Lock inlet and ramrod hole

[Uncle Alvah]

I was removing a bit of wood to allow clearance in the lock inlet for the forward part of the mainspring, the portion right at the bend. In the process of doing so, I have exposed a small part of the ramhole. I took the pic with a steel rod in the ramrod hole to show up the break through better. This opening is about 1-1/2" up from the end of the RR hole. My first build.
Figured best stop and get some advice on how to deal with this. Opinions and advice  welcome, and appreciated.

[FlintFan]

You don't really need to do anything.  While not ideal, it doesn't really hurt anything. That is, if the mainspring itself doesn't interfere with the ramrod.  If it does, things get a little more complicated.

The only thing I would check after a day of shooting is to pull the lock off when you clean the gun and make sure no gunk has been pushed into the lock mortise from the ramrod hole. 

[Dennis Glazener]

I agree, if you start to get stuff inside the lock mortise you can put up with it and clean it out when needed, or you could glue a cut a small piece of wood to fit the hole then glue it in place to keep the trash out.

Dennis

[Herb]

If the lock is properly inletted and the mainspring protrudes into the rod hole, you can carefully grind off the side of the mainspsring.  An alternative is to use a scraper and move the rod hole away from the lock side.

[PPatch]

Well Master Alvah you've encountered most of the known oooops with your first build. By the next one you'll know how to handle just about everything. A good learning experience imo, keep going. 

dave

[Mike Brooks]

Not a big deal. I'd worry more about sharpening up your chisels, your work looks it was done with an improperly sharpened tool.

[mikeyfirelock]

I have done the same thing.   My fix was to get a piece of rod slightly smaller than the ramrod,hole, bend one end 90 degrees to use as a handle, and put a slight bend several inches from the other end, just enough that the rod could be inserted in the ramrod hole.  Then I sharpened that end  (actually more of a bevel ) and used it to enlarge the bottom of the ramrod hole by inserting it, leveraging it against the side of the hole, and moving it back and forth so the sharpened end cut clearance inside the lock inlet.  (Did that make sense?).  It’s slow, but it works like a charm.  Guess you’d call that a “Hoosier ramrod hole finishing drill.’

[B.Habermehl]

That's a real common issue. I never worried about it other than making sure the siamese inlets joined neatly. Normall tapering of the ramrod usually eliminates interference with the ramrod. BJH

[Uncle Alvah]

I'd worry more about sharpening up your chisels,

Man, I hear ya but I have to say I have expended time an money both on trying to "get the touch' at chisel sharpening. I have gotten better at it, I'm all the way up to "you suck" sharpening rating. I am currently using the flat glass sharpening system. I have mostly Narex chisels hut I have two gouges from TOW, their Solingen chisels. They seem very sharp. I have two straight Soligens on order. I'll get this yet!

[ltdann]

I'd worry more about sharpening up your chisels,

I'm all the way up to "you suck" sharpening rating. I

Been there!  LOL, that comment made my day.

Keep after it, one day it'll just click

[brokenflint]

try the pfeil chisels, from woodcraft here in the states.  I think the consensus here is they are one of the best.  tinker with them a bit to learn how they cut before you go full blown beaver!  Chisel prep is critical to clean cuts.  flatten the backs (flat chisels only  ) put on the bevel face, i like a micro bevel on the bevel face also, strop em.  Finally don't let anyone else touch em 

[TommyG]

and that includes all the other tools layin' around on your bench.  When I finish using the chisel, gouge, scraper or whatever, it either gets capped or put back in it's holder.  Same goes for files.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

If it were my project, I'd clean up that mess of inletting black.  I could not get accurate cuts with that mess, even with razor sharp chisels.  Scrapers made from saw blade steel or box cutter blades are easy to make and very effective.

[Uncle Alvah]

If it were my project, I'd clean up that mess of inletting black.  I could not get accurate cuts with that mess, even with razor sharp chisels.  Scrapers made from saw blade steel or box cutter blades are easy to make and very effective.

Good idea.
I have found I can get inletting black on myself simply walking past my bench.....

[Waksupi]

The poor boy I just finished had a worse interference than that. I'm more accustomed to seeing ramrod drills wander down, mine went up and out. At least it is a poor boy, as I got by with one lock bolt in the rear. I did use a scraper to give a bit more clearance on the inside, and tapered the ramrod for spring clearance. Using up orphan parts in the shop, this one has an old fowler lock on it, so has a pretty wide mainspring. I personally try to avoid narrowing tose.   

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

This phenomenon occurs when you use a skinny (at the breech) barrel).  I don't like any muzzleloader build that uses anything smaller than 15/16" across the flats, regardless of calibre.

[Stophel]

Chisels can be hollow ground and then honed, "heel and toe" rather like a razor.  Once you get the feel for the way it should be ground, it is far quicker, easier, and sharper than fooling around with trying to hone the entire flat surface, which can take forever and you'll probably end up with a convex surface, which, though it may still be "sharp", greatly reduces the utility of the chisel, since you can then only really cut on one side.

Basically done as the top line in this picture (ignore the bottom...  )

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Great illustration Chris.

[Gaeckle]

............... your work looks it was done with an improperly sharpened tool.

A common problem, that and poor quality chisels and the lack of knowing how to use them.

[Stophel]

Picture stolen from the internet.

That's how I've always sharpened my chisels.  I suppose my grandfather probably showed me how back when I was a kid.  I can grind the shape fairly quickly, then simply set it on an Arkansas stone with some oil, or even a finer carborundum stone, and easily hone it up in short order.  It is easy to rehone this way, as necessary.  Your honing angle is set by how it is ground, you just hold it against the stone at that angle.  You can rehone this several times before you end up scrubbing out all the hollow, and you'll end up with something that is probably like the bottom picture (or convex, which is effectively the same thing), and you can go this way for a while, but you lose the ability to rehone without regrinding (and it doesn't do very well trying to cut with the chisel upside down, which I have to do OFTEN because I can't get at the area to be cut by laying the chisel flat).

I'm not so good with gouges.  They can't be ground this way, of course, and it takes more care and diligence to sharpen them.