Starting another...Its Done !!!!!

[Shovelbuck]

Since restoring/rebuilding my flint pistol, I've been thinking about building one from scratch. I mentioned it to my son and now he's been pushing me to do it. I've got a line on another "Bill Large" barrel and there's a dandy piece of Nebraska walnut sitting in the shop begging to be made into a stock.;) I'm not going to get in any big hurry on this project and since my son is pushing me, I plan on involving him in quite a bit of the build. At 27, it's time he figured out how to do some of these things.:way:
I had a bit of time today and decided to get the ramrod pipes made. I could have bought factory made for 20 bucks but for an hours work and some scrap sheet brass, they are done. Plus the satisfaction of building them is a bonus!
I'll probably make the trigger guard next.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCF0002-2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCF0004-2.jpg

[AZHunter]

This will be fun to watch!

[Hardcorehunter]

This will be fun to watch!

yea:way::way::way:

[blake]

You never cease to amaze me, this will be a fun watch. :grin:

[Shovelbuck]

Just don't be holding your breath guys. Although your encouragement helps move me forward, this is going to be a long process.

[Shovelbuck]

Built the trigger guard this morning from two pieces of brass stock. Final polishing will be done when it's mounted on the stock. This was a bit more time consuming than the ramrod tubes. Took about 2.5 hours.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCF00052.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCF00072.jpg

[AZHunter]

Just don't be holding your breath guys. Although your encouragement helps move me forward, this is going to be a long process.

The best things usually take longer, but are very much worth waiting for. This will be a great diversion from the long days back down here in Alabama!

[JakeWym]

http://www.forumsextreme.com/images/sHa_popcorn.gif

[DE2IA]

Can't wait to see this project step by step.....thanks for sharing. Cool stuff!!!

[Shovelbuck]

Well, I haven't built any parts lately but have dug up an ancient horse shoe that looks like I can make the sights from. More on that later.
I did do some trading last Saturday while at the memorial and picked up the Bill Large barrel.:way: This is also .45 cal. but is 8 inches long. Pretty much a rough barrel blank as it needs to be drilled and tapped for the breech plug. Nothing like brand new 40 year old stock !
While doing the swapping, I also picked up a nice green 4 point Hudson Bay blanket.
I got a collector barrel and blanket, and he got the Black Bow. We both came away happy campers.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCF0001.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCF0003-1.jpg

[Shovelbuck]

I messed around quite awhile building the sights from that old wrought iron horseshoe. When it came right down to it, I wasn't happy with the way they looked so I purchased some rough castings and just finished polishing them. I also picked up the breech plug and trigger assembly. Time to get the lock and cut the wood to rough shape.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCF0001-1.jpg

[Shovelbuck]

If anybody is still interested, here's the latest job that is now done on this build.
Fitting a breech plug can be a tedious and time consuming process. The depth of the thread and length of the breech plug have to be just perfect so the plug bottoms out against the shoulder of the bore at the same time the tang snugs up against the back of the barrel. All of that must also be aligned with the top flat. This can involve quite a bit of filing, test fitting. filing again, and it goes on.
I had my good friend...Earl E. November, chuck up the barrel in a quality lathe to cut the threads to depth. I had him do this as I don't trust the lathe I use for this kind of work as it's tail stock is wore out. I've got to say, Ken really nailed it! It only took about 10 file strokes on the aft end of the barrel and a slight filing on the end of the breech plug for it to tighten up and be indexed perfectly! I've got to say I never had one go easier. Thanks Ken!!!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/BreechPlugFit.jpg

Slow but sure it's moving along.

[hillrunner]

I love these posts, thanks for letting us watch.

[blake]

I am always interesting in your projects, you have talent my friend. Please keep posting those photos. :way:

[Earl E. November]

Glad I could help.

[bakkergreg]

That looks like a fun winter project

[Shovelbuck]

Here's the roughed to shape walnut stock.
I'm afraid that with winter being upon us and my shop being unheated, the inletting of the stock will have to wait until spring. I may have to look into a small vice to put down in the man cave that would allow me to work on this project through the winter.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1160.jpg
I still need to purchase the lock.

[blake]

Looks great, that is some good looking wood there. :)

[Shovelbuck]

Since this project began, I've been looking for a good deal on an L&R lock. It's been my experience with this brand that the older ones are better than the new. Finally found a good deal on a older Manton and received it today. Smooth and sparks great!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1252.jpg

[Shredder]

now this is old skool stuff right here...gonna be a great piece in the end Jay

[blake]

Nice looking lock, how long will it take you to inlet the wood and get the lock in place? :)

[Shovelbuck]

Nice looking lock, how long will it take you to inlet the wood and get the lock in place? :)

Probably 4 or 5 hours. Although I should say that while I do keep track of hours while doing a build, it's not a race for me. Whatever it takes for time, it takes.

