood finishing. 

Here's an overall pic of the rifle:

IMG_3665 by chowmif16, on Flickr

It was a big day for me today, because I did my first engraving on a rifle.  When I say engraving, I really mean I did a couple of lines.  Still, a big deal for me because it turned out alright.  Here's the sideplate with a couple of accent lines.

IMG_3670 by chowmif16, on Flickr

Bolstered by my amazing engraving skills on the sideplate, I did the lines on the trigger guard...

IMG_3668 by chowmif16, on Flickr

I had already inlet and polished the ramrod entry thimble when I looked through my books and realized that the entry thimble return (is that the right word?  I mean the bit that extends behind the pipe towards the trigger.  Maybe it should be the finial??) should not be plain and curved.  It should have 3 facets on it, at least on all the Isaac Haines rifles I have pictures of. 
So, I filed three facets on the entry return/thingy/finial, and then did a semi-wedding band at the back end of said thingy. 
This was another first for me, modifying a brass part to somewhat match an original.  My result is not perfect, but I think it adds, rather than detracts from the rifle. 
Here it is:

IMG_3669 by chowmif16, on Flickr

The kit I have came with a silver front sight and a brass base.  I chose to make my own brass front sight.  I made it out of a single piece of .040 brass, using the folding method.  I had never done that before, and I really enjoyed doing it.  There is ample evidence that this was done on early rifles. 
I made it quite tall, and then when I got to the point of filing the profile of the blade I realized I had no idea what to do.  I filed a bit, and now it looks somewhat like a bottlenose dolphin.  Oops. 
Anyway, it's so tall that I'm sure it will need re-shaping.  If not, I'll happily make another. 

Here's that:

IMG_3667 by chowmif16, on Flickr

I did a bunch of other small things on the gun that won't show in photos.

That's all for now,

Cheers,
Norm

[Ed Wenger]

Looking good, Norm!  Sounds like a good, satisfying day.   It's amazing how a couple engraved lines will dress something up.  While your engraved lines may be a "simple" addition, parallel lines are one of the most difficult things to do well, and you did a great job with them!


          Ed

[rich pierce]

IMG_3670 by chowmif16, on Flickr

Norm, you might have shot this photo sort of from a low angle. Hard to tell.  Did you want the lock panel to be that tall above the top lock bolt?  For Lancaster rifles the tops of the lock moldings often appear to Lind up with the top edge of the barrel side flat. In other words the wood at the breech, beside the tang, often tapers down at about the same angle as the sloping barrel flats. Varies by school. Less taper on most Bucks County rifles.

[Curtis]

Great progress Norm, it looks great.  Now get some pencil marks on it, don't forget to stock up on the erasers!

Curtis

[Chowmi]

Ed, Curtis,
thanks guys!

Pencil lines have already started, eraser already well used! 

Now I have tangible evidence that I cannot draw!

Cheers,
Norm

[Chowmi]

I've done a bit of carving on the Isaac Haines. This is my first attempt at carving a rifle.  I could / should have practiced more on a piece of scrap, but instead I just dove right in. 
I did the entry thimble carving first, and you can see some improvement when I went to the tang carving. 

I didn't really visualize the entry pipe carving correctly when I got to the shaping of the vines and tendrils. 






Here is the tang carving.  Still needs some cleanup and I need to finish the beavertails etc.  I think this carving went much better than the entry pipe carving. 
Most important part is that I learned a lot.   My chisels were much sharper when I did this part, and that made it easier.  I think I've finally figured out how to sharpen.







I've got one of Jim Kibler's carving practice blanks, and I will practice the carving on the butt-stock before I do it on the rifle.

Critiques are welcomed and encouraged.

Cheers,
Chowmi

[oldtravler61]

  Chowmi much better than mine. They look like a ragged toothed beaver with a hang over. Maybe that's why I like smr rifles so well. Looks very good to me..! Oldtravler

[Curtis]

Looking pretty good, Norm!  I agree, the tang carving is much better than the entry thimble....  I have good faith that after you gained the experience and improved on the tang carving that you can go back and do a little reshaping and improving on some of the lines on the entry thimble carving.  It would be very subtle minor changes.  You can do it! 

Curtis

[Chowmi]

Curtis,
Exactly right. I'm going to sit on it for a bit while I do the rest of the carving and then re-visit the entry thimble carving with a fresh eye. I may be able to correct some mistakes.
Honestly, the pictures make it look better than it is in real life.
Even if I can't fix it, it will look good at 5 to 10 feet vantage point!!
This gun was never going to be a masterpiece, the learning is the most important part. It's a stepping stone to future builds.

And the carving won't affect how well it shoots! 

Cheers,
Norm.

[smart dog]

Hi Norm,
It is looking very good!  I wish you could have brought it when you visited last week.

dave

[Chowmi]

Dave,
Thank you. I too wish I could have brought it.
We had such a great time in Vermont that I think we will go again in the future.  Will certainly avoid the April rains though! 
If we go next year I will try to bring a rifle or two with me.

