Advice to new builders:

[Henry2357]

: so you don't go through what I did..

I am a very inexperienced builder, I am working on my first, A Pedersoli Trade Musket and I want to give some advice to those who are starting their new build.

For me I was as nervous as heck, OMG, OMG. I have to sand it right just like others say, Get that perfect smoothness, how much to sand,(heck for the first sand and shape I used my cordless battery sander, and it worked great) OMG how many different grads of paper, which I used 4, up to 320. Do I have it all cleaned off, heck I was using my compressor and our vacuum, I'm nervous to pull the barrel, don't want to break the fore-stock, I'm nervous to start to stain, Am I doing it right.

I almost didn't want to start the project!!.

So something just came to me, It's not a newborn baby(even though its been years now and my memory is not like it used to be and I may have dropped her just once).. So what did I do, While being careful of course, I JUST DID IT. So if any of you starting or thinking of a build, Stop the nervous crap and just do it.. Being nervous wasn't worth it and almost ruined my fun, it turned out it wasn't rocket science.
I started, was careful like i mentioned and it's coming out great. All stained and ready for finishing.

PS, I am nervous as heck to brown the barrel though. . I'll never change.

 

[deerstalkert]

pictures or it didn't happen.
like you i have to overcome the terror of putting something sharp or rough against a thing i just paid good money for.
every once in a while i just plain have writers block so to speak. maybe in the drilling of capture pin holes or inletting the entry pipe.
right now i am wringing my hands over fitting the butt plate. mainly because i broke the one i was putting on and had to order a new one! or two!
what helps me is the thought that "Hey, its my build, meant for no one else " so how ever it turns out it will be right!
if i really up screw and take out o big ole chunk somewhere i patch it back and "antique" the gun like it is period repair. building a rifle isn't open heart surgery, mistakes can be fixed.
just my two cents!

 

[OkieDougie]

Will order a kit myself next week. Am doing so much research on various points of it. Like a rabbit hole with no end. In the end it is metal and wood. Will be carried and used in the mud and the muck, leaned against trees, who knows what else. It will be alright.

 

[Henry2357]

pictures or it didn't happen.
like you i have to overcome the terror of putting something sharp or rough against a thing i just paid good money for.
every once in a while i just plain have writers block so to speak. maybe in the drilling of capture pin holes or inletting the entry pipe.
what helps me is the thought that "Hey, its my build, meant for no one else " so how ever it turns out it will be right!
if i really up screw and take out o big ole chunk somewhere i patch it back and "antique" the gun like it is period repair. building a rifle isn't open heart surgery, mistakes can be fixed.
just my two cents!

your so right, as long as it comes out how I like it, I’m happy. And look good of course.

and to add, with all the good advice on this site, it helped me Hugh. Kudos to Gunny.

pics will come when she’s all done.

 

[deerstalkert]

we do love our porn! and i am guilty of no pictures also! while working on a gun i just never think about making a photo.
afraid of criticism i guess!

 

[Henry2357]

we do love our porn! and i am guilty of no pictures also! while working on a gun i just never think about making a photo.
afraid of criticism i guess!

I get it, but I think on this site, there isn’t a lot of criticism, just encouragement .

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Take your time.

With compressed air beware of water in the lines. Tend to ruin your day when cleaning raw wood.

 

[Sean E Bug]

I myself have had to overcome the tool box fallacy. it is easy to see how others are doing their work and think you shouldn't start till you have all the nice tools they are using. just start and use what you have and do what you can. waiting isn't going to teach you anything. the hardest part of this build is to not get excited and rush or be careless.

 

[BillKilgore]

I am also a new builder. Just go slowly and it will be fine. Small mistakes can be corrected or hidden. If there is a catastrophic mistake, you may need to start over with that single part, but the whole gun is not ruined.

Enjoy the journey.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

Anyone who is nervous needs to realize that some of that is good, it keeps you alert and paying attention. I built furniture, toys and cabinets for a time and it can be unnerving to have to tackle a project you are unfamiliar with but what you have to do is try your best to educate yourself about what you are doing. Education will calm your fears somewhat when you understand what needs to happen. Another thing is to realize, this is not a race. There is no trophy for getting done fast. Measure twice, cut once is the old saying. Fit things together often and pay attention to what is going on. Take off very small amounts of wood and make sure that is what you need to do If you just do small bits at a time, you will get comfortable working on it. Do not fear the unknown, it is usually not nearly as bad as it seems. Take your time and figure it out. Do it well the first time and don't try to cut corners. Things will come out better that way. If you think a muzzleloader is tough, try carving a longbow from a single stave so that it doesn't break!

 

[Eric Krewson]

I never taught anyone how make a M/L but I TRIED to teach a bunch of folk how to make bows, about 1 out of 12 actually finished a bow. Here is what I found;

Fear of failure stops 90% of people to the point that they will never attempt a project. The standard mantra is "I don't have the patience to do that kind of work". Of course none of us did starting out, it was something we learned.

Lack of focus or getting in a hurry can mess up a project in a heart beat. For myself when I feel like my work is getting sloppy I quit for the day, on days I don't have my heart in working on a project I don't go to the shop.

And NEVER grab something (bandsaw, belt sander or Dremel) that cuts faster to speed up the project, I do it occasionally and always regret it later.

