Hawken-esque Plains Rifle Build

[Curtis]

It's been a while since my last post, so let's get on with the next one!  When I get ready to inlet barrel wedge escutcheons I like to mark the back of each one with it's location and orientation.  Even if they start out nearly identical there will be subtle or stronger differences if there is any filework done to them after inletting.  I used to mark them on the back with a permanent marker, however during the metal finishing phase the marks tend to disappear, so now I prefer to engrave the markings.  I also keep track of the screw locations whenever they are removed, often sticking then in a piece of cardboard or foam with numbers or labels written on it.



I file a slight draft on the inlay, position it in place with the barrel wedge, and scribe around it while holding it securely in place, and mark my screw hole centers with the scribe. 







Next I stab in the the scribed lines - as T*O*F mentioned earlier, you can feel the tool drop right into the scribed line.  Then I start removing wood...







Getting closer:





The back of the inlay is darkened with inlet black, smoke, or whatever you prefer and wood is removed where the dark transfers until the inlay is all the way down.  Then I like to make a pilot hole with a tiny bit in a pin vise and screw the escutcheon down.  In my experience, with these inlays you don't really know how it fits until it is crewed down - even if you tap it into place.  I use some smaller try screws on this inlay, but later decided it was of no real benefit so dropped that step.





A bit of filework and it is done (except for replacing those try-screws).



The next one I did basically the same way, except I used one of Tom Snyder's excellent wire inlay tools to stab in the scribed line.







The try screws were replaced with the permanent screws, the screws were timed, then filed to fit the countersinks.





Moving on to the next side, I stuck with the wire inlay tool, as I can stab in deeper with it with the same effort.  As you can see, some of the screws they sent me had larger heads than the others... since I didn't order any extra screws, I was stuck with making them work - so I deepened the slots and filed them like the others once in place.



Once the heads were filed, and the inlays draw filed the screws all look the same.





That's it for inletting the barrel wedge escutchens! 

Curtis

[Steeltrap]

Very nice work!

When I was installing mine I used 4 colored markers and marked the back. As long as I didn't lose the paper that said what color went where....all was good!! I also installed captive pins so I wouldn't lose them. Because I used very small escutchens I used small nails, peened them in the countersink, and filed them flush. Also a dab of epoxy just to be sure they stayed put!!

[flatsguide]

Curtis, I made a small tool it’s nothing but an adjustable depth scraper. It has a short section of 1/16 or 3/32 diameter music wire for the scrape part and aluminum with a locking screw to set the desired depth. I don’t set it initially for the full depth of cut but just incrementally til the desired depth is reached. Have not used it on curvered surfaces only flat.

[Curtis]

Steeltrap, I did something similar with hashmarks ( I, II, III, IIII) on the back of the escutcheons on my last rifle.  I had the parts out of the gun when I went to Florida for a couple of months... and forgot whether the first mark started on the left or the right.   

I will ad capture pins for the wedges the next time I have the escutcheons out of the rifle.

Richard, that scraper looks pretty handy.  It should work fine for small inlays on a curved surface if you pay attention to the angle of the scraper.

Curtis

[Curtis]

Now it's time for the Elephant in the Closet!

I kept this to myself until now, but when I drilled my ramrod hole I had a nasty breakthrough on the left lockpanel side.  I didn't mention it earlier because I was really steamed and not in the mood to fix it right away.  Well, the time has come to banish the elephant. See the breakthrough below:





I posted a tutorial for a similar repair back in 2013, which can be found here:  https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=25674.0

The repair in the above linked post was a bit simpler because the ramrod hole was centered in the barrel channel, the breakthrough on this project involves both the bottom and part of the sidewall of the barrel channel...  how I avoided it blowing out of the side of the lockpanel I can only guess.  I was very careful when I drilled the hole but alas the bit wandered despite all my cautions.

I always save my stock blank cutoffs in case I need wood for some type of repair, and I try to label where the scrap was cut from as it can get a bit iffy figuring out what piece came from where several months down the road - and wood from near the area of the repair will help the repair match the surrounding wood.  So after locating a cutoff from near the barrel channel, I mark out a rectangle of wood with a matching orientation and cut it from the scrap.





