Author Topic: Blunderbuss #4, ...DONE !!! (Read 45080 times)

davec2 · « **Reply #75 on:** February 09, 2019, 10:41:18 PM »

A tad more progress:

Frizzen engraving:

I love building these things but......my least favorite part of every gun, rifle or pistol...or blunderbuss, is inletting the rear ram rod pipe. For those of you who really know what you are doing, please, someone make a video of how to do this task. I have to be doing this the hardest, slowest, least efficient way possible and I'm almost positive there are some tricks to this that I am missing. Here is the start for me....and I end up removing wood, apparently, one molecule at a time! I can polish and engrave a complete lock faster than I can inlet a rear pipe !!!

An hour and a half later.....and still not done !!!

Daryl · « **Reply #76 on:** February 10, 2019, 05:32:09 AM »

Wonderful work, Dave. Thanks for the picture journey through it.

Justin Urbantas · « **Reply #77 on:** February 10, 2019, 05:52:29 PM »

I wish I knew a trick for that too. Took me over 5 hours for the one I just did.

davec2 · « **Reply #78 on:** February 11, 2019, 07:00:58 AM »

Lock polishing & engraving is complete.......

Back to the rear ram rod pipe.....

Ed Wenger · « **Reply #79 on:** February 12, 2019, 03:48:09 AM »

Lookin’ good, Dave!

Ed

davec2 · « **Reply #80 on:** February 12, 2019, 04:31:17 AM »

Thanks Ed....By the way, after this one is done I would like to copy one of your rifles like I did one of Jim Chambers' (http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=37186.0) and one of Jim Kibler's (http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=32193.0). And thanks for the tip on the trigger guard and butt plate I asked about. Wayne Dunlap had them and I got one of each in brass and in steel.

Dave C

Marcruger · « **Reply #81 on:** February 12, 2019, 06:04:38 AM »

That’s one special lock.

Cobweb · « **Reply #82 on:** February 12, 2019, 07:34:29 AM »

You asked …….
{{>>I love building these things but......my least favorite part of every gun, rifle or pistol...or blunderbuss, is inletting the rear ram rod pipe. For those of you who really know what you are doing, please, someone make a video of how to do this task.<<}}

In his video a few messages back, Bill Raby shows how he is doing one on the "Building a Tennessee Rifle". The inletting of the rear ramrod pipe starts in Part 15 and finishes in Part 16. You might want to give it a look to see how he done it.

Such a wealth of information on this forum!!……. Big John

Just like an old Cobweb, just hanging around!

Justin Urbantas · « **Reply #83 on:** February 12, 2019, 05:51:16 PM »

Hey Dave. Is the back of the frizzen soft enough to engrave as is, or do you have to anneal it to engrave and then re-harden it after?

davec2 · « **Reply #84 on:** February 12, 2019, 06:31:02 PM »

Justin,

No, the back of the frizzen is just as hard as the face and cannot be engraved as is. I had to anneal it before engraving and will need to re-harden it now. I don't have a heat treating oven so, to anneal, I just toss the part into the hot coals in my fireplace during the evening and make sure it is covered by the coals. When the fire has died out in the morning, I fish the frizzen out of the ashes. It usually only takes one try at this to completely anneal the part. (I also do this with steel castings that are too hard or have hard spots in them). After re polishing a little, the frizzen can be engraved. To re-harden, I make a wire handle for the frizzen and then paint it with a water based anti-fire scale compound. I use an air / acetylene torch to heat the part to hardening temperatures and then quench in warm oil. The frizzen is then drawn back some (to about 375 degrees F) and cleaned up.

D. Taylor Sapergia · « **Reply #85 on:** February 12, 2019, 09:12:36 PM »

Crazy nice work Dave!!

Ed Wenger · « **Reply #86 on:** February 12, 2019, 10:00:17 PM »

Hey Dave, glad the guard and butt piece worked out! Have at it on the copy, let me know if I can help with anything.

