2020 Kibler Kit Class with Mike Brooks at the NMLRA | Update Thread

[Yazel.xring]

Good morning everyone! At 8am at the NMLRA Education Center in Friendship, Indiana, students arrived and began setting up for Mike Brooks' Kibler Kit Assembly Class. We've got 8 students here this week, all of various skill levels building a new rifles.

I wanted to share some photos and updates through the week in this thread, I hope you enjoy. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Day 1 Morning:

Students are working to finish the inletting of their barrels. The Kibler Kits are a tight fit, but require some final carving at the breech to get everything flush. After about an hour everyone' breech is fit and students are adding barrel lugs. Students had a choice of the Kibler Colonial and the Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle Kit. We can't thank Kibler Longrifles enough for working to ensure these students had the necessary kits before the class started, especially in such a busy time.

[EC121]

Great picture.  Looks like Mike is getting some work out of his assistant instructor.

[Yazel.xring]

Great picture.  Looks like Mike is getting some work out of his assistant instructor.

He certainly is! They are both going to wear out their shoes running around the room!

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... Thanx for the coverage on these classes,... got a couple fellows who know their stuff teaching,... !!! ...if Wayne's daughter shows up with paint & brush, just step back and watch,... !!!... Have fun, fellows,... !!!... regards to all,... CCF

[Bob McBride]

That is one attentive student Wayne has there.


Awesome pics. Wish I could’ve made it up this year.

[Yazel.xring]

A shot of Mike Brooks here






As of writing, just about everyone is onto setting their hardware. I've talked with Jim but have never seen the kits in person, it's super neat seeing them come together. Students were worried it would be too easy after the minimal amount of barrel work, but the buttplates and side plates are keeping them busy!

Mike and Wayne are encouraging everyone to get the parts on and set today so they can focus on the carving, engraving and getting a nice finish for the rest of the week.

[flinchrocket]

Anyone had to pull weeds yet?

[Yazel.xring]

That is one attentive student Wayne has there.


Awesome pics. Wish I could’ve made it up this year.

Hopefully the world is in a better place next year Bob, would love to meet up.

[Yazel.xring]

We will be just about ready to shoot by dinner time at this rate! Students are finishing up their patch boxes and fitting their ramrod pipes now, soon they’ll be fitting their locks and draw filing their barrels.

It’s wonderful to chat with each student about their connection with muzzleloading. 6/8 are building their first muzzleloader. Some are accomplishing retirement goals, others connecting with family history, and one is seeking to add some challenge to squirrel hunting season.

These might all start as the same kits, but they are influenced by the builder and their history just as any muzzleloader is.

[Bob McBride]

That is one attentive student Wayne has there.


Awesome pics. Wish I could’ve made it up this year.

Hopefully the world is in a better place next year Bob, would love to meet up.

Definitely Ethan. Looking forward to it.

[Yazel.xring]

Here’s a shot of the student’s longrifles at the end of day 1 of the Kibler Kit Assembly class with Mike Brooks.

We wrapped up just before 5pm this evening, both the students and instructors were losing the high of the first day excitement.

We’re gathered back in the Education Center for a presentation of high quality photographs of original flintlocks to take inspiration from as they complete assembly and begin finishing.

[Curtis]

It's good to see what is going on with the class!  Thanks for posting.  Looks like a good time for all.


Curtis

[Yazel.xring]

Day 2 of the Kibler Kit Assembly class with Mike Brooks is well underway.

Mike spent part of the morning helping a student modify the Colonial Kit to include a set trigger, while Wayne showed others the delicate techinique of draw filing.

We’re getting ready for “lock disassembly 101” now. Later this afternoon, some students will begin sanding their stocks and drawing out their carving details, while others are preparing to begin “rusting” their mountain rifle hardware.

[Yazel.xring]

Yesterday, Wayne showed us a neat way to add some character to the cheek piece. He completed this in 18 minutes and it looks great.

[snapper]

Looking good!

Ethan, keep an eye on those two guys for me.

Fleener

[Jim Kibler]

Thanks for all the updates and pictures.  Looks like everyone is doing a great job! 

Jim

[Panzerschwein]

Awesome, looks like a groovy time!

I am eagerly awaiting my Kibler’s SMR kit in cherry’s wood.

[rich pierce]

I bet these guys learn more in a few days than I did for years on my own.

[Mike Lyons]

Is Mike cranking Rob Zombie while he teaches?  Both of those guys are two of the best I’ve had the pleasure to meet.

[Bill Raby]

Great to see you here Ethan!

[Yazel.xring]

Students are practicing carving this morning on some extra stocks before they begin cutting on their proper Kibler stocks. Others are finishing up the whiskering process, and more are giving their hardware a nice filed and sanded finish. We had a couple accidents yesterday, but Mike and Wayne stepped in cool as cucumbers and saved the day. It was neat to watch, as I'm sure I'd mess up the same, and now know how to fix it!

[Yazel.xring]

Awesome, looks like a groovy time!

I am eagerly awaiting my Kibler’s SMR kit in cherry’s wood.

Oh boy, I bet it looks real good in cherry!

[Yazel.xring]

With two of the southern mountain rifle kits ready to stain, Mike Brooks took some time to engrave the names of each builder into the top of the barrel, as is traditionally done with longrifles.

These students are now experimenting with metal finish as they use two different browning techniques while their stocks soak up more tung oil.
Students building the Colonial Kit are adding a finish to their brass hardware and penciling out the carving for their stocks.




















The stained Souther Mountain Kits both opted for Kibler's Iron Nitrate finish with a yellow undercoat. They have diverged now in browning techniques, it will be neat to watch these develop over the coming days.

One student, assembling the colonial kit, is focusing more on the finishing and carving of his stock. This is the 3rd or 4th rifle he's built but hasn't been happy with carving before. After practicing yesterday and this morning, he's moved onto his final stock and it's coming along nicely!

We're at the halfway point of the class and Wayne brought out some of his favorite cookies to boost morale as we head into the 2nd half.

[Tim Crosby]

  @!*% that looks like a Great time, like icing on the cake. I can see these classes going on for a long time. Thanks for the Pix.

     Tim C.

 

[Yazel.xring]

With one day left, students are hustling to finish the final major additions of carving, stain, and hardware finishing to their rifles. You can put these together in about a day, but the pretty work does take time. Students opting to brown their hardware are moving back and forth between their bench and outside as they apply continuous coats of finish. Colonial kit students are finishing carving and beginning preperation for stain. “Doc” is adding tung oil to his rifle already. He upgraded to a very nice piece of curly maple and it was well worth the extra cost, the rifle is beautiful.

In more happy news, we had a stock fracture on an old break and the patch set last night, the student is moving on to sanding and finishing now! I joked that I would have been very distraught and probably would have thrown the wood in the fire in frustration, but he showed me the curl on his cheek piece and it is going to be another beauty, well worth the work of saving it.