building a GPR kit ?'s

[Rusty Spur 82]

Here we go.I am trying to build my first kit gun ever and will need help along the way as I get my feet wet.I have begun by first laying out the butt of the stock so that I can shorten my trigger pull to 13-1/2 inches.So far,so good.It's slow cause I am doing it all by hand very cautiously.
My first question is: "1"- since I have to remove the nose cap and the entry tube,to brown them ,what can I use to remove the little pins holding it all together?I don't have a punch that size but I was thinking of using a finishing nail as a punch.
"2"- This front loader will be used for hunting so what stock finish should I use to protect it from the elements?
"3"- I am going to cold brown the barrel and all parts but I do not have a sweat box and not sure what is required.I do have a 30"x30" shower stall in the basement.Can I hang the barrel by the hooked breech and brown it or will that create a build up of browning solution at the muzzle?
Well,that will get me going for now.I think.I sure could use some good advice and I appreciate it.
Thanks in advance,
Rusty Spur.

 

[geb324]

Hi Rusty, Yes a nail would work just file off the point.
I always hang my barrels just make sure you wipe the excess solution off put a rag under it should anything drip, let it hang till it rusts.
Make sure you degrease it well it will rust faster
G

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

geb324,
Thank you.Are the pins tapered or doesn't it matter which way they punch out?
Rusty Spur.

 

[geb324]

No they are not tapered

 

[Zonie]

The finishing nail will work but it is a good idea to dull the point by filing it flat

Finishing nails are often a little larger than they look so if it starts hanging up in the pin hole, stop and find a smaller nail.
Once the pins are protruding 1/8" or more you can grab them with a pair of locking pliers and pull them the rest of the way out.

If you use Laural Mountain Browning solution you should be putting it on so thin that it won't run at all. If you apply it so thick that it does run it will probably deposite a layer of copper which must be removed for the browning to work.
In other words, follow the directions exactly by applying one thin coat and then subjecting it to a humid area like your shower stall.

These solutions are not quick and they take several coats to build up a nice uniform brown but don't give up. They work great.

Boiled or pure Linseed oil will not protect your stock form water well. Not only that, but water will form spots on it.

Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil is a special linseed oil blend that drys in 6-8 hours and protects the wood very well. It also does not spot if it gets wet.

There are several different Tung oils that also work well and dry fairly fast but the Pure Tung oil without additives is almost as slow to dry as boiled linseed oil. We're talking days, not hours.

A spar varnish can work but it should be applied very lightly applying many coats and allowing each to dry completely between coats.
Speaking of that, any of these oils need to dry completely before the next coat is applied.

As for shortening your stock I might suggest that you buy a compass.
Put something sharp into the compass where the pencil would go.

Measure from the middle of the front trigger to your desired length of pull and make a small mark on the wood.

Remove the butt plate if it is installed and rest one leg of the compass against the cut wood on the stock and adjust it so the point in the other leg is on your measured mark. Then, carefully scribe a line on both sides of the stock using the existing rear of the stock as a guide.

How you remove the extra wood is up to you but stop just short of the scribed lines and switch to a rough sandpaper like a 60 or 80 grit and use a small block of wood as a sanding block to support the paper while you slowly remove the extra wood to the scribed line.

I like the red garnet sandpaper. It seems to cut better than the flint or aluminum oxide paper.

When your butt plate seems to fit the curve you've sanded, place the butt plate in position and lower it down so that the projecting tang at the heel touches the stock.
Use an Exacto-Knife or very sharp hobby knife to cut a mark where the end of the tang is.

The easiest way to remove the extra wood to your new marks is with a razor sharp chisel but if you don't have one, a small hammer can be used to tap the top of the hobby knifes blade to cut down thru the wood.

The most important thing is to take your time with all of this building so that you don't remove any extra wood and so that the places where the butt plate (and all of the other metal parts) fit exactly with the wood.

Have fun.

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

Zonie,
Thank you for all the good info.You covered a lot of what I needed to know.I shall proceed with caution.
Watch your top knot,
Rusty Spur.