In order for the piece to sit level in the channel I file a proper angle on one corner of the wood.  A chunk of barrel I sliced off a junk barrel to make a scraper from worked nicely as a template to create the angle.







In the above mentioned tutorial, I cut a hole in the barrel channel and made a block to fit the hole.  Doing a number of repairs and restorations over the years, I have found it much easier to cut an adequately sized block of wood, and scribe around it - treating it like any other inlay, including filing a very slight taper on the bottom if the wood. 
 


Then I stab in the outlines and start removing some wood!  On the side of the barrel channel I had to pare some of the wood away in order to prevent tear-outs due to misbehaving grain.









Next I gouged out some wood in the ramrod hole to deepen it, then I mad a scraper from a steel rod similar to one Eric Krewson had posted here years ago, and did some scraping.









I found If I put pressure on a dowel while pulling the scraper I could get a deeper cut.



Next, after scraping the hole until it was large enough, I pushed a ball file down the ramrod hole and filed away!  (the ball was too large to fit directly down the hole in the barrel channel)





Finally it's time to fit the wood block.  I use old fashioned carbon paper to mark the interferences, much like one would use smoke or inlet black on a normal inlay.  It helps to tap the wood in place using another block to even the blows:











Fit and repeat, fit and repeat, etc. until it fits nicely all the way down, paint the touching surfaces with dark glue, and clamp firmly in place overnight.





That's it for now,

Curtis.

[Curtis]

The Elephant in the Closet Part 2:

The patch now appears to be glued firmly in place!





When taking off wood and working up to a square edge I like to remove significant portions of wood at the squared edges in order to help prevent large chip-outs.  I then get fairly aggressive at the wood removal process.





Here is a perfect example why one should work down the sharp corners of square edges - you got it, I forgot to just that very thing and had a big chip-out that I had to glue back in place before I could continue.  You can see some of the darker glue lines in this pic.  Fortunately it was easy to recover an glue back in.



Also I saved some of the nicer chips for a while in case I had something else in the area that needed fixing.



Getting closer... I do some chisel work, then move on to using a Tom Snyder barrel channel plane:





Looking better-



So I start scraping with several tools, including chisels and home-made octagon barrel channel scrapers.











I mark the high spots with a sharpie-colored straightedge and scrape some more, then blacken the barrel and start the fitting process.







After a number of sessions of blackening, fitting, and scraping I'm finished with the repair!  If I choose to glass bed the barrel (like Dave Pearson does) or even just stain the barrel channel the repair will pretty much just disappear.





Thanks for looking,
Curtis

[Steeltrap]

 

[flatsguide]

“ It’s not a mistake if you can fix it” RM.
Nice save Curtis.
Cheers Richard

[J.D.]

Excellent work. IMHO, a step above "in a workman like manner."

[Curtis]

Thanks guys!

“ It’s not a mistake if you can fix it” RM.
Nice save Curtis.
Cheers Richard

Mistakes??  What mistakes, I don't see no mistakes!   

Curtis

[Curtis]

Time to get rid of the temporary screws in the buttplate.  I took out one and replaced it, then repeated the process with the other.  Once the temp screw is removed, I used a gimlet to enlarge and deepen the hole.



Then I rub the screw on a bit of beeswax or paraffin to lubricate the threads:



And install the new screw.





I have a torque driver that once belonged to the U.S. armory or ordinance dept. It is essentially a Stanley corner drill repurposed and stamped.  It does and amazing job of tightening or loosening tight screws without buggering the screw head, due to the pressure that can be maintained on the crew while turning it.  It is perfect for screws that really need cranked tight such as on the buttplate.







The new screws are then filed down, and the the buttplate is filed and sanded smooth and bright.









That's all for the time being,
Curtis

[Steeltrap]

Very nice!!

[Curtis]

Thanks Steeltrap!

The next thing I address is pretty minor but will greatly impact the appearance of the rifle.  See the circled area on the lockplate and the small portion marked up in blue - this area needs filed down so it "flows" with the lock panel.



I stick the lock in a padded vice and start filing...



