Barry Winner
Pilgrim
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2003
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The stock of my GPR is rather plain and I would like to dress it up a little with some brass tacks. How many of you do this and is there any significance to the pattern you use?
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Brass tacks
- Thread starter Barry Winner
- Start date
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If you click on my (MUSKETMAN) profile, you will see myself holding a .69 caliber musket that has brass tacks on it.
FIRST: MAKE SURE THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT...
You have several types and sizes you can choose from, I used brass-round head tacks for the musket in the picture.
You can get them from any hardware store, they also sell chrome tacks too, but they're tacky. "UGGH, bad pun."
Brass tacks were a big trade item with the indians, patterns are whatever is pleasing to your eye.
I pre-drilled the tack holes first with a fine drill bit, just to keep from splitting the wood or bending a tack and marring the stock.
Also, once the tack is started and almost hammered down to the stock, put a small scrap of wood over the tack and finish hammering it down. This will keep the hammer's head from hitting your stock and disfiguring it.
Once you do this, there is not turning back...
You will have holes in the stock and the outline of the tack's head if the tack is ever removed.
You could also use small brass nails for a finer "tack" outline.
Draw in the design first using a crayon or washable marker, do NOT tack as you go...
You might be off by a tack and then it would look bad.
Keep it simple and symetrical, the tacks I had along the barrel channel were the same on both sides.
Good luck and work slow.
Measure twice and tack once.
FIRST: MAKE SURE THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT...
You have several types and sizes you can choose from, I used brass-round head tacks for the musket in the picture.
You can get them from any hardware store, they also sell chrome tacks too, but they're tacky. "UGGH, bad pun."
Brass tacks were a big trade item with the indians, patterns are whatever is pleasing to your eye.
I pre-drilled the tack holes first with a fine drill bit, just to keep from splitting the wood or bending a tack and marring the stock.
Also, once the tack is started and almost hammered down to the stock, put a small scrap of wood over the tack and finish hammering it down. This will keep the hammer's head from hitting your stock and disfiguring it.
Once you do this, there is not turning back...
You will have holes in the stock and the outline of the tack's head if the tack is ever removed.
You could also use small brass nails for a finer "tack" outline.
Draw in the design first using a crayon or washable marker, do NOT tack as you go...
You might be off by a tack and then it would look bad.
Keep it simple and symetrical, the tacks I had along the barrel channel were the same on both sides.
Good luck and work slow.
Measure twice and tack once.
barry i dressed up my gpr with escution pins [domed head brass nails]. Heads are about 1/8 in. across I followde the crescent butt plate on both side spacing them about 3/4 in. apart and about a 1/2 in. on the off side i followed the top and bottom of the stock up to the wrist using the same spacin I did not do the cheek side cause recoil rips my beard out and makes ya prone to flinchin everyone who sees it says it looks great a couple glass beads in yer medecin colors on a strip of rawhide looks good hangin off trigger guard
I hope ya have her named mine is nadine
weasel
I hope ya have her named mine is nadine
weasel
Guest
quote: I did not do the cheek side cause recoil rips my beard out and makes ya prone to flinchin weasel, the History Channel had a program "Guns of the West" or something like that on the other night. They had a few miscues (like showing a drawing of a Peacemaker when they were talking about the 1851 Navy Colt), but they showed a couple of nice original period tacked stocks. And I noticed that one had a drop in the tack pattern on the cheek side -- like a short line of tacks, and then a "U" shape where your cheek could rest, and then the tack line contined. Looked great, and it was obviously functional.
Three weeks ago the wife and I were at Colonial Williamsburg, and I noticed in the Prentice Store they had big, beautiful brass tacks at 45 cents each. Now I read this string and recall, durn, why I should have bought a handfull! They were handmade, would have looked far better than what is available at the local hardware store/Wal-Mart!
I bought tacks some time back, in quantity, from Dixie. I did dress up a Leman I have after researching some of the patterns in books (photos). Like was said above, be careful of low grade tacks.
I drill the hole to be a few thousandths under the shank diameter and then score the shank with a three corner file. This way the wood 'grabs' the shank of the tack.
It is amazing how heavily tacked some of the NA guns are/were.
I drill the hole to be a few thousandths under the shank diameter and then score the shank with a three corner file. This way the wood 'grabs' the shank of the tack.
It is amazing how heavily tacked some of the NA guns are/were.
