8 Bore

[CowboyCS]

As promised I said I would document my next build. So here's the first set of pictures. This isn't a from scratch build like the last one. This is a speculation gun, that I am hoping to find a happy customer for when I am done.

The technical details first:
8 Bore barrel - .825" land, .840" grove, 1:104 twist 32" long.
With this slow a twist it's patched round ball, the mould isn't here yet but should be any day now. Jeff Tanner is making the .805" mould. This should cast a 786 grain pure lead ball.

The action is a Pete Allen casting, I think it is the largest he makes, but could be wrong. It slightly resembles the Wesson caplock actions from the 1870's in my opinion.

The wood isn't here yet but it will be a very hard piece of rock(sugar) maple. So it ought to be fun to work.

I got the barrel machining done today. It started out as a 1.225" unturned blank. I machined 5 of the 8 flats for an Octagon on the mill, just the first 10 inches. I didn't machine the other flats because they will be under the forearm and I'm trying to retain a little weight. I turned a wedding band transition, and then straight tapered the rest round.
Every bodies favorite part the pictures:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/IMG_00212.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/IMG_0018.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/IMG_0019.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/MachiningOctsection.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/MachiningOctsection1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/TurningBarrel1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarrelMachined1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarrelMachined2.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarrelMachined3.jpg
That's it for today's picture show cause I will be draw filing the machine marks out of it the rest of the evening and probably a good bit in the morning.

C

[BelchFire]

OH BOY, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I can&#39;t wait!!!!!! http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-dancin-red.gif

[CowboyCS]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BelchFire @ Sep 16 2008, 06:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1038786)</div>
OH BOY, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I can&#39;t wait!!!!!! http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-dancin-red.gif[/b]
A little less coffee, and a little less sugar, Belch.
It&#39;s gonna take a day or two.

C

[myfriendis410]

Regardless, we will look forward to seeing your progress.

[CowboyCS]

I finished most of the draw filing yesterday, there are still a few spots I&#39;ll have to spend a little more time on later.
This morning I put the barrel back in the 4 jaw on the lathe, and cut the threads. The action came threaded for me(1"-14). After cutting the thread a few light cut to the shoulder got it timed out so the flats on the action match the barrel.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarreledAction3.jpg
I&#39;m going to cut the top flat and the left and right 45 flat on the action to get rid of the shoulder around the barrel(red arrows).
I&#39;ll leave the two side flats to shoulder the wood to later(blue circle).
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarreledAction2.jpg

[CowboyCS]

I have found that a decent digital camera is a handy tool. When I get the filing close on transitions, like between the barrel flats and the action flats, I get some really good close ups to show me were the high spots are. If they show up in the pictures they will show up in the blueing.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarreledAction4.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarreledAction5.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarreledAction6.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/BarreledAction7.jpg
I take shots from several angles and then blow them up on my computer and look for anything that will show up later.

C

[BelchFire]

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley_chowtime.gif C&#39;mon man, we&#39;re gettin&#39; hungry.

[CowboyCS]

Belch, Go check out the post I put in the whitetail section, you&#39;ll see what I&#39;ve been up to that has distracted me from work. It&#39;s also in the double rifle thread.
C

[CowboyCS]

Just to keep Belchfire from starving. A few before and After shots of the trigger guard. Just hacksaw and file work. It&#39;ll need a lot more file work to smooth everything up, but I&#39;m off hunting the rest of the week/weekend, so it&#39;ll just have to wait.
Before:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/TriggerGaurd1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/TriggerGaurd2.jpg
After:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/TriggerGaurd3.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/TriggerGaurd4.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/TriggerGaurd5.jpg

[BelchFire]

Hey Cowboy, Where are we on this one; I&#39;m getting stove up for some more excitement!

[CowboyCS]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BelchFire @ Oct 29 2008, 07:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1054307)</div>
Hey Cowboy, Where are we on this one; I&#39;m getting stove up for some more excitement![/b]
I had a huge delay in getting the piece of wood I wanted, it just arrived 2 days ago. So as soon as I finish the project I put in it&#39;s place while I was waiting on the wood, I&#39;ll start posting progress pictures again.
I&#39;m putting the finish on a .32 caliber Childrens Muzzleloader and polishing the metal to get it ready for bluing right now, so it should be done in a couple of days and then I will jump back on the 8 bore. I built the kids rifle as a speculation gun (no specific customer) that I plan to sell to help raise a little extra x-mas money. Hopefully it will sell quickly after it is finished. There aren&#39;t any build pictures of it, but I&#39;ll post some finished pictures when it is done just so you don&#39;t die of complete boredom waiting on me.