I reinstall the lock and check my progress:



Once I have it filed to my liking I refine the lock panel a bit:



And in my opinion the lines of the lock and panel now flow together much nicer!





Next installment - The Patchbox.

Thanks for looking,
Curtis

[Steeltrap]

Tiny details all add up!

[reddogge]

Nice job with the lock bolster shaping. I believe the Hawkens did the same thing. It's something I look for in builds.

[J.D.]

Excellent. I learn something from every series of photos and commentary.

[Enfield]

I really enjoyed reading and watching this "documentation". Great work and very, very inspiring for me.
The picture of "how a project usually goes" showed exactly where I am right now.... at the very deepest spot of frustration... but you report gave me new power. Thank you very much und double respect to your work and skillset!!!

[Curtis]

It's great to see your comments fellows, I'm happy to hear some of you are getting beneficial information from the postings.

Reddogge, you are correct, a number of original Hawken rifles display that feature. 

Enfield, once you can get past the frustration moving forward or fixing a seemingly overwhelming problem can turn into a fun and rewarding challenge.  Sometimes it pays to regroup and contemplate, but never give up!

Curtis

[Curtis]

Installing the Patchbox

First off, I want to mention that the Digital SLR camera that I have been using since I began posting here on ALR many years ago has been dying a slow, cantankerous death.      I have been struggling along with a couple of older digital cameras and a cell phone, and thus many of the photos in this section are of inferior quality  - so I would like apologize in advance!

Normally I use a capbox on a plains style rifle, however I decided to go with a patchbox in this case, and settled on one like the box on the Medina Hawken.  I have used commercial cap boxes before, however this my first experience with a commercial patchbox as I have always made them from scratch.  The quality of this box (purchased from MBS) seems to be quite good and it is of substantial construction (.050 steel).

Here is a photo of the Medina patchbox:



The box laid in position on the stock:



The box has a cam soldered in place, so in order to get the door and finial to lay on the stock I need to excavate for the cam and hinge in the area marked in red.









I like the Medina box, however I wanted a "keyhole" piercing on the finial similar to another Hawken box.  Here are a couple of photos of the keyhole box while comparing proportions of the piercing to other features on the box to give me an idea of the size of the hole:









So I take the caliper readings and use them to layout my keyhole piercing, then adjust it until I like what I see:



Then drill a couple of access holes and start sawing out the piercing:









In order to put some curvature on the finial to conform reasonably to the shape of the stock I put it in a home made wooden swage and pound on it a bit, as well as a couple of other tricks:













As with any inlay, a draft is filed on the outside of the finial as well as the piercing.  In my experience, a piercing that is to be inlet into a curved surface must have a SIGNIFICANT DRAFT filed on it to prevent unsightly gaps that will make a fellow cuss and swear!







Once that is accomplished, I carefully align the box, clamp it firmly in place and scribe around the outside of the finial and inside the piercing. 







The scribed lines are stabbed in just as any other inlay, the the wood removal process begins.  When dealing with piercings, I like to mark in pencil the areas that wood will be removed - I have known of people who accidentally excavated the piercing!!!  I haven't done that (yet) but I like to take that simple precaution in order to avoid having to fix such a problem! 







Once you get it all worked down a bit it is time for the first fitting.  A horn mallet is nice for this as it is light and non-marring but will still tap the inlay in place quite nicely.



Once it is close to down I install some try screws, blacken the interior of the finial and check for fit.







I think that is a great place to stop for now - thanks for looking!

Curtis

[Curtis]

Installing the Patchbox Continued:

I should have mentioned at the beginning of my previous post that I am largely self taught in the process of installing a patchbox - and that said, the method I am showing is what has worked well for me in the past.

Now that the finial is inlet, I mark the outside edges of the door and begin to excavate the patchbox cavity.  My favorite brace-bit suffered a broken point the last time I used it:



So I use it's modern counterpart to bore the holes for the cavity.



The holes are bored, and I placed the door spring on the inlet to give myself a visual of it's position.



Then with a chisel and shallow gouge I cut between the bored holes to create the cavity walls.





and scrape the bottom flat with a sharp, wide chisel.





I mark the underside of the door where it will meet the buttplate, then give it some extra room for fitting and saw off the excess.





