Anyone Have Plans On How To Make A Barrel Channel Scraper?

[Tim Crosby]

 This add is in the Classified section:

 http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=46813.0

  It got me to thinking that somebody has to have made their own, in different sizes. I thought that I had seen a Tutorial on them some place.

  Thanks, Tim C.

[Hungry Horse]

 The only scraper  I ever made for octagon barrels was made from a spade bit the same size as the barrel ATF. I put the end of the barrel on the spade part of the corresponding size spade bit, and cut, and ground it to match the flats of the barrel. I then heated the bit up near the shank and bent it 90 degrees, flipped it over and bent the shank, so my hand would have clearance when scraping the channel. I put a handle on it and sharpened the edges. It works fine. It is quite handy for channels that have tight spots, or barrels that are a little bigger than stated.

  Hungry Horse

[Mike Brooks]

Can't be hard to make, but they are so cheap why not buy a ready made one?

[Fiftyfour]

I made some from old 10 inch files. Annealed them with an acetylene torch. Heated and bent the cutting edge down and the handled end up.
Ground the lower 3 of an octogon into the cutting edge and sharpened it. Then hardened it and hone it. I made several with safe sides.
As I had octogon to round barrels I also made round scrapers from files.  They work great.
I got the idea from a website detailing haw to build a Fowler.

[Mark Elliott]

I forged my octagon (actually only scrapes the bottom three flats) scraper and ramrod groove scraper out of old files when I was a kid.   That was a very long time ago.    I didn't know you could buy them.   I also bought an antique gunstocking plane (3/4" round) and made a octagon (half octagon) plane from an old moulding plane.   I don't use the octagon plane much.  I use  a gouge, then the 3/4" gunstocking plane, then the octagon scraper to get the octagon shape at the breech and muzzle. 

The octagon barrel channel scraper is approximately 3/4" wide and made from the bottom portion of an old file.   You of course have to anneal a file before you can cut and file it.  You could grind it, but you are going to have to heat it to bend the tang anyway.  The tang is bent a little less than 90 degrees.    The cutting edge is ground flat and perpendicular to the face of the scraper.   I sharpen it by grinding/honing the inside face of the scraper; the one that faces me when I pull it.  I have a large turned wooden handle on the scraper.   

Most file steel is 1095 or something close.    Oil harden it and temper to 550F or there abouts.   I probably tempered mine originally at a lower temperature (straw), but I would do it closer to 550F (purple) if I had to do it again.   It doesn't need to be so hard to cut wood.

Here is a picture of the scrapers I made as a kid.   I hope it helps.



 


free web hosting images

[Curtis]

The end of a barrel works well as a scraper, when sharpened.  A cutoff section can be mounted on a stick of wood and used as well.

Curtis

[elkhorne]

Jim Turpin in his video on building a Jim Chambers rifle, shows how to make and use an old file to make a barrel scraper and he uses a grinder to cut the octagon shape. He does not bend the the file after completion and holds it upright and pulls it towards him. Mine works very good, you just have to keep it sharp. Good luck.
elkhorne

[Curtis]

Here is a photo of using a sharpened double barrel as a scraper, it makes for a good example:



Curtis

[Fiftyfour]

Here are few of the barrel inletting scrapers I made from files. Round, octogon,flat and a real small flat.

[Mark Elliott]

I just saw this sitting on the window sill.   I forgot that I made a new barrel channel scraper for the last rifle.   It was made out of 1"x1/8" 1085 (spring steel).    One end is ground to 15/16" wide and the other end is ground to 13/16".   It is sized to make scraping the breech and muzzle easier as that is really all I fit to the barrel these days.   




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[Tim Crosby]

 Thanks for the ideas. TC

[retiredle]

The end of a barrel works well as a scraper, when sharpened.  A cutoff section can be mounted on a stick of wood and used as well.

Curtis

Hello Curtis,

This is my first post here, I located this forum from a google search about using a barrel for a scraper. While waiting approval I have been going over the site, and I wish I would have found this forum a few months ago. This build would have gone much smoother. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this site for sure!!! I cant wait to browse this site even more over the holiday weekend!!

I saw your later post with the picture, but I am just not understanding how you are sharpening a barrel to use as a scraper.