 

[Daveboone]

: so you don't go through what I did..

I am a very inexperienced builder, I am working on my first, A Pedersoli Trade Musket and I want to give some advice to those who are starting their new build.

For me I was as nervous as heck, OMG, OMG. I have to sand it right just like others say, Get that perfect smoothness, how much to sand,(heck for the first sand and shape I used my cordless battery sander, and it worked great) OMG how many different grads of paper, which I used 4, up to 320. Do I have it all cleaned off, heck I was using my compressor and our vacuum, I'm nervous to pull the barrel, don't want to break the fore-stock, I'm nervous to start to stain, Am I doing it right.

I almost didn't want to start the project!!.

So something just came to me, It's not a newborn baby(even though its been years now and my memory is not like it used to be and I may have dropped her just once).. So what did I do, While being careful of course, I JUST DID IT. So if any of you starting or thinking of a build, Stop the nervous crap and just do it.. Being nervous wasn't worth it and almost ruined my fun, it turned out it wasn't rocket science.
I started, was careful like i mentioned and it's coming out great. All stained and ready for finishing.

PS, I am nervous as heck to brown the barrel though. . I'll never change.

Just remember...as I am sure you learned, the kits/materials are quite forgiving. Goof on the wood, sand it down and restain/etc. Browning doesnt work...strip it off and re-do it. I recently finished by Kibler Colonial rifle, and overall am very pleased with it . BUT I have two spots on the stock that as more time goes by, are driving me nuts. Loosing sleep. taking up drinking to cope. raging at the wood. picking my nose non stop. cant deal with em. The more time goes by the more those two relatively insignificant spots now seem as noticeable as if Jennifer Lawrence grew a third....ear.
I learned that it is no big deal to sand the sucker down, get it the way I want, and with the aqua fortis being as forgiving/blending as it is, no one will notice my repair when I do it. Enjoy your rifle.

 

[bigstick6017555]

When using air around any gun project, cleaning or building, do not do without a filter and water separator and pressure regulator

 

[ronaldrothb49]

One of the guys who helped me when I first started building years ago had 2 rules.
1 You are going to make mistakes everybody does, no big deal just hide it as best you can.
2 The project isn't done until there is blood on it.

In my experience I would add a 3rd rule, you can only look at one side at a time.

 

[deerstalkert]

just finished a half stock flintlock that someone else had started. it originally was going to be a full stock i think but someone screwed up and shortened it.
they had used a hoof rasp on it in shaping and i got carried away when down to the last sanding. i forgot the entire right side of the butt.
aqua fortis went on. looked beautiful. BLO first coat went on. those furrows on the butt showed up like neon signs. half a quart of acetone and three sheets of paper later it was actually ready to finish. i learned from that one to make a check list so my old befuddled self will be sure the thing is 100 % ready for the next step.

 

[stephenprops1]

: so you don't go through what I did..

I am a very inexperienced builder, I am working on my first, A Pedersoli Trade Musket and I want to give some advice to those who are starting their new build.

For me I was as nervous as heck, OMG, OMG. I have to sand it right just like others say, Get that perfect smoothness, how much to sand,(heck for the first sand and shape I used my cordless battery sander, and it worked great) OMG how many different grads of paper, which I used 4, up to 320. Do I have it all cleaned off, heck I was using my compressor and our vacuum, I'm nervous to pull the barrel, don't want to break the fore-stock, I'm nervous to start to stain, Am I doing it right.

I almost didn't want to start the project!!.

So something just came to me, It's not a newborn baby(even though its been years now and my memory is not like it used to be and I may have dropped her just once).. So what did I do, While being careful of course, I JUST DID IT. So if any of you starting or thinking of a build, Stop the nervous crap and just do it.. Being nervous wasn't worth it and almost ruined my fun, it turned out it wasn't rocket science.
I started, was careful like i mentioned and it's coming out great. All stained and ready for finishing.

PS, I am nervous as heck to brown the barrel though. . I'll never change.

Regarding browning (or bluing) your barrel, what I have learned is if you screw it up just strip it and start over. You can consider it part of the learning experience.

 

[Surfinator58]

Pro tip- don't focus on small mistakes continue through complete the job and you'll be surprised how good the overall look is and how unnoticeable the small flaw is plus they add to the uniqueness

 

[Col. Batguano]

Building a gun is mostly an educational process. You start out in grammar school, progress through high school, college, grad school, and finally to your Doctorate. Not everybody gets a Ph.D.

 

[billraby]

I myself have had to overcome the tool box fallacy. it is easy to see how others are doing their work and think you shouldn't start till you have all the nice tools they are using. just start and use what you have and do what you can. waiting isn't going to teach you anything. the hardest part of this build is to not get excited and rush or be careless.

The guys with all the nice tools did not start out with all the nice tools. They started out with only a few tools and made do with what they had. It takes years to fill up a workshop.

The best way to get over the fear of screwing up is to think of the money you spent as your entertainment money. Go on a cruise and you will spend a lot more money. It lasts a week and then its done. You got nothing to show for it except a t-shirt. The goal of building a gun is not to have a gun at the end. It is to enjoy the time that you spend working on it.

 

[kyron4]

I tend to be a perfectionist when I build/work on things and what is a glaring mistake or blemish to me is never noticed by anyone even when I point it out. Without mistakes you'd never learn anything.