C

[BelchFire]

[Ward Clever]
And WHY, pray tell aren&#39;t there any pictures of the .32? HMMMMMMM?

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Gonna let your flock die of starvation here if you&#39;re not careful.
[/Ward Clever]

[CowboyCS]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BelchFire @ Oct 31 2008, 07:02 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1055199)</div>
[Ward Clever]
And WHY, pray tell aren&#39;t there any pictures of the .32? HMMMMMMM?

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Gonna let your flock die of starvation here if you&#39;re not careful.
[/Ward Clever][/b]
There actually is a full set of step by step pictures for the lock I put in the .32, but I didn&#39;t put it online because it is the lock I built for the series of books I&#39;m writing on building muzzleloaders from scratch. I got the first book back from the editor 2 weeks ago, and I&#39;m just about done making the corrections, so it should go to the publisher pretty soon. Hopefully it will be in print before x-mas. So when it goes to print you can buy the book and have the full step by step from paper design to finished lock. I&#39;ve started on the second book in the series but it&#39;s going much slower cause I have several other projects in front of it, as well as fall ranching stuff to take care of.

C

[CowboyCS]

After a slight delay waiting on wood, and the detour with the .32 cal, things are under way again with the 8 Bore.

Here&#39;s a quick peek at what she will look like when it is done:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Drawing1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Drawing2.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Drawing3.jpg

I&#39;ll keep posting as I progress. Just keep imagining big clouds of smoke.LOL

C

Just in case you missed it Belch I posted pics of the .32 here: .32 Cal Childrens Rifle (http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=184378&pid=1057561&st=0&#entry1057561)

[CowboyCS]

I thought you all might like to see the wood before I go hacking into it.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/IMG_0038.jpg

C

[BelchFire]

With wood looking that good BEFORE you start hacking on it, I can only imagine........ http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley_chowtime.gif

[CowboyCS]

Since I decided I didn&#39;t like the way the original trigger guard looked, after I filed it down. I went ahead and cut it off, filed the bottom metal smooth, and then drilled and tapped it for a much classier looking trigger guard.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/ActionBottomTGRemoved1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/ActionBottomwnewTG.jpg

[BelchFire]

D&#39;ju make the guard too? http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-wow-eyes-yellow.gif

[CowboyCS]

It&#39;s been fairly busy these last couple of days, my son&#39;s boss gave us a hog(live) for thanksgiving. So I had to kill it and get it hung, then we were given a deer. So it had to hang, and today was opening day of firearms whitetail here, and the boys wanted to go hunting. Needless to say I haven&#39;t spent much time behind my tools the last couple of days. But I did manage to get a few more parts built in between butchering and hunting.

On with the show:
The largest commercially available Ramrod Pipe is 7/16" I.D. and for this size of rifle I wanted to go a little bigger. So I turned my own. Not a whole lot different here than I did on the double rifle. The plain pipe was bore out of solid round stock to 1/2" I.D. thent he outside was turned slightly and a highlight cut was added to both ends. The style of pipe is really dictated by the period of the gun and the style of the area the originals were made. So these are turned with just a simple highlight instead of a full wedding band.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipe1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipe2.jpg
The swivel was turned for the middle pipe then I parted it off just below the base. I turned it to a common diameter in this case 5/16" so that I could use my mill to make a corresponding flat in the pipe with a 5/16 end mill, than they are silver soldered together, once the silver solder is cleaned up it should look virtually seamless, if I did it right.

The entry pipe is a litte different on this one compared to teh way I did the double rifle. The entry pipe on the double was made in two pieces and then welded together and files to shape. This one is turned out off one piece of 1" round stock.

I first drilled the 1/2" I.D. then I counter bored a little more than half of it to 3/4" I.D". I then turned the outside down including the hump, and the highlight groove. I also turned a couple of wedding bands in the larger diameter to match the wedding band in the barrel. Then I hacksawed away the excess of the large diameter area and then filed the edges. I didn&#39;t get any action shots but the pictures should make it as clear as mud errr.. crystal.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipe5.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipe6.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipe3.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipe4.jpg
Then I turned the rear sling swivel and threaded it. Then cross drilled both swivel buttons to accept a standard swivel.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Swivel1.jpg
And this is it for today:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipe7.jpg
Colin

[myfriendis410]

If you go slow, are meticulous in your work, and know what you are doing, it&#39;s amazing what you can accomplish. (Did I mention talented, too?) Not kissing your butt; we&#39;ll never meet. I just like your work.

I noticed that the piece of maple you got is both quilted and tiger-striped. Will you be fuming this stock or what? I&#39;ve always admired the look of an ammonia fumed piece of maple, but I know getting the tannin in is kind of tough--especially the harder dense-figured maple. I am genuinely interested in your response.