Ed

Daryl · « **Reply #87 on:** February 12, 2019, 10:03:54 PM »

World Class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Justin Urbantas · « **Reply #88 on:** February 12, 2019, 11:29:19 PM »

Thanks for the info, Dave. What is that anti- scale stuff called?

davec2 · « **Reply #89 on:** February 13, 2019, 04:16:25 AM »

Justin,

The anti scale compound is ATP-641 Available from Brownells....

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/heat-treating-accessories/anti-scale-coating-prod23076.aspx

Justin Urbantas · « **Reply #90 on:** February 13, 2019, 06:42:10 AM »

Thanks Dave

B.Barker · « **Reply #91 on:** February 19, 2019, 02:10:11 AM »

I'm not into blunderbuss but I really like the lock. Nice!

Craig Wilcox · « **Reply #92 on:** February 19, 2019, 07:15:45 AM »

Not sure how well it works on steel, but for gold and silver, some Boric acid mixed with alcohol is a jim-dandy anti-scale. We would usually put a drop of red food coloring in it, to ensure we covered the whole piece. Brush some on, light it to quickly get rid of the alcohol, and you are good to go.
Here at home, I have been putting some Borax (20 mule team, available at Lowe's in cleaning aisle) directly onto brass and coin silver, works a charm. Cleans off easily too - water, hot if you have it.

davec2 · « **Reply #93 on:** February 20, 2019, 03:22:27 AM »

Craig,

Yes, I use the boric acid and alcohol all the time for silver and gold work. However, it doesn't hold up as well when you are heat treating steel. The temperatures are about the same but the length of time at temperature seems to drive off most of the boric acid leaving the steel susceptible to oxidation.

Craig Wilcox · « **Reply #94 on:** February 21, 2019, 08:16:17 PM »

Thanks, Dave - hadn't thought about the duration of the heat. I do have some of Brownell's anti-scale on order.
Made a plane iron for an old wooden skew plane, used O-1 tool steel. When I went to heat it, I found that the only oil I had was some synthetic sperm whale oil - seems to have worked well. But the next plane iron I make is going to be from 1/16" steel, NOT 1/8" ! Man, that took forever to shape the blade on my diamond plates!

davec2 · « **Reply #95 on:** February 25, 2019, 12:41:32 AM »

Still working on the rear ram rod pipe

But I did get in touch with the fellow I am building this one for and asked how he wanted the barrel finished and what he wanted engraved on the butt plate. He decided to keep the barrel bright (and there is a lot more engraving to be done at the breach end) and he liked the engraving I did on the butt of my own blunderbuss. Now....if I can just remember how I did this.......and improve on it.....

I did this several years ago now and I hand sketched the design, as I usually do. Might be tough to do it again without too many changes....

Marcruger · « **Reply #96 on:** February 25, 2019, 12:50:15 AM »

Ooooooh. That is one fine looking buttplate and engraving. God Bless, Marc

PS, that is some pretty good photography too. :-)

Ed Wenger · « **Reply #97 on:** February 25, 2019, 01:52:47 AM »

That is sweet....., can’t wait to see Mod 2!

Ed

jerrywh · « **Reply #98 on:** February 26, 2019, 03:58:37 AM »

The best anti oxidant I have found is Black furnace flux. I use it when I braze barrel ribs on. It has aa long duration time. I think it is the same thing Brownell sells for anti oxidant.
I bought mine at a welding supply.

davec2 · « **Reply #99 on:** February 28, 2019, 07:14:36 PM »

Have not had much time to work on this but I did manage to get the trigger and trigger guard in.....and I did finish the rear ramrod pipe. I will shift back over to the final engraving work on the barrel, butt plate, trigger guard , and ram rod pipes before completing the stock shaping. Slow, but deliberate progress.....

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Author Topic: Blunderbuss #4, ...DONE !!! (Read 45080 times)