Questions for those who have built flintlock BP rifles

U

Uncle Billy

New member
After rereading this, it seems to me that maybe I should have posted it in "The Smithy". If so, the moderators will move it, I hope.

I'm not sure these questions warrant a new thread, but here's one anyway:

While I'm mildly interested in keeping true to the general look and construction of "Kentucky" rifles and those other rifles associated with that genre, I'm not committed to producing an exact copy of any particular historical maker's work. Maybe what I'd try to achieve is to build a rifle that replicates those of a non-existent ancient craftsman whose work generally matches that of his contemporaries but has its own distinguishing characteristics.

This leads me to a few questions:

I've never seen a rifle with nickel silver furniture. I've used brass inlays before, but not nickel silver. For those who have experience with both: Is there much difference in working with brass and working with nickel silver?

Can anyone tell me of inletting silver wire?

What's the best way to self-teach myself how to carve scrolls and such in a stock? I thought to buy a piece of good gunstock wood and give it a try, but I don't know exactly where to start.

What's a good way to finish the stock, that looks authentic and enhances the wood? It seems to me that finishing a gunstock is a one-way trip and I sure don't want to spoil a lot of work with a crappy stain or finish.

What's the best way to brown a barrel? I've tried it a couple of ways but never was totally satisfied with the appearance or especially the durability of the result.

Did they ever use peep sights on such rifles? I know, I could do a little research on this but here I am at my keyboard writing to experts, so why not just ask?

Thanks in advance for whatever anyone can tell me.
 
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German silver was widely used for inlays but not so much for furniture. Not saying it wasn't done tho. IMHO German silver inlays look much better than brass. Maybe what you're looking for is an early Lancaster which was kind of a transition rifle developed from the German and English styles and the forerunner of our Kentucky rifle. Do a google search on Lancaster or Dickert or Isaac Haines rifles. Many were heavily inlayed and carved. Here's a few to get you started.

http://www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/riflesets/lancasterintro.html

http://www.donelsoncustommuzzleloaders.com/longarms.html

http://www.allenmartinrifles.com/html/lancaster.html
 
Browning a barrel

You have two main choices: hot brown and cold brown.

At the outset let me say that I've had some barrels over 30 years with no noticeable degradation, so I don't see durability as an issue with either method. I think perhaps you may have had such problems because the application wasn't as good as it needed to be.

Hot brown: Birchwood Casey's Plum Brown is the product I'm familiar with. It's a deeper, darker brown than you get with the same amount, or even less, effort than with the cold brown solutions. Two keys to getting a good finish with Plum Brown: degrease well and maintain control of the metal temperature. Finish sand the barrel with increasingly finer grades of paper, ending with 320 for a more used, antique look and 600 or finer for the smooth, glossy, new look. Degrease well and suspend parts so there's no need to touch them directly. A good rubber/latex/nitrile glove is highly recommended. For barrels I run a long dowel of just under caliber size in the bore and clamp it down in a vise, with the barrel more or less upright. Heat the entire barrel with a propane torch evenly and slowly until the entire barrel is at about 260 degrees; a drop of water will just sizzle on the surface; no change in color is noticeable. Important: slowly and evenly are two key words here. Apply the browning solution with a large shop swab (available from Brownell's); it will boil and sizzle and form scale as it boils away. That's fine, the more the merrier. Allow it to cool to room temperature and remove the scale with a rough denim type clean cloth and cold water, then dry completely. Repeat to even out the coat and darken the finish as often as necessary. I think this should be done 4 to 5 or even more times. When you're finally satisfied with the finish wash with a cold water/baking soda solution, then oil or wax the metal to preserve the finish.

Cold brown: Laurel Mountain Forge Browning Solution and Degreaser is my favorite cold brown product, but there are others that work very well. Here the key is humidity, and lots of it. You'll need a fixture or room that you can keep at nearly 90% humidity for at least 3 hours. Sand and degrease as above, although LMF cold brown tends to like a smoother finish than Plum Brown. Put your metal in the fixture and apply the browning solution with a cotton swab or cloth, wetting the entire surface and applying it as evenly as possible. Then go away for 3 hours. Next, remove the scale as with the Plum Brown and be prepared to be scared to death, or at least disappointed. The first couple of coats look terrible; you'll think you've ruined the barrel, but have faith - it will get much, much better soon. Repeat the application, drying time and scale removal as often as necessary to get the finish you want. I generally go for at least 5 coats, but you may be happy after 3 or 4. When satisfied, wash with baking soda solution and wax or oil as above to finish. Note: you can set it aside overnight or for several days if you want; just be sure to card the scale and wash with clear water before you do.

Hot browning can be repaired and touched up ore evened up by heating a local area or blemish slowly with the torch and reapplying; I've never tried to touch up a cold browned barrel so I don't know if or how it can be done.
 
This is why this forum is the best. Comprehensive, detailed instruction and advice is available from experienced and generous folks, just ask.

My complements and sincere thanks to kwhi43 @kc.rr.com, Hawg Haggen and mykeal for their responses.

Guess I'll have to include "TFL" in the decorations somewhere.
 
On silver wire inlays, we made our stamping tools out of hacksaw blades. After drawing the design on the wood, you crushed the wood with the stamp tools to make space for the silver wire, and then you pushed the silver wire down. The wire was then pushed along the outer edge of the design (and that changes with the curves) and a touch of water applied to swell the wood back so as not to leave an ugly gap. Another trick was to cut the ends at a 45 degree angle such that the wire being inlaid was trapezoid shape. The overall length would be the topside of the wire and the shorter part the inside that went deep into the wood. The relief cut (angle) would help prevent the wire from being snagged and pulled up. Before inlaying the silver wire, we also scored it by running it against a needle file to give it edges to bite into the wood.
 
I don't think peeps or tangs were used until later in the 19th century. They always seemed terribly "wrong" on earlier muzzleloaders to my eye. That said, I don't think the classic buckhorn and bead combination found on so many ml's is any more historically accurate.
 
Pecatonica Rifle Supply sells a great book on building rifles with all of resources you are asking,"The Art of Building Pennsylvania Longrifle", grs.com for carving and engraving tools.
 
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