[CowboyCS]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (myfriendis410 @ Dec 5 2008, 02:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1067016)</div>
If you go slow, are meticulous in your work, and know what you are doing, it&#39;s amazing what you can accomplish. (Did I mention talented, too?) Not kissing your butt; we&#39;ll never meet. I just like your work.

I noticed that the piece of maple you got is both quilted and tiger-striped. Will you be fuming this stock or what? I&#39;ve always admired the look of an ammonia fumed piece of maple, but I know getting the tannin in is kind of tough--especially the harder dense-figured maple. I am genuinely interested in your response.[/b]
Thank you,
I use a homemade version of aqua-fortis (acid and Iron) stain on maple usually. I have to be careful with it cause it can damage the wood, but if I do it right it produces very good results and draws the figure of the wood out beautifully.

C

[BelchFire]

Ammonia fumed? Sounds like my roommate&#39;s Saturday morning ritual after a Friday night of poker and beer. Whachu talkin bout guys?

[CowboyCS]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BelchFire @ Dec 5 2008, 06:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1067050)</div>
Ammonia fumed? Sounds like my roommate&#39;s Saturday morning ritual after a Friday night of poker and beer. Whachu talkin bout guys?[/b]
The finish he is talking about is called aqua ammonia a.k.a. ammonia fuming. The fumes from ammonia react to the tannic acids in the wood and raise the finish, the tannic acid are mostly concentrated in the "quilting" were the minerals the wood drew in during growth are deposited. You use a tent made from plastic sheeting hung over a frame work, the stock is placed inside after it is completely sanded down and ready to finish, and then you place a bowl of ammonia in the tent and seal it up with tape and let the fumes go to work and react with the tannic acid. Depending on how long you leave the chemicals to work on each other you can see anything from mild highlights to a completely ruined stock.

The process I use is called metalized acid dyeing a.k.a. aqua ironizing it is a iron oxide based acid stain. The commercially available version is aqua-fortis, my homemade version is steel wool that has been degreased and then dissolved in hydrocloric acid and rubbing alcohol. The iron/acid reacts to the tannic acids in the stock and draws out the quilting, the main difference is the iron also acts as stain in the wood between the quilting and more evenly darkens the whole stock. Just like fuming the wood can be damaged by the chemical reaction if it is allowed to stay on the wood to long or not be properly neutralized after it is wiped off.

Both finishes produce excellent results if they are done right, just depends on what kind of finish you are looking for. The fuming finish is used with white oak quite a bit and produces beautiful tones in the wood.

There are several other ways to produce different results such as wood bleach and potassium dichromate, it all depends on personal taste and in the case of gun stocks....tradition.

Hope that helps.

C

[myfriendis410]

Nice cogent response.

(To Belchfire) The problem with maple is that because of it&#39;s density it is difficult to introduce stains into the wood evenly. Ammonia fuming is a more traditional means of bringing up the figure in the maple stock. Stains are totally ineffective on maple because it penetrates preferentially and produces a mottled, blotchy look; in short it looks like crap. I have seen alcohol based aniline dyes work but they can be sensitive to UV exposure. I am assuming Cowboy will be using his Tung oil concoction.

Nice work. I&#39;m impressed.

[BelchFire]

That&#39;s cool; I never knew that. My dad built a rifle in the 60&#39;s from tiger stripe maple and it&#39;s a good looking gun. I suppose the nature of maple and stain together is where the tiger stripe comes from?

I also have maple twin beds that I grew up on that have a nice even medium brown tone. Wonder how they did that? I have to build a ladder if I want to use them bunked for my boys and I&#39;m curious as to what I&#39;m up against if I build with maple.

Anyhoo, back to the 8 bore; I&#39;m fascinated by this thread.

[CowboyCS]

I had a little spare time today while I was waiting on some parts to rust(rust Bluing), so I managed to get the ramrod pipe w/ swivel cleaned up. I also made the oval inlays for the wedge key. These were pretty simple, just draw out an oval, than double stack a couple pieces of 1/8" flat stock in the mill and drill/mill the right places. Then just a little time on the belt sander to make them oval. I&#39;ll still have to countersink for the screw heads but that&#39;s just a couple minutes with a hand drill after they are inlet into the wood.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/OvalInlayWedge.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipeswivel1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/RamrodPipeswivel2.jpg

[CowboyCS]

