Advice for a newbie

[MIOutdoorsman]

Questions for those who build ...
I am considering building a flintlock pistol kit-specifically the Pendersoli Kentucky. I want .54 caliber, and I’ve only found that brand and a TOW kit that is considerably more expensive.

Are these my only two options for a flint in .54 caliber (to match my rifle)?

Secondly-this will be my first build. I’m comfortable with sanding, staining, assembly. I do not have wood carving experience or tools. I’m willing to learn a bit online, but am hoping for a kit that does not require a lot of shaping.

I have a dremel knock-off with assortment of sanding and buffing wheels. I have a pretty average collection of “homeowner” tools too.

Any advice on these or other kits? The Pendersoli is priced right and seems appropriate but I’m open to opinions form our more seasoned guys here.

 

[Cruzatte]

I have two fusil builds under my belt, and no experience with a dremel tool. I'd stay away from the dremel, personally, in favor of hand tools; chisels, riffler files, and sand paper in 80, 100, and 250 grit. Whatever you do, work slowly. It's easy to take off wood but difficult to put it back on. The only power tool I used on my second build was a drill press for drilling the pin holes needed for barrel lugs, bolt holes and the like.

 

[Ames]

What he said.
Hide the dremel so you wont get tempted. One jump with it and the project may be trashed.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Ok, so I’ll hide the dremel.... but are the Pendersoli kits worth it? Are they among the “most complete” in terms of inletting and significant re-shaping?

 

[hawkeye2]

Have you considered a Lyman Plains pistol kit? They are available in .54 flint though you'll have to do some searching to find one and are probably the easiest of all kits to assemble.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Have you considered a Lyman Plains pistol kit? They are available in .54 flint though you'll have to do some searching to find one and are probably the easiest of all kits to assemble.

Hmmm. Thanks for this. Will see if I can find one in flint for comparison.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Thanks guys. I ordered that Pendersoli kit after talking with one of their gunsmiths. Hoping for the best!
(FYI- Lyman is not currently selling a flint pistol in .54 cal these days.)

 

[Jim Evans]

Thanks guys. I ordered that Pendersoli kit after talking with one of their gunsmiths. Hoping for the best!
(FYI- Lyman is not currently selling a flint pistol in .54 cal these days.)

Let us know how it looks when you get it.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Will do! I’ll be looking for lots of advice, from how to polish the brass and other metal parts, to staining the wood. I plan to brown the barrel, but other than that, I’ve made zero decisions!

 

[Phil Coffins]

Polishing metal should be a slow and tedious job. Slow down and enjoy it! I haven’t done the kit that you have selected but have done quite a bit of this type of work. Power tools will destroy your project and have you wishing you took more time tending to the details. My current project has already used up two days of polishing brass. Backing blocks and water are your friend.
1031D69B-7BA6-486A-8578-CEA18D1B0D5D by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[Lbrown]

I recently completed a Pedersoli Harpers Ferry pistol kit. The inletting was pretty close, with only a minor amount of shaping required. I used a chisel, fine rasp and sandpaper. I probably spent twice as much time polishing the brass than on the woodwork. It turned out nice and shoots well. Good luck with your build; hope you enjoy it!

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

This is great advice fellas. I’m in no hurry, but I definitely lack metal polishing knowledge and likely don’t have all the files and rasps and sandpaper (plenty of cheap wood sandpaper around, but not for metal?). I don’t see myself building dozens of kits over time, so I don’t want to invest in a lot of tools.... but then again I’m only a spry young 53 so who knows! Haha.

 

[bptactical]

The most important tool you have available is your brain. Feed it.
Pick up "The Gunsmith of Grenville County" and "The Art of Recreating the Pennsylvania Longrifle".
Always reduce what your working on to its simplest means, forget the whiz bang power tools for now, until you get comfortable and fully understand what your doing and why they will usually cause more problems than they cure.
One of the biggest challenges when polishing, especially softer materials such as brass and silver is keeping surfaces as intended. Keep flats flat, angles angled, edges crisp, dont dish out screw holes and countersinks etc.
A tool I like to use are jewelers polishing sticks, basically paint stirring sticks (although thicker and flatter) with different grits. Snag them online unless you have a jewelry supply store close. Conveyor belting works well for a backer as well.
ALWAYS use a backer on your abrasive! If you just sand/polish away with your fingertips you will induce divots and waviness.
Polishing is a progression of grits, coarse to fine. Every time you switch to a finer grit abrasive sand/polish in a different direction, this will let you see the sanding marks from your previous sanding-get rid of all marks from the previous grit! If you sand/polish in one direction only it is easy to "camouflage" heavier scratches and they will show in the finished product.

