a few questions

[LadyColeman]

Ok fellas, I need some help here. I read thru the tutorial a few times and it just isnt clear on the parts that I need help with. I need to sand, carve and stain my gun, and then put it all back together. When it comes to sanding what type of sandpaper is best? And then I carve out my design on there and I also want to do some wire inlay and a wrist inlay, is this where I would put those on or do i wait till after I stain? And as far as the staining goes, can someone tell me exactly how to do that in detail. I learn better by example, but since that is not currently an option, just pretend that I am 5 and you are trying to explain this to me. I wont get offended I promise. Any help would be much appriciated.

 

[bioprof]

I mainly use 100, 220, and 320 grit garnet sandpaper. Sometimes 80 grit if I really need to remove a lot of wood, although a rasp is better for major wood removal. I generally start with the coarser sandpaper and move down from there.

I would recommend Laural Mountain Forge alcohol stains. They come in a variety of colors and can be purchased from many of the major mail order suppliers of muzzleloader parts.

After sanding down with the 320 grit, I would recommend wiping down the stock with water and letting it dry. This raises up the ends of the wood fibers that got pressed down during sanding. After it dries, lightly sand it down just until smooth, then wet the stock down again and repeat about three times. You will end up with a lot smoother stock and a nicer finish if you do this.

To apply the stain. I just soak a 2 x 2 inch square cleaning patch with the stain and wipe down the stock. The LMF stains need to be diluted by at least 1/2 with denatured alcohol before use, otherwise it might end up too dark.

 

[Allan Gray]

The carving and wire inlay happen before the staining.
Do a search for "wire inlay" on this forum and you will find some great info.

I also like the alcohol based stains...make sure you test it on a good size scrap piece first to make sure you're happy with the results.

 

Becka, you need a book. "Recreating the American Longrifle" by Buchele, Shumway, Alexander is a great one that goes into great detail on every little part on the rifle. It even shows you how to make the tools you will need to make the parts. It also goes into great detail on various finishing techniques. Track of the Wolf sells it for around $40.00. If you follow the step by step chapter after chapter chronology of the book you will have it done in a successful manner. It even goes into wire inlay and how to make the tools for that. Well worth the money spent. :hatsoff:

 

[Zonie]

OK. As your 5 I will have to figure that you don't have any experience at all.

What kind of sandpaper to get?
To sand wood, buy either the white Flint, Aluminum Oxide (grayish) or Garnet (red). I prefer the Garnet as it seems to hold its sharpness better then the others.

When sanding, if you want to remove wood fast, sand across the grain (perpendicular to the long direction of the stock), but be aware that this will produce deep scratches on the surface.

To remove these scratches and to do any sanding in areas where you want a smooth surface always sand "with" the grain (parallel with the long direction of the stock).

Start your sanding with the rough sandpaper and then re sand using finer and finer grades until you reach a 220 grit. IMO, using sandpapers finer than 220 are a waste of your time because the surface of the woods natural roughness is coarser than that even on a "closed grain" wood like Maple.

After you think you have smoothed the surfaces as much as possible, hold the stock up to a strong light so that the light reflects off of the surface at an angle towards your eyes. Look for any scratches that may still remain. I'm sure they will be there and if you don't remove them now they will really show up after you've applied the finishes.
When your done sanding, raise the grain as described in the post above.
When you are removing the "whiskers" that the water will raise and they have dried, feel them. There will be one direction that feels noticeably rougher than any other direction. Remember this direction.
Use brand new sandpaper and very lightly sand Against the direction that felt the roughest.
This will cut off the offending whiskers. If you sand in the direction that felt smooth, you will only succeed in pressing the whiskers back down into the surface of the wood from whence they came.

You do not want to use any OIL based stains and stay away from any of the Stain & Finish in one step stuff.
You want to use either a water base or an alcohol base stain. The ones recommended above are good and stores that specialize in woodworking also have them. Try to get the alcohol stains as they don't raise the grain like the water based stains will. You can use a pad as described above or a small brush to apply the stain.
Thinning it by the way is a good idea because it allows you to apply multiple coats and "sneak up" on the darkness you like.

Install the inlays or wire inlay after the stock has been rough sanded but before you do the final sandings. You will be filing/sanding the wire inlays down flush with the wood so this must be done before staining and finishing.

The one who must be obeyed says I have to carry in the grocery's so I must go for now.
I'll probably think of more stuff later.

 

[davy]

Howdy LC

Also you mite rent a couple of the howto dvds from Smartflix ..
[url] http://smartflix.com/store/video/217/Building-a-Kentucky-Rifle[/url]

these are made by known gunmakers ... gives you an idea what you are dealing with in realtime. :hmm: :thumbsup:

Davy

 

[LadyColeman]

Thank you fellas for all the help. I am headed out tomorrow to get the sand paper so I can get started. My wire should be here in a few days, but that gives me time to finish up my sketches. If I have more questions I will let you know, but if anyne else wants to pitches in their 2 cents feel free! Again thank you!

 

[khwils]

Use a sanding block. Kurt/IL