I spent the better part of yesterday making the underib. It started out as a piece of 1/2" x 1" x 36" bar stock 1018, I would have started with a 3/4" wide piece but I didn&#39;t have one. I put it in my mill and machined a couple different radius in it. The breech to the wedding band is larger, then the wedding band to the muzzle tapers. Then I hand fit the piece to the barrel. I use a die grinder with stones to do most of the work. Here&#39;s a little tip: if you are using power tools and don&#39;t want to worry about jumping the edge and gouging it put a couple of sacrificial pieces in the vise and set them a little higher than the edge you are grinding to, that way if it jumps it gouges the sacrificial piece instead of the work.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0001.jpg
In this first picture you can see that I started with the largest radius and got it fitting very tight, but you will notice that there is a gap after the wedding band, so that whole area had to be taken down further.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0003.jpg
More grinding and checking fit repeatedly and this is the result.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0004.jpg
Then I just worked my way forward until I had a tight as close to seamless fit as I can get.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0005.jpg
Then I put it back in the mill and used a 1/2" ball endmill to make the ramrod channel in it. Then I ground the edges in to a taper and filed them smooth to give then a little bit of belly. You can see that I didn&#39;t grind the edges in were it will end up under the forearm, for one thing it won&#39;t be seen and it also leaves a little extra weight at the breech which will help with balancing the gun.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0006.jpg
Once I have the fit as tight as I can get it on the edges. (I don&#39;t want any gaps, the solder can show through, it doesn&#39;t blue well) I solder the rib to the barrel. I&#39;m sure other use different methods to solder things but I&#39;ll give you my method. For this application I use high force 44 and comet flux, they work very well together and are easy to work with on long pieces because of the low heat required. I start by supper cleaning both surfaces with brake degreaser followed by acetone. With everything very clean I "Tin" the underrib by heating it from the bottom side and then applying flux and then applying the solder. I don&#39;t worry about the coverage at this point I just want to get a nice bead of solder going in the radius.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0007.jpg
Once I apply solder to the whole length, then I go back with the flux and a clean rag held in a pair of vise grips and still applying heat I smooth the solder until I have an even coat covering the whole area.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0008.jpg
In the picture above you can see were I&#39;m working my way down the rib.
It should look like a smooth even coat once you are done. In the picture below you can see a few small black spots were I didn&#39;t get complete coverage. I don&#39;t have to have full coverage because I also Tin the barrel and flow solder between them when I put them together.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0010.jpg
I got back after it is cooled and clean up any areas were I have burned flux with acetone. Clean is the key to getting a good joint.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0011.jpg
Same thing with the barrel heat flux and solder, then go back and smooth it into an even coat.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0012.jpg
With both the rib and the barrel tinned, I then clamp them together, I take my time and clamp them secure and exactly were I want it because I hate having to reheat a piece to make a minor adjustment. With everything clanped together I then take a piece of round stock close to bore size and longer than the barrel and put it in a 2" pipe and use my rosebud to to heat the whole length of it. Once the farthest end from the rosebud is glowing I then insert it into the barrel and wait for the temp to come up on the underrib. I then flow flux into the joint and run a bead of solder from both side of the seam. The "Hot Rod" usually gives me about 15 minutes working time. So it helps to have everything ready to go.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0014.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0016.jpg
Once I have solder flowing clear through the seam the full length of it, I then pull the hot rod and let it cool to the touch. After it cools to the touch I can then use a little acetone on a rag to clean up the burnt flux.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0017.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0018.jpg
I will clean up all the excess solder with brass chisels , dental picks and finally by stoning it. I can&#39;t leave any solder showing, High Force 44 won&#39;t blue and the agent that will blacken silver solder don&#39;t work very well on HF44, so it has to be completely gone or it will show through the bluing. When I think I have it all off I use Oxpho to do a quick cold blue to show me any I might have missed.

[CowboyCS]

Managed to get most of the solder cleaned up this afternoon, I will have to go back later and finish sanding and stoning the rest off. So while I was waiting for some other things to dry on other projects, I managed to get the buttstock inlet. This is one very nice thing about this style of action, it doesn&#39;t take long to inlet the butt to metal. Just a little lay-out for hole location, then drill it all the way through, and counter bore for the thread shank. The rest is just inletting black and getting rid of whatever doesn&#39;t fit.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0001.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0004.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0005.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0002.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0003.jpg

[CowboyCS]

A couple days ago I epoxied a piece of ebony on the forearm. Today I started by laying out the underrib channel in the forearm, I measured for depth, and then clamped a few pieces of scrap on each side of the forearm and clamped a fence on one side.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0006.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0007.jpg
Then multiple pass later with a 3/4" box bit I had a channel the same width as the underrib and to full depth. Then I set the barrel in the channel and using a flat chisel pressed flush to the edges of the flats, I marked the outside edge on both sides.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0009.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0010.jpg
I measured the depth to were the flats round off on the bottom, and routed the flats to depth and as far forward as the wedding bands. The rest of the inletting was done with hand tool, and inletting black, it took a couple hours to work the wedding band and the round taper of the barrel and the rounds under the flats in to full depth.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0011.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0012.jpg
And I cut off a lot of excess wood on my bandsaw, it also squared up the forearm for the next part.