I am building an underhammer rifle from scratch (except for my barrel) based on an 1859 William Briggs design, and I have a 18" fore end to channel. I have it about 50% completed using scrapers, and the round barrel itself. I just chanced onto how the barrel itself will scrape by accident. The barrel is getting to where it is not scraping at all any more. I will ultimately need to shorten my barrel by 6 inches, and I thought about making a scraping tool out of the scrap potion of the barrel like you mentioned.

Would you please explain how the barrel is sharpened to make the scraper? Are you burnishing it somehow like a scraper?

Thank you in advance, and I am very appreciative to have located this forum.

Alan

[Mark Elliott]

When using a barrel as a scraper, you would polish the muzzle flat so that you have roughly a 90 degree edge.   A barrel is pretty soft and won't hold an edge very long.   With most of the barrel/ramrod channel scrapers shown here, you polish off the cutting face to sharpen the scraper.    A bur is only used on cabinet scrapers, if you sharpen that way.   I don't put a bur on my gun stock scrapers as they would have to be used at an awkward angle.   I just file/grind/polish a 90 degree edge.   You do need to scrape with the grain for a smooth finish.

[Curtis]

Hello retiredle,

Sorry, just now saw your post.  What Mark Elliott said about flattening the muzzle to give a 90 degree angle is spot on.  As Mark said barrels are mild steel, however if you get a good crisp edge it should last through  scraping a barrel channel or two before needing touchup.  I have even used a brass barrel as a scraper with good results, and both octagon and round barrels as scrapers.  I have even used the barrel I was in-letting as a scraper, but this can only be done wit a straight or tapered barrel, not a swamped barrel.

In order to sharpen (or flatten to create a sharp 90 degree shoulder) I have used several methods, from a belt sander, a disk sander, oil stones, and diamond stones.  I have a short cut off section of a rectangular barrel (about 2") that I mounted on a wood handle, basically just drove an appropriate sized stick into the bore.  I will try to post a pic of it after Christmas.

Curtis

[retiredle]

When using a barrel as a scraper, you would polish the muzzle flat so that you have roughly a 90 degree edge.   A barrel is pretty soft and won't hold an edge very long.   With most of the barrel/ramrod channel scrapers shown here, you polish off the cutting face to sharpen the scraper.    A bur is only used on cabinet scrapers, if you sharpen that way.   I don't put a bur on my gun stock scrapers as they would have to be used at an awkward angle.   I just file/grind/polish a 90 degree edge.   You do need to scrape with the grain for a smooth finish.

Thank you Mark!!

[retiredle]

Hello retiredle,

Sorry, just now saw your post.  What Mark Elliott said about flattening the muzzle to give a 90 degree angle is spot on.  As Mark said barrels are mild steel, however if you get a good crisp edge it should last through  scraping a barrel channel or two before needing touchup.  I have even used a brass barrel as a scraper with good results, and both octagon and round barrels as scrapers.  I have even used the barrel I was in-letting as a scraper, but this can only be done wit a straight or tapered barrel, not a swamped barrel.

In order to sharpen (or flatten to create a sharp 90 degree shoulder) I have used several methods, from a belt sander, a disk sander, oil stones, and diamond stones.  I have a short cut off section of a rectangular barrel (about 2") that I mounted on a wood handle, basically just drove an appropriate sized stick into the bore.  I will try to post a pic of it after Christmas.

Curtis

Curtis,

I would definitely appreciate a picture to ease my mind. I am using the barrel that is going on the project as the scraper. I am needing to shorten it, so I will make the tool you are sending a picture of.

Merry Christmas, and thank you again!!

[Curtis]

Retiredle, as you can see from the photos the tool is about as basic as you can get.  I is used by pushing it forward, and as with any scraper it will typically be grain sensitive.  For best results it should be slightly undersize of the channel you are scraping, you can file a few hundredths of material off the bottom five flats if needed.








Curtis

[retiredle]

Retiredle, as you can see from the photos the tool is about as basic as you can get.  I is used by pushing it forward, and as with any scraper it will typically be grain sensitive.  For best results it should be slightly undersize of the channel you are scraping, you can file a few hundredths of material off the bottom five flats if needed.








Curtis

Thank you Curtis!