Author Topic: Forging a John Bull butt plate  (Read 2352 times)

Offline bama

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Forging a John Bull butt plate
« on: March 14, 2018, 11:32:50 PM »
Paul McDonald is building a copy of my John Bull rifle in my class down here in Alabama. This is Paul's first time forging a butt plate and he did a pretty good job of it. Here are a few pictures of Paul forging the two pieces for the butt plate.











Jim Parker

"An Honest Man is worth his weight in Gold"

Offline smylee grouch

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2018, 12:38:49 AM »
From here it looks like he did a neat job of it. Congrats. to both student and teacher.

Offline Elnathan

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2018, 01:39:35 AM »
Bama,

What is he using for the barrel? The original is pretty different from what is readily available today.
A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition -  Rudyard Kipling

Offline bama

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2018, 03:12:31 AM »
Elnathan

Paul had Jason with Rice barrels make a copy of my original barrel. It is a big barrel, 48" long and heavy, in 54 cal.

Jim
Jim Parker

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Offline Cades Cove Fiddler

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2018, 03:38:24 AM »
 :o :o :o... Great job of forgeing ,... Jim,... I would be interested if you ever have a class on forgeing trigger-guards, butt-plates and cigar-shaped iron patch-boxes,... !!!... I've watched your YouTube video and would appreciate a "hands-on" class ... keep posting pix,.... these guys are doing GREAT,...... Thanx,.... CCF ...

Offline oldtravler61

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2018, 03:58:02 AM »
  Jim Ill second what CCF said. Straight Tennessee gun class. Start to finish.
Nothin like hand forged hardware....thank for showing Jim

Offline QuanLoi

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2018, 04:03:20 AM »
Question... How did you get the wood area of the butt stock profiled so cleanly?  When I inlet a butt plate I use chisels and although the end result looks good, under the plate itself it's pretty rough..  And it takes me FOREVER to inlet the butt plate.  Also, how do you transfer the arc of the plate to the wood with such accuracy?                           

Offline bama

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2018, 05:17:55 AM »
I was a little Leary about doing a class from a blank because I was afraid that the students would not get far enough along to be able to finish at home. This class has changed my mind about a class starting from a blank and will offer it again next year. You guys think about which original southern maker you would like to build and I will see if we can a rifle for the class to copy.

QuanLol, believe it or not that initial cut was done on my band saw and in the picture the band saw cut had just been cleaned up with a no. 50 Nickelson rasp.
Jim Parker

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Offline Carl Young

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2018, 05:25:00 AM »
Cool stuff Jim! Nothing like the smell of hot iron and burning coal on a cool Alabama day. I do think you have a little work to do on historically correct costume for the job... ;D



Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses. -Juvenal

Offline bama

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2018, 05:49:32 AM »
Carl, I am a might shy and I think I  maybe don't have enough backside to pull that outfit off. I suffer from that dreaded disease "No a$$ at all".  8)
Jim Parker

"An Honest Man is worth his weight in Gold"

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2018, 06:31:17 PM »
I have what might be a dumb question. I acquired the lock and furniture ( less the trigger guard) from a SMR that had been through a house fire. The parts were’nt warped, and the springs were still good in the Golcher lock, and set triggers. The buttplate is a thing of beauty formed in one piece, with a narrow (wasp waist) that kept the part attached to each other during brazing process. This buttplate literally has no flat surfaces. They are all gracefully contoured. I see many modern SMR buttplates that are quite flat. Is this buttplate an oddity, or were a lot of them made like mine?

  Hungry Horse

Offline bama

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Re: Forging a John Bull butt plate
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2018, 10:35:33 PM »
HH if you could post a picture of your butt plate it would help.
Jim Parker

"An Honest Man is worth his weight in Gold"