It's time for the buttplate to come off temporarily.



I scribe the edges of the lid, stab them in, then shave off 30 thousandths or so to bring the door down some with a tool I use for wooden patchboxes:







And also use a flat face scraper fashioned from an inexpensive chisel to remove a little more of the "shelf" and level thing out.  The second photo below shows two different sizes that I use:







Next I make a concave curved face block using a gouge and a plane in order to help shape the side panels:





and use a scrap buttstock as a form and pound a curve into the side panels:



Now it's time to shorten and prep the side panels.  As the panels are inlet into a curved surface I put a significant draft on the piercings also.  When I shorten the panels I try to leave some extra at the bottom for file fitting later.









The panels are drilled for try screws, set in place and fastened tightly to the stock, and then scribed on the outside edges and in the piercings.



The scribed lines are stabbed in, the I begin to remove wood in the appropriate places.








You can see below where I blackened the bottom of the panels and installed them to mark the high spots.





More to come later, thanks for looking!
Curtis

[Steeltrap]

Lots of very fine work you have done!

[bluenoser]

Curtis,
I admire the quality of your work and appreciate your taking the time to document it so thoroughly.  I have picked up on a number of tidbits of information and am especially intrigued by your specialty tool for inletting patch boxes.  I would never have thought of making a combination safe-sided 3-cornered file/chisel and will now have to add a new tool to the arsenal.
A big thank you!

[Curtis]

Thanks Steeltrap and Bluenoser! 

Bluenoser, I am happy to hear you are getting some useful info from the thread, that is what is all about.  I learned about the three corner file/chisel from Jack Brooks in one of his classes, and Jack said he learned about it from a former student long ago.  So when you get the opportunity, pass the knowledge on to someone else!

I made three different sizes of the tool, they are handy for cutting patchbox dovetails in the stock as well as a on a box lid.  you just chisel, rotate the tool and file, and so on until before you know it you have a nice dovetail.  Below are a few pics to help demonstrate:













Curtis

[flatsguide]

Hi Curtis, I’m enjoying seeing your work. I’m a tool junkie and your screw driver brace looks cool and probably works as good as it looks. Thanks for the three square file tip.
Cheers Richard

[Curtis]

Installing the Patchbox Continued:

As careful as I was when cutting the bottom side plate, I managed to waver my saw cut a bit too much and had a couple of short spots where it will meet the buttplate.  In the spirit of demonstrating how to fix a problem when it occurs, the simple fix was to peen the base of the plate in order to stretch the metal a few thousandths.  A few moments of careful peening and problem solved!





I continue to blacken the underside of the panels, fit, remove the high spots, check the lid to side panel fit, file a bit on the panels or lid and repeat.  I had one lobe on the upper side panel that refused to lay down all the way - the simple fix was to give it a tweak with smooth jaw pliers.  That did the trick!







Now I replace the buttplate, mark the edges if the lid, and file a notch for the lid, and fine tune the fit. Then I remove the butt plate and proceed with the side panels.



Once the panels are down all the way, I carefully file the bottom of the plates to match the curve of the butt.  Check the fit with the buttplate, file a bit more, repeat until it all fits together.  I use progressively finer files as I get closer to fitted.



Replace the buttplate and check the lid fit.  I will install the latch spring before I file the lid to fit the buttplate. The hash-marks circled in blue on the side panel are flagged for a little more filing and fitting.





I position the spring where I think it will go, mark the area and start removing wood.













After replacing the finial and lid to check the spring operation, I find I need to move the spring forward a 16^th of an inch or so.  I cut a small piece of stock wood to plug the original screw hole, use a toothpick to put glue in the hole, and tap the plug in place with a punch.  Last I cut the plug flush and re-position the spring.







At last we have a good fit and smooth operation!







Now it's time to file the lid to match the buttplate.  I lightly clamped the lid to reduce chatter.





Lastly, I carefully file the box for to a near perfect fit to the stock, and draw file box and the screws.  I also added a "thumbnail notch" on the buttplate for a place to lift the lid.









And that's all for the box!  The first time I remove the screws I will case-harden them.

Curtis