[Shovelbuck]

I've built a lot of stuff through the years, from drag racing motors to guns, with everything in between, but never had one of these. I was going to need it for this pistol build so figured I'd bite the bullet. I can't believe I waited so long.
I'm sure I'll find plenty of other uses.:way:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DCP_3909.jpg

[JBAGS]

You got skills shovel!!! Very impressive

[Shovelbuck]

Sorry that I've been slacking on this build.:(
I've been needing to get to work on this project but instead have been sitting around feeling sorry for myself.:o The loss of use of my left thumb really has me down. A person just really doesn't realize how important it is until you can't use it. I was really trying to talk myself into selling the parts and not finishing this pistol as I figured holding a chisel was going to be about impossible. Well, I got up the nerve to try inletting the barrel today. It was a painful ordeal but it's in the stock.:way: Took about twice as long as it normally would but it sure gave me renewed confidence to keep building., and it got me off my butt!
The next step will be inletting the breech plug. Hopefully I'll get after it tomorrow.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1654.jpg

[Windwalker]

This is cool . You need to put this all together and write a book :) I'd buy the first copy !

[DannyBoy]

What happened to your thumb!? That sounds awful. The project sure looks good, though. I'll bet you'll be up and running closer to full speed once you learn to deal with the disability.

[Shovelbuck]

What happened to your thumb?

Here's the short version........
Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/AboutThisSite/AM00057) http://www.mayoclinic.com/images/nav/clear.gif
CLICK TO ENLARGE

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> http://www.mayoclinic.com/images/image_popup/thumbs/r7_thumbarthritisthu.jpg (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/medical/IM02759) </td> <td valign="top"> Thumb arthritis (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/medical/IM02759) </td> </tr> </tbody></table> http://www.mayoclinic.com/images/nav/clear.gif

Thumb arthritis, also called basal joint arthritis, occurs when the joint at your wrist and the base of your thumb (carpometacarpal joint) develops osteoarthritis.
Having thumb arthritis can cause debilitating hand pain, swelling, and decreased strength and range of motion, making it difficult to do simple household tasks, such as turning doorknobs and opening jars.
Treatment for thumb arthritis may include self-care measures, splints, medication or corticosteroid injections. In severe cases, you may need surgery to treat thumb arthritis.

Another version, Mine is at stage 3....
http://www.metrohealth.org/body.cfm?id=863&oTopID=863

[Deaner]

Dude!! Sorry to hear about your thumb!! I kind of stumbled onto this post after not coming on Iowawhitetail FOR EVER...To be honest I don't know a lot about guns and/or gun parts but still found this post fascinating your skills and progress of your project! It seemed like such a good post with having such positive results and then we are blind sided by you loosing your thumb! It's like it took a turn for the worse! Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Hope things get better for you and can keep the project going...

[Shovelbuck]

I got after the breech plug and tang this morning and have it inlet. Now it would be time to inlet the lock but I have a bit of a set back.:mad: While chiseling in the tang, a crack developed in the wood that runs from beside the tang to where the lock will be. 75 percent of the crack is internal and won't show. I just need to get some super glue in the crack with a syringe, then start the lock.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1658.jpg

[AZHunter]

Jay, that pistol is looking amazing! I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of use of your thumb. I truly hope it is temporary and can be fixed at some point. You're work is amazing and I agree with Danny Boy wholeheartedly. You'll learn to cope and keep going strong. If a dog can learn to walk "normal" with only 3 legs, then I know you will adjust and keep at it!

[jeremy217]

you should do a how to video on this, would be cool to see the process

[Shovelbuck]

Before inletting a lock, it needs to be tore down so the bolster portion can be inlet first, then the plate. I always tear a lock apart on an old white cloth of some sort. It's a bit easier to keep track of parts that way. I store them in a secure box.:way: I have the bolster inlet and the plate traced. I am now waiting for the glue to dry that I repaired the crack with. More to come later.;)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1660.jpg

[blake]

While chiseling in the tang, a crack developed in the wood that runs from beside the tang to where the lock will be. 75 percent of the crack is internal and won't show. I just need to get some super glue in the crack with a syringe, then start the lock.


The crack in the stock should be no problem for you Jay. :D

You have some experience as I recall with Super Glue and walnut stocks. http://missouriwhitetails.com/forums/images/smilies/peepwall.gif





<O:p</O:p

[Shovelbuck]

You have some experience as I recall with Super Glue and walnut stocks. http://missouriwhitetails.com/forums/images/smilies/peepwall.gif

Yep, and that's why I decided not to use it.;) I opened up the crack a little more and was able to fill it with Tite Bond II. Much better.:way:

[Shovelbuck]

After letting the glue cure overnite I started the lock plate inlet. When I came to that little point on the end of the plate, I realized I didn't have a chisel that small. A small screwdriver was sacrificed to make one.:way: After that, it was pretty straight forward to inlet the plate. Next come inletting all the little lock parts.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1699.jpg

[Shovelbuck]

The lock inlet proved to be a bit troublesome. I knew ahead of time that using a lock this small can sometimes have it's own special needs. Internally, the parts are pretty much the same size as a full size lock, only now they are in a more confined area. That translates to having to actually remove more wood since there isn't as much room between parts. The spring also was hitting the barrel so a little bit from one flat of the barrel had to be shaved off. All in all, it's coming right along. Next step is to inlet the trigger. I'm going to give my thumb a rest for awhile before doing that.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1704.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1703.jpg

[DannyBoy]

Great progress, it's coming along nicely.