I then measured from top and bottom to find the solid section of the underrib, then I put the whole thing in my mill and drilled through the forearm and the underrib at the same time to locate the wedge key. I then took the forearm off and used an 1/8" endmill to open up the key slot. It was critical to place the hole in the solid of the rib and not get into the ramrod channel or the bottom of the barrel(not much room for error.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0013.jpg
Then I opened up the wood with a file and fitted a temporary key, I&#39;ll fit the actual key after the forearm is shaped and the eschuteons are installed.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0014.jpg
That&#39;s it for now.

Colin

[BelchFire]

wow. I&#39;m loving this..... drool.......

[CowboyCS]

The next step I had to do was inlet the ramrod pipes to the underrib. The way I do this is pretty low tech, I lay them out for location and then use my dremel with a cut off wheel that I turn down by running it up against a scrap of steel until it is the same diameter as the pipe.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0022.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0021.jpg
Then I cut both end of were the pipe is going to set in with the dremel, this gives me a fairly square edge to work up to. Then I take a slightly undersized grinding wheel and use my dremel to deepen the trough.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0025.jpg
When I start getting closer to depth, I use inletting black to show my high spots. I just slowly work my way down until the I.D. of the pipe is flush with the bottom of the rib.
If I&#39;m careful I can get a nearly seamless fit at the edges, Then the rest is just soldering it on using the same technique I used to solder the rib on. Tin both pieces and then clamp them together and apply heat.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0026.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0028.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0027.jpg
If I&#39;m careful with my heat, I can usually do this without affecting the joint under the rib. Also because I used Silver Solder to attach the swivel stud to the pipe I don&#39;t have to worry about it coming loose since silver solder has a much higher melting point than HF44.

[CowboyCS]

With the pipes soldered in place I can easily drill the forearm, I buy standard bits and then make them 4&#39; long by welding or soldering drill rod onto them. The one in the picture is a 3/8" rod on a 1/2" bit. I use bushings in the pipes to keep everything centered. Some of my long bits are the same size as the bit so no bushing is required with them.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0015.jpg
With this style of action I can just drill all the way through the forearm because the action butts up to the forearm, no worries about getting into the lock or anything.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0016.jpg
With the ramrod hole done I can then inlet the entry pipe.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0017.jpg
It&#39;s a pretty straight forward process, I bevel the edges of the pipe so the inlet is always getting wider as it goes deeper, this keeps the inlet tight. at the surface edge. Then I just work it down into the wood a little at a time keeping everything level.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0018.jpg
Once it&#39;s to full depth then I try the ramrod, if it doesn&#39;t slide right in then I usually just run the drill bit back in to clear any clearance problems.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0019.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0020.jpg
Anybody who has ever done this type of inletting can attest to the fact that it is tedious, time consuming work if you want the perfect seamless fit, that looks like it grew there.

Enjoy

Colin

[BelchFire]

Did I mention that I&#39;m LOVIN&#39; THIS?

[attachment=57709:dog_drool.jpg]

[CowboyCS]

Don&#39;t get any of that on your keyboard, it&#39;ll make it hard to type.

C

[CowboyCS]

Things are moving along, I got the sights and sight base bult and installed. This is pretty simple stuff. The front sight is a piece of 1/4" x 3/4" flat stock that I machined with a ball end mill. I then used a 3/16" endmill and cut a slot in the top of the barrel, then a little sanding for a good fit and soldered it on. It&#39;s very tall right now, but that will get fixed when I sight it in.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Frontsight1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Frontsight2.jpg

The rear sight is a flat buckhorn, I just buy these as castings, I can&#39;t justify spending an hour to build a 3 dollar part. The sight base is a piece of 1/8" x 1/2" flat stock, machined to match the flats of the barrel. I would usually place the rear sight farther forward and use a english style leaf sight, but this is what the customer wanted. The base is just soldered on. Doing the base in two pieces makes it very simple to get the dovetail.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/SightBase1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/SightBase2.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/SightBase3.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/SightBase4.jpg

Enjoy

Colin

[CowboyCS]

I moved to the back of the stock this afternoon and inlet the buttplate. This is an english shotgun style casting. The inletting is pretty simple, I use a contour jig to get the curve of the plate, and then cut the stock to length following the contour line, then I inlet the plate down and forward. I leave it just a little proud on top so I can file the metal to match the curve of the comb later. The screws are just temporary fit up screws, they will get countersunk, and replace with a finished screw.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0021.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0022.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0023.jpg

[TonyS]

Too many posts have gone by. I need to mention, you do nice work! Please continue.

