Mill filing the "Machine marks" from the barrel

[Justin]

I'm building my first rifle which is an Isaac Haines kit from Jim Chambers. I am following the Jim Turpin DVD that Chambers sells and in there, he mentions draw filing the "machine marks" out of the bottom 5 surfaces of the barrel with a fine mill file.

What exactly are "machine marks"? Since this is my first rifle, I am nervous about taking too much off when filing so I gave it a pretty light filing as I couldn't see many marks in the barrel and the (pretty minimal) instructions from Chambers don't mention that step.

Thanks,
- Justin

[greybeard]

Welcome!!  Google   Draw filing.   Lots of info you will need for your task at hand.  Bob

[Mike Brooks]

You don't need to do anything to the bottom 5 flats of the barrel.

[Lucky R A]

 Mike, how many fingers?  File the top five, ignore the bottom three. 

Justin, since you likely have a Rice barrel, there will likely be minimal machine marks.  Some other brands have many more machining marks.   It is unlikely you would take enough off the barrel to make the inletting sloppy..   Enjoy the project.

Ron

[Justin]

Mike, how many fingers?  File the top five, ignore the bottom three. 

Justin, since you likely have a Rice barrel, there will likely be minimal machine marks.  Some other brands have many more machining marks.   It is unlikely you would take enough off the barrel to make the inletting sloppy..   Enjoy the project.

It's a Buckeye Barrel supplied from their Chambers in-house barrel supplier but maybe that's the same as the Rice Barrel. Yeah, I don't see many marks. I'll just leave it alone then -- I took a few draws on each barrel but I was afraid of accidentally flattening the edges since it's a little tricky to keep the file perfectly flat.

Thanks! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions tonight 

[ltdann]

When draw filing barrel flats, I've found that putting layout dye ( https://www.amazon.com/Dykem-80300-Steel-Layout-Brush/dp/B0018ACR6G ) lets me keep track where I've filed.  Keep both hands on the file, close to the barrel and pull.  You know you're doing right when long fine slivers of steel come off.

If your like me, the barrel will get dinged up and you'll end up cleaning it up again just before finishing.

[Eric Kettenburg]

I never got the hang of "draw" filing i.e. pulling toward me.  I always push away from me.  Much faster and smoother, at least for me. 

 

btw, as mentioned above, don't waste your time on the bottom flats.  They're hidden.

[54ball]

Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr

[Chowmi]

Justin,
I recently draw filed a Rice barrel from Chambers.  It didn't need much, but it certainly did need some (more than a few strokes).  Run your fingernail across one of the flats.  On my barrel, I could feel the milling marks with my fingernail. 

If you intend to brown it, don't get super smooth and shiny.  The browning agent won't work well on a finely polished surface.  The browning will also cover up some of the scratches etc.

After draw filing, I went to about 220 grit sandpaper. Some guys can draw file better than me and don't need sandpaper afterwards.

I also rub children's sidewalk chalk on my file.  It acts as a release agent for the small metal filings you generate.  If they get stuck in the file teeth, they will drag a deep scratch in the metal.  Card your file (Brush it with a non-metal brush) often and re-apply chalk.

Cheers,
Norm

[Bill Raby]

Take it slow and have fun. This is not one of the steps where you are likely to do any major damage. The trick with the marker is a great idea. Once you get the hang of it you will be able to see exactly where the file is going from the way the light reflects off it. Filing the barrel is the easy part!

[Justin]

Great suggestions. I did buy some layout dye so that'd be perfect. Thanks folks!

[EC121]

While you are at it, file a bit of draft on the side flats to make it easier to remove the barrel.  Doesn't take much.

[Mike Brooks]

I'm a pusher as well. Just have good light so you can see what you're doing and you won't need any marker stuff on there. Sharp files are nice too.