I'm hoping to get some work done on the Isaac Haines here in the next few weeks and will post progress. Spring honey-do projects may impede my progress though!

Cheers,
Norm.

[Chowmi]

I've finally finished my Isaac Haines enough to get out and shoot it.  I still have some cleanup to do on a few things, need new lock bolts, and have to get the courage to engrave it. 

I will take some better pictures and post them soon.

I put about 40 or 50 rounds through it today, and it was awesome.  Made me feel like a kid again. 

The gun functioned perfectly.  Never had a mis/hang-fire, never had to change or knap the flint through all 40 or so shots.  That's never happened to me before!

I got the sights drifted and filed down to about bullseye at 25 yards.  I forgot to wear my contact lenses, and didn't bring glasses either.  Groups weren't great, but that is also due to patch burn through.  They were quite loose and I didn't bring the next size up round ball or thicker patches. 

Crappy iPhone pic:










This rifle build taught me a lot.  The carving is not good, and the background smoothing is not good either for the most part.  That's okay, because learning has occurred.  This rifle was always about learning, not making a masterpiece. 

I also learned a lot about lock and brass polishing.  Late in the game, I switched to using the Gesswein stones that Acer recommended in one of the lock polishing posts.  They are awesome and have made life much easier in that respect. 

I am considering fire blueing or charcoal blueing the barrel and trigger assembly.  Haven't decided quite yet.  I have a scrap barrel that I will run some tests on first. 

I'll take some better pictures soon and post them.  Critiques are always welcome and encouraged.

cheers,
Norm

[coopersdad]

Looks good to me Norm!  Looking forward to some more photos. 

[rick/pa]

Very nice sir.  May I ask what finish you used on your rifle?  I have a Haines rifle underway myself, and like you, finding time to work on it is a sometimes thing.

[Marcruger]

Yep, that's a fine looking finish Norm.  You did well there. 

The only suggestion I'd have is to lay some engraving on that patchbox.  The rest of the gun is calling for it.  If you are not that confident, Mike is saying he's available to do some engraving these days. 

For the metal, I like the Ed Wenger "cold blue then rub it back a bit" finish.  To me Ed's finish looks like a 10 year old gun that has been used, but cherished and well treated. 

I like your work Norm.  Best wishes, and God Bless,   Marc

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Well Done

[Joe S.]

Yup,nice job and glad she shoots well for you as well.

[Chowmi]

Very nice sir.  May I ask what finish you used on your rifle?  I have a Haines rifle underway myself, and like you, finding time to work on it is a sometimes thing.

Rick,
I used Ye Olde Aqua Fortis from TOTW, then LMF Lancaster maple stain on top of that.  I have used that combination once before and like it.

This time it came out darker than I wanted, for two reasons I think:
I think I over blushed the AF.
I was way too heavy handed with the LMF Lancaster Maple.  I rubbed it back with some denatured alcohol, which helped. 

After the stain, I did 3 coats of permalyn sealer, then Chamber's Traditional Oil Finish. 
I rubbed the final finish back a bit with rottenstone and mineral oil. 
When I finally get some decent photos up, you will see that I didn't do a particularly good job on the oil finish on certain parts of the rifle.  I should have been more patient, and smoothed it between coats I think. 


Marc,
I will do the engraving.  I am going to practice the particular pattern a few times first (which is what I should have done with the carving).  I will attempt to replicate a particular Isaac Haines patch box and toe plate. 

Thanks for all the compliments, It's nice to step back and forget the mistakes and appreciate it as a functional rifle!

Cheers,
Norm

[Chowmi]

Here are some photos.  I thought I would take them outside in a rustic setting.  turns out the green grass throws a green hue in some of the photos.  Sorry.
























Lots of lessons learned on this rifle, but man I have had a good time shooting it over the past two days.  Even hit a 5ft x5 ft steel plate at 300 yards on my second try. 

Cheers,
Norm

[JB]

Very nice rifle.. 

[acorn20]

Norm, that's a fine looking rifle.  Well done!

[oldtravler61]

  Norm nice job I like it an the stain. Oldtravler

[taco650]

Here are some photos.  I thought I would take them outside in a rustic setting.  turns out the green grass throws a green hue in some of the photos.  Sorry.
























Lots of lessons learned on this rifle, but man I have had a good time shooting it over the past two days.  Even hit a 5ft x5 ft steel plate at 300 yards on my second try. 

Cheers,
Norm

Are you going to leave the lock & barrel "in the white"?  Looks great to me and glad to hear it shoots really well.  I'm a practical sort so if a rifle (or load) won't shoot good, its not interesting no matter how nice the gun looks.  For me, functionality trumps appearance most of the time but you've done both pretty well.  Bravo!