Tang extending

[Uncle Alvah]

To get right to the rat killin', I made the stock mortise for my square-ended tang too long, about 1/8" too long. To be more precise, the chisel cut for the end of the tang is too far back. They wood between the cut and the end of the tang is in place still.
 I am considering having someone weld a small piece of steel on the end to extend the tang a bit over the cut, and then inlet that more carefully.
Sound like a viable approach? My first build so I'm way down the learning curve here.

[John SMOthermon]

Have you cut the lock mortise?

Can you move the barrel back in the stock an 1/8

Not that I know anything about gun building , but I do read a lot. LOL

[smylee grouch]

You might be able to make it longer with a single bead of weld on the end of the tang.

[Mauser06]

Smo has a good option if you can do that...cut the wood on the back of the barrel and the barrel will move back.



Not sure you will ever get the extension to match when it finishes....which is why I'd try to find a breech plug with a longer tang I can cut/shape to size. Breech plugs typically aren't really expensive. 

Could probably fill that with a piece of wood and re-cut it and hide that better than a metal fix...

I'm no pro either... maybe there's better options. 

[jerrywh]

 If you take the tang out you can hammer it longer. Lay it on an anvil and use a cross peen hammer on the bottom of the tang crossways.  I have extended a lot of them that way. If you keep the top on a smooth surface it will not mar it up much at all. you probably won't need to heat it.

[Dennis Glazener]

Move the barrel back like mentioned even if you have inletted the tang. You mentioned chisel point so I assume the tang is probably straight toward the breech or maybe slightly curved. I feel sure you can forge out the width of the tang to make it fit the inlet.

Come to think of it I suspect you can forge the tang out enough to fill the 1/8" gap without moving the barrel back. I usually gain over a 1/2" when I forge out a fantail tang to make a pointed tang. I usually do it hot and on an anvil, but have done it cold. Remember, especially with a pointed tang, you need to have a little gap between the end of the tang and the wood in case the barrel moves rearward in recoil.

*see Jerry beat me to it while I was typing*
Dennis

[Dennis Glazener]

Sure you can have it welded but I hate to do that since the weld is hard to file and usually shows a different color when finished.
Dennis

[David Rase]

I concur with Jerry Huddleston, stretch the tang length with a cross peen hammer and an anvil or heavy smooth steel plate.  If the tang starts to go to one side or the other, immediately correct the deviation and then keep on hammering.  The tang length will be straight as long as you use level blows.  If your blows are not even, bending will occur which is fine as long as you correct as you go.
David

[Uncle Alvah]

I like the hammer idea a lot. I don't have a cross peen but Amazon can fix that easily. The "bigger the better" hammer I'm guessing? I have no way to heat it easily.

[Dennis Glazener]

You don't need to buy a cross peen hammer for just this one time. If you have a short piece of drill rod or some other fairly hard steel you can lay that across the tang and have at it with a large hammer (get someone to help you, you might need three hands ). More than likely that tang is made out of 12L14 and is pretty soft. It should only take a few whacks for an 1/8".
Dennis

[PPatch]

Move the barrel back like mentioned even if you have inletted the tang. You mentioned chisel point so I assume the tang is probably straight toward the breech or maybe slightly curved. I feel sure you can forge out the width of the tang to make it fit the inlet.

Come to think of it I suspect you can forge the tang out enough to fill the 1/8" gap without moving the barrel back. I usually gain over a 1/2" when I forge out a fantail tang to make a pointed tang. I usually do it hot and on an anvil, but have done it cold. Remember, especially with a pointed tang, you need to have a little gap between the end of the tang and the wood in case the barrel moves rearward in recoil.

*see Jerry beat me to it while I was typing*
Dennis

Dennis; his tang is just like it came from Jason, squared off at the end.

Alvah; Any time you are inletting on a curved surface you must begin at one end and go to the other. A tang is the same, start the hole where the tang meets the barrel and inlet it down and back, note that you will want to have bent it before starting or very soon afterwards. As you move rearward slowly remove wood further toward the tail of the tang, use inletting black to tell you when it is time to remove a little more wood under the tang. Soon enough you will come to the end, at this point be very careful cutting in and lowering the tang to its final position because that position of the end of the tang will be forward of where you think it will be.


You are going to have the same deal when you go to inlet the trigger bar - But first know this: where that bar is positioned, front to back, is critical to the success of your gun, it must be exactly right in order for the double-set triggers to work properly.

First, just as with anything you intend to inlet, file a draft on each end (and the sides too) at something like three degrees, perhaps a bit less. Mark your centerline on the underside of the stock, center the bar and begin inletting the bar at the end towards the muzzle and inlet it down going toward the butt. Again be careful of where you cut in at butt end of the bar. In the photo below you see the trigger bar inlet but the end toward the butt of the gun not yet cut in.



In this last photo the end is cut in and almost down were it should be.



dave

[rich pierce]

Regarding moving the barrel back- if working with a pre-carved stock  with a lock inlet this may complicate things.

[PPatch]

Regarding moving the barrel back- if working with a pre-carved stock  with a lock inlet this may complicate things.

He is working from a blank, the lock not inlet as yet.

dave

[Don Stith]

Is the tang bent and fully inlet ? My experience is different than PPatch
  As the tang goes down it tends to go backward beyond where you expect it to be
  I agree with him on a long trigger bar shortening as it drops into place
  Welding  a piece of soft mechanics wire in place is an easy way to make the piece longer if needed

[Uncle Alvah]

The stock was carved, barrel channel cut and ramrod hole drilled. No lock mortise at this point.

[elkhorne]

It would help all with the best advice for you if you could show a photo or two to get a feel for your situation. Just an idea, a picture is always worth a thousand words - or more!
elkhorne

[Mike Brooks]

The stock was carved, barrel channel cut and ramrod hole drilled. No lock mortise at this point.

So, you completely inletted the barrel and tang and you ended up short? They are all short when you start inletting, they seem to grow longer as you go down.

[Uncle Alvah]

if you could show a photo or two to get a feel for your situation.

Good idea of course. I'll take one in a few minutes when I'm out in the shop.

[Uncle Alvah]

Go easy on me now, I'm just a kid of 64. 




I'm thinking also I may well be able to deal with a sawdust patch. No glue mix, just dust with a couple drop of Tru-Oil to "seal" it in place. Done with considerably more care than this one of course.

[PPatch]

Don't you move an inch - You need to first file a draft on that tang before going any further. Good job extending it.

dave

[Dennis Glazener]

Please don't use the sawdust. I have no doubt that you can forge that tang out plenty to fit that mortise.
Dennis

[Uncle Alvah]

You need to first file a draft

?

[PPatch]

You need to first file a draft

?

\_____/ <-------- This, but not such a steep angle.

Draft, chamfer, a slight angle from bottom to top, the top being the larger area. The angle is very slight, about two or three degrees. In other words do not leave the metal square sided, file it so there is an upward slope from the bottom to the top, approach the top slowly and try and not take any off the top. IF, you have already inlet the sides of the tang with the metal not having a draft you are committed, don't file the sides. Only file a draft at the end of your newly extended tang.

Every inlay gets this treatment.

dave

ADD: This photo is of a wood inlay, a worm hole repair, but you can see the slight draft on both ends of it.

[Uncle Alvah]

The sides of the tang are slightly beveled, came that way. I have never checked to see if the end is as well, but I would suspect it is. I'll look at that.
.
 

[jerrywh]

 If you won't take advise from the builders on this forum , why do you even bother to ask?? Just do what ever you want.