[CowboyCS]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TonyS @ Jan 10 2009, 03:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1077158)</div>
Too many posts have gone by. I need to mention, you do nice work! Please continue.[/b]
Thank you. I&#39;m pretty sure my customer will want his rifle and I occasionally need money, so I&#39;m sure I&#39;ll continue.

C

[CowboyCS]

With all the major furniture pieces inlet, I then went to work on shaping the buttstock yesterday. I started by bandsawing the sides down slimmer. Then I went after it with hand planes, and rasps, then files. It&#39;s still very rough right now but it&#39;s starting to look like a rifle.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0024.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0025.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0026.jpg

[CowboyCS]

Yesterday I shaped the forearm, then this morning I inlet for the eschuteons.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0027.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0028.jpg
The screws are just temporary, they will get replaced with iron screws later.
This afternoon I turned the ramrod tip on my lathe, and fitted it to the rosewood ramrod. Then I inlet the end of the rib for the ramrod lock. If you ever build a big bore this becomes an important feature, it makes a mechanical lock for the tip to snap into so it doesn&#39;t come flying out due to the recoil. It doesn&#39;t take much to hold them in, just a 1/16" ridge in front of the tip.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0029.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0030.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0032.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Underrib/IMG_0033.jpg
I need to reshape the trigger a little, and then I am down to just sanding, sanding, sanding for a while.

Colin

[CowboyCS]

I finished the sanding on the stock today and applied the first coat of stain, in the morning I can sand it down and apply the next coat. This wood has very good figure in it, I think it is going to turn out very nice.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0029.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0030.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0031.jpg
In between coats on the stock, I am busy polishing all the steel getting it ready to engrave.

[CowboyCS]

I thought an update would be in order, I have been hand rubbing an oil finish into the stock and Polishing steel. I thought you all might like to see how the stock is turning out. The stock has about 8 hand rub coats of a homemade oil finish put on right now. The pictures really don&#39;t do it justice, this piece of wood has a beautiful figure and depth that the camera just can&#39;t catch very well. The weather isn&#39;t being friendly today, so I couldn&#39;t get any natural light shots.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0032.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0033.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0034.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0035-1.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0036-1.jpg
I probably have another 10 or 12 coats to go before it gets to the depth of finish I like to put on.

Colin

[PORCH]

lookin good cowboy....keep it up

[CowboyCS]

As I&#39;ve said in several posts, I&#39;ve been polishing metal in between finish the stock. Where I live the humidity is high enough most of the year that if I leave polished parts lying around very long they start to rust and not in the good Rust Bluing kind of way, but more in the have to re-polish and do it twice kind of way. So I either keep them well oiled or I blue them and oil them. In this case since I have all of the small parts polished I decided to go ahead and blue them today.

The things you need to do a good Rust bluing are fairly simple, You need a carding wheel with .004" wires, a way to spin it, in my case my drill press at it&#39;s lowest speed works very nice.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0001.jpg
You need a way to boil water and a container big enuough to completely submerge your part.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0002.jpg
Cotton balls or strips of cotton cloth, rubber gloves or clean cotton gloves, Laquer thinner, a good oil removing detergent, and either paper towels or an air compressor with an inline drier(you don&#39;t want water or oil spraying on your parts).
For a rust bluing job I polish all my parts to 400 grit, you can go higher but for working guns the bright shiny finish just isn&#39;t appealing and the Rusting process will etch the metal back anyways so it is kind of a waste of time. With everything polished I&#39;ll show you the process on just one part and you&#39;ll get the idea how to do the rest.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0003.jpg
Start by thoroughly cleaning the parts with Laquer thinner, then by scrubbing them in hot water with a good detergent and a soft brush. From the time you rinse them they should never touch your bare hands again until you are ready to apply oil. The oil from your hands will ruin a bluing job. Dry them thoroughly either with compressed air or patting them with paper towels.
Then comes the Rusting solution, what I use is Pilkington&#39;s Classic Rust Blue, with a cap full of LMF Brown and degreaser poured in it. The LMF seem to smooth out the Pilkington&#39;s and prevent streaks, other than that I consider LMF B&D useless for actually browning or bluing anything. I warm up my parts to 150 deg with a heat gun, don my rubber gloves and apply thin even coats of the solution with cotton cloth strips held in a clothes pin. The idea is to get as even a coat as you can, and then I just let it rust for about 15 minutes.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0004.jpg
I then card the rust off with the wire wheel and reapply solution, after every 4 applications of carding and rusting I then boil the parts.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0005.jpg
I then blow them dry and repeat the rust and card process then boil process. The parts will get progressively darker with each cycle through the boiling water.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0006.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0007.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0008.jpg
I just keep repeating this cycle until they get to the depth ad darkness of finish that I am looking for. Then I neutralize them in a baking soda solution of one pound of baking soda to a gallon of water. I take them out dry them off thoroughly and then oil them.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0009.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Bluing/IMG_0010.jpg
These parts are ready to go when I have the rest of the build finished.