[AZHunter]

Great progress, it's coming along nicely.

What he said! :way:

[blake]

Looks great Jay, this an interesting post! :way:

[JakeWym]

Looking real good...amazing actually.

[Shovelbuck]

I gave the thumb a rest for a couple days and got back to the task at hand today. I inlet the trigger assembly only to discover that the sear bar was too short. No problem, I welded a piece of steel to the top of it then filed to the exact height needed.:way:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1720.jpg
I also removed a bunch of excess wood from the width of the stock to get it closer to finish dimension.
As a side note, I was thinking about this and past builds the other day and realized that the most important tools I use, chisels, caliper, and flex rule, all belonged to my Grandfather, Joe Zemak. He had been a carpenter and craftsman most of his life and I'm glad to honor him a bit by using his tools. I think he would approve.:way:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1708-Copy.jpg

[Shovelbuck]

Tinkered for awhile on it this morning and got the trigger guard inlet. It's starting to look like a pistol now.:way:
About time to start drilling and tapping holes to mount the lock and tang. Then drill holes to screw the trigger guard down.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1726.jpg

[fireman]

Lookin good!!!

[Shovelbuck]

It seems lately that I keep working on it but not much is happening.:( But it just looks that way. Since I last posted, the tang and trigger assembly have been drilled, tapped and screwed together, the lock drilled and tapped for the mounting bolts and the bolts cut and fit, front barrel pin drilled and installed, trigger guard screwed on, and the ramrod pipes inlet and pinned.
Next up is the time consuming job of shaping the lock panels and the rest of the stock. That's a whole lot of wood to remove.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1728.jpg

[dedgeez]

It's definitely coming together. Starting to look good. BTW I love the blanket that it's on! I have a couple of the HBB's at the house, talk about quality :way:

[Shovelbuck]

There's been a lot accomplished in the past few days but no photos to post. The hardest part is here.........waiting for finish to dry. I hate this part. Hopefully will have her done in a day or so.:way:

[blake]

Fine looking firearm Jay, I continue to enjoy this post. :way:

[Shovelbuck]

I forgot I had this photo of the stock at it's final shape with the proper pins in place.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1734.jpg

[JakeWym]

Amazing to say the least.

[Shovelbuck]

First off, I'd like to say thanks to those of you that followed along on this build. It's appreciated very much.:way:
It was a fun and rewarding build. I had mentioned in the original post that I wanted to get my son involved in this project. Unfortunately, he had a change of jobs in January and his schedule just didn't allow it.:( I guess if sometime in the future if he wants to do something like this he'll just have to figure it out. That's how I did it.:way:
As most of you have probably noticed, the past few muzzleloaders I've built/rebuilt have been given an antique finish. I like them but decided on this build to give her a "Brand New" look. I just felt like stepping it up a notch on this one.;)
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed coming along on the journey. Thanks again.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1743.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1744.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Shovelbuck/Guns/DSCN1746.jpg

[jeremy217]

Thanks for sharing your build with us, quite impressive, is this gun for sale or do you build for yourself?

[THA4]

very cool, Jay!

[Shovelbuck]

Thanks for sharing your build with us, quite impressive, is this gun for sale or do you build for yourself?


I thought about selling it but it's currently going to stay with me for awhile. Unless somebody makes an offer too good to pass up.:way:

[Daver]

Thanks for posting, it always a good read to see what you are making next. Nice job, that is a beautiful piece!! :way:

[blake]

Beautiful firearm Jay, I have truly enjoyed following the progress of this build. Please let us know how it shoots. :way:

[Shovelbuck]

Those indoor flash photos just weren't showing the true color of the gun. This is what it really looks like.:way:

http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=308&pictureid=6892

Thanks again everyone.

[SEIowaDeerslayer]

That's a beautiful piece of work, Jay, that last pic really shows it off. How does it shoot?

[Shovelbuck]

How does it shoot?

Well............to be honest, I haven't shot it.:confused: Part of me wants to take her out and throw some lead, and the other half say's just let it sit as is, unfired.
It's ready to go, I put together a presentation case with all the accessories. Powder flask, ball mold, vent pick, screw driver, and loading/cleaning rod. The bag has balls, patches, and extra flints.
http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=308&pictureid=6962
http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=308&pictureid=6961