Your finger tips are gonna get toughened up a bit!

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

The most important tool you have available is your brain. Feed it.
Pick up "The Gunsmith of Grenville County" and "The Art of Recreating the Pennsylvania Longrifle".
Always reduce what your working on to its simplest means, forget the whiz bang power tools for now, until you get comfortable and fully understand what your doing and why they will usually cause more problems than they cure.
One of the biggest challenges when polishing, especially softer materials such as brass and silver is keeping surfaces as intended. Keep flats flat, angles angled, edges crisp, dont dish out screw holes and countersinks etc.
A tool I like to use are jewelers polishing sticks, basically paint stirring sticks (although thicker and flatter) with different grits. Snag them online unless you have a jewelry supply store close. Conveyor belting works well for a backer as well.
ALWAYS use a backer on your abrasive! If you just sand/polish away with your fingertips you will induce divots and waviness.
Polishing is a progression of grits, coarse to fine. Every time you switch to a finer grit abrasive sand/polish in a different direction, this will let you see the sanding marks from your previous sanding-get rid of all marks from the previous grit! If you sand/polish in one direction only it is easy to "camouflage" heavier scratches and they will show in the finished product.

Your finger tips are gonna get toughened up a bit!

Thank you! This is great advice.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

...
A tool I like to use are jewelers polishing sticks, basically paint stirring sticks (although thicker and flatter) with different grits. Snag them online unless you have a jewelry supply store close. Conveyor belting works well for a backer as well.
ALWAYS use a backer on your abrasive! If you just sand/polish away with your fingertips you will induce divots and waviness.
Polishing is a progression of grits, coarse to fine. Every time you switch to a finer grit abrasive sand/polish in a different direction, this will let you see the sanding marks from your previous sanding-get rid of all marks from the previous grit! If you sand/polish in one direction only it is easy to "camouflage" heavier scratches and they will show in the finished product.

Follow-up on the above... I'm wondering what grits I should be looking for to polish the brass in this kit, and the other metal surfaces? I suspect that I'll need different grits from "rough" to "fine," and I'm comfortable enough with my understanding of sandpaper for wood, but not at all with my knowledge of grit for metals like brass, and the steel (or other) metals that are part of this kit.

Also... if you (or others) have a source for jeweler's sticks, I'd appreciate a link or some direction. I don't see many vendors online, and I don't envision trips to my local jewelers any time soon, given COVID19.

Related... if I can't find those sticks, are there brands of wet/dry sandpaper for metals that I should avoid, or that people really favor? I'll definitely use some sort of backer if I can't find those sticks. Love the tip about going against the sanding grain as I move to finer and finer grits. I had no idea about that but it does make sense to me now. All of my sanding experience has been with wood, and thus going with the grain.

 

[bptactical]

Pretty hard to beat 3M or Norton for abrasives. 120-220-320-400-600-800-1000-2000 Wet or Dry paper should work well for softer materials and give you a good spread.
Use files for roughcast work first, invest in a good set of needle files and learn how to keep them clean. Chalk is a good thing on a file.
The paper will last longer if you use it wet with a drop of Dawn dish soap in a cup of water, just dip a finger and put that on your work piece.
Polish away.
Search Amazon for products like these in various grits: https://www.amazon.com/Sticks-Jewel...welry+polishing+sticks&qid=1585668247&sr=8-23

If need be you can make your own out of paint stir sticks, Popsicle sticks etc. Just make sure they are good and flat and use water resistant wood glue.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Hey guys, I’m going to start a new thread on this build in an attempt to document it, and get advice from you all and hopefully others as I go. I decided to create a separate thread because this one is asking about which kit to buy, and the next will be about a specific build. Hope this isn’t off-putting to anyone.