Colin

[CowboyCS]

Patience is the key to a good finish. Lots of thin coats rubbed in by hand over the course of several weeks. Then comes the most frightening part for me. CHECKERING, this is were I stand the best chance of screwing up a beautiful finish and turning it into a sand it off and start over project. Checkering takes me a long time because my eye won't take the strain anymore even with a magnifier I still get blurry vision after a few hours and terrible headaches if I press on. So I've learned recently to stop every 15 minutes and take a break, then come back to it. Takes a lot longer to checker this way but I don't make the mistakes or have the headaches.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0038.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Stockwork/IMG_0040.jpg

Getting close to being done now.

Colin

[BelchFire]

OOoooooohhhhh! That's finish has gotta be 6 to 8 inches deep. VERY nice work!

[CowboyCS]

Unfortunately you can't really see the true depth of this wood without being able to roll it around in the light while you are holding it. The camera just does not catch the quilting very well. Boy in hand though were I can roll it and get the light on it at different angles it looks like it goes on forever. This is one of the nicest figured pieces of wood I've had in my shop in a long time.

Colin

[hubel458]

That is tremendous job you've done.
Beautiful...Ed

[PORCH]

cowboy where are you?

[CowboyCS]

Thanks Hubel.
Porch, I'm around and I stop by every couple of days to see the new posts on JHO. I just don't usually comment unless I have something useful to add. As to the 8 bore, I don't really have anything to update on it right at the minute, about all I can show you is the Engraving pattern I worked up for the customer.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Engraving/EngravingCollage.jpg
Enjoy

Colin

[PORCH]

Thanks Colin. I was getting worried.

[CowboyCS]

Finally an update is probably what the few people who are watching this are thinking. There is a good reason for the long delay and to keep the story short I'll just say that I sent it out to the engraver the third week of January and he had equipment problems and I just got it back today.
I would be out working up a load and sighting this in today but the weather is not cooperating, it's windy and sprinkling rain, not exactly the best conditions to shoot in.
For those who have waited patiently here's the engraving:
Left Side:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Engraving/LeftSide.jpg
Right Side:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Engraving/Rightside.jpg
Top of the action:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Engraving/Top.jpg
Triggerguard:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Engraving/Triggerguard.jpg

And I engraved my signature on the top barrel flat in front of the rear sight at the customers request.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Engraving/Signature.jpg

Hopefully if the weather cooperates I can get it sighted in tomorrow and then get on to bluing, I know my customer has been very patient with the delays but is anxious to get his new rifle.

Colin

[BelchFire]

Well golly-darn! I was thinking you'd fergot to update us a-fore you sold it.

And why send it out for engraving with your skills? That's be like me buying a sack of ignorance!

Beautiful rifle, CS. Just beautiful.

[CowboyCS]

"Sack of ignorance" that's funny I'll have to remember that one.
At the time I sent this out the wildlife was beyond my skill level, the scroll work I could have easily done, but I was unsure of being able to make the Elephants actually look like elephants. And since steel doesn't come with an eraser it was to my advantage to send it to someone who I knew could cut it, and make it right. The artwork is all mine and I cut the signature myself. After the last couple months of practice I think I could probably cut the wildlife now, but back in January I wasn't sure I could. A couple month of practice makes a lot of difference.

Colin

[myfriendis410]

Keep it coming; we love your stuff. Somebody on an earlier project of yours said this is what Jesse's was designed for.

[CowboyCS]

I went out to my range this morning while the weather was nice and calm. I started at 25 yrds working up a load, and then moved back to 60 yards for sighting in. 60 yards was the customers requested distance. Which is actually a very classic distance, 60 yards corresponds to the measurement of 20 rods which was a traditional British distance for big bore rifles.

The Target pretty much speaks for itself:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/SightingLoadTarget.jpg
250 grains of FFg is a little on the light side for an 8 bore, but you'll notice it is sighted in a little low, this will give my customer the ability to work up to a heavier charge and bring it up to the bullseye.

[CowboyCS]

It's finally done.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/LeftSide.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/RightSide.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/LeftSideAction.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/RightSideAction.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/TopAction.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/TriggerGuard.jpg

Hope you all enjoyed this one, for the next build I haven't decided whether I will be posting pics of the .54 cal I'm building or of the 2 Bore I've been working on.

Colin

[myfriendis410]

If you want my vote, show us both!

Lovely work.

I'm chasing the checkering and refinishing the stock on my best friend's A Bolt Medallion, and just that little bit makes my eyes hurt!

[BelchFire]

TWO Bore?!?! HALF POUND of lead?!?!?! Holy smokes............. I want one.

[CowboyCS]

myfriends410,
Thanks for the compliment, I don't post more than one set of build pictures at a time because I document my builds on several forums and it takes more effort than I can muster most days to keep track of one build let alone two at a time. I usually have multiple projects at a time going in my shop, but when it comes to computers I'm just not that savvy to stay on top of it.

Belch,
You don't really want a two bore, I've never shot a 2 bore, but I've sighted in a 4 bore and I can tell you they kill on both ends. So I'm sure the 2 Bore is worse, the math alone says it's not something that is going to be enjoyable.

Colin

[BelchFire]

Yeah, but 3500 grains of whoop-tee-do.

THIRTY-FIVE-HUNDRED-GRAINS, people!

THREE THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED!

Gosh!

[CowboyCS]

I'll tell you what when I get it built, you can come sight it in for me, how's that sound. I'll let you put as many rounds through it as you can stand. But you have to put at least two through it minimum. It's easy to pull the trigger the first time cause you don't know how much it's going to hurt, but the second time after you regain consciousness you know how bad it's going to be. :rotflmao:

Colin

[CowboyCS]

Just a few close-ups of the wood.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/ButtstockLeft.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/ButtstockRight.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/ForearmLeft.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/ForearmRight.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/8%20bore%20Allen%20Boxlock/Finished%20Rifle/ButtstockComb.jpg


Colin

[myfriendis410]

May I ask how you finish your stocks? I think we discussed this before, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again. I like the treatment of the checkering: it appears to be only single bordered. The mark of a competent checkerer (is that a word?)

[CowboyCS]

May I ask how you finish your stocks? I think we discussed this before, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again. I like the treatment of the checkering: it appears to be only single bordered. The mark of a competent checkerer (is that a word?)
The finish on this stock, is a couple of base coats of LMF dark walnut stain, this was at the request of the customer, to achieve a dark stock. Then I hand rubbed I don't remember how many coats of a homemade version of tru-oil, my recipe goes something like this Mix Boiled Linseed oil 50/50 with pure turpentine. Then mix the BLO/Turp solution about 75/25 with tung oil, and some japanese drying agents. Hand rub it in a few drops at a time spreading it as thin as you can before applying more, when you have a full coat on the stock let it dry at least 6 hours(depending on humidity), then just keep recoating with very thin coats hand rubbed until every pore is completely filled. I like to use the palm of my hand and rub hard enough to warm the wood. Once you have the stock completely filled then rub back the finish with a stiff cloth until it comes to a sheen. Then I usually let it sit for at least 3 or 4 days (preferably a week) to allow the tung oil to harden up. Then I do all my checkering. Once the checkering is cut, I sometimes re-apply stain to bring out the checkering, but not in this case. Then I apply a wax finish, I warm carnuba wax and rub it in with a very soft cloth, let it stand until it turns whitish and then buff it back with a clean very soft cloth, I usually apply 2 or 3 thin wax coats, trying not to allow any wax to build up in the checkering.

Yep that was one of my better checkering jobs, 20 LPI flat top checkering, Edge cut(commonly called borderless).

Colin

[myfriendis410]

Well, nicely done.

I read an article in Fine Woodworking magazine years ago in which they tried to determine the finish with the highest moisture preventive properties. They tried marine varnish, marine epoxy, lacquer, linseed oil, varathane (polyurethane) and so on. The test consisted of 1" squares of hard maple, dried in an oven and weighed after finish was applied. After full cure, the blocks were soaked for 24 hours in 25 C water then re-weighed. The results were surprising even to them: the best protective finish was the pure boiled linseed oil, but only after a year and something like a dozen coats to apply. The second best was the marine epoxy and the worst was nitrocellulose lacquer.

Just thought I'd pass it on. You have more patience than I do: I despise checkering. That said, I seem to occasionally end up doing some for friends.

[PORCH]

Excellent Job Cowboy

[CowboyCS]

Thank You

Colin