 

[Goldhunter]

One other thing with this kit: those dang tiny screws up on the barrel wedge escutcheons. They break easily! So, if you intent on using them, pre-drill the holes closer to the the size you need and wax/soap the screw prior to inserting them. This reduces friction. Or use slightly bigger screws to help alegiate this. You should still predrill the holes and wax/soap the screw, but they are less apt to break. I used these screws with great success.

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

Thanks. I think I'll go for the bigger screw also.I was leery of the screws when I opened the package.That will at least save me the headache of trying to work around a broken screw.

 

[goody]

Modern screwdrivers have tapered heads.Be careful not strip out the screw heads, or buy a set of tools for working on guns.

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

Thanks Goody.I have that one covered from working on my other guns after learning the hard way.

 

[ryzman]

take some pictures of the project rusty spur. would love to see your progress as it unfolds. what kind of stain are you planning? light dark etc?

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

ryzman,
I haven't really decided on what stain to use yet for the stock as I am not to familiar with the results it will have on the walnut stock.I do have a bottle of BWC's Rusty Walnut wood stain ordered to try.The color of that beautiful rifle above is pretty much what I want to achieve.The way that the Lyman comes from the factory is to dark for my taste but livable.
As far as posting pictures,I must plead stupid.I am lucky to get pass email on the computer.I will try to get that all figured out during my building process so that I can do that for you and the others who are being so helpful to me.
Watch your top knot,
Rusty Spur

 

[Birddog6]

If you go back thru the threads in this Builders section of this site, you will find MANY threads about assembling GPR kits & find more info than you can digest in even a few days. Also look for browning methods & etc.

As for browning it, you can easily brown one in 24 hrs in a shower or steamy bathroom, using the Wahkon Bay Tru-Brown solution & instructions. YOu can get Tru-Brown from Mike Lea in Columbus, OH (just Google his name) for from other venders as well. Some use a sweat box but I have build dozens of rifles & never have needed one.
Cleanliness is imperative in most browning methods, and I prefer to use disposable Nitril gloves when I do it. I can PT the instructions from some Tru-Brown to you if you wish.

As for a protective finish, it is important you seal the wood after staining to protect if from natures elements, thus I suggest Tru-Oil or Permalyn. Either will seal the wood to protect it from moisture & you can obtain a dull to glass shine with them, depending on how you apply & work the finish as it is applied. This type of finish is one you rub Into the wood, rather than build up ON the wood like a varnish, etc.

Keith Lisle

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

Birddog6,
Thanks for the pointers.You brought up the point about browning,which I am in the process of trying to get a handle on now before I start.I will start a new topic on this: I have a bottle of Dangler's Browning Solution,does anybody know how to apply it? I think it is a different process then the LM solution.Not sure but I don't have the directions.
Rusty Spur

 

[ryzman]

ya i think bluing will be the most difficult and scary part of the build for me. I want all my iron parts to be uniformly the same blue and have yet to see any kits done this way.First i was wanting a rust brown but after some thought i have decided to go with a true blue like on the barrel of this 1851 navy brass sheriff pistol.

is it possible to blue all the metal on a GPR to look like the barrel on this revolver?

 

[ryzman]

hey rusty spur. does all the metal on the GPR kit seem like its able to take a bluing?

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

Don't know. I would imagine it is the same as other steel parts that you blue.I am going to brown my metal parts.I assume that you sand and polish the steel parts well,degrease them and follow the directions for bluing.I believe that if you have a browning solution that you just have to add the step of boiling water in between your coats after you card off the rust.I am certainly not the one to ask as I am taking it one step at a time myself.I am sure others will be along to give you the ,for sure, correct answers.I don't want to tell you anything that can mess you up.I would feel mighty bad about that.

 

[ryzman]

no worries. i am just throwing questions out there that pop in my head. I dont usually think before i talk so that shows up here in the forum.
actually i have gotten real lucky. there is a community college that has a gunsmith program here in nevada and i talked to the professor and he told me he would allow me to use his facility for free. no charge for the bluing. I cant wait to see how it works.
Rusty I dont have my kit yet so i cant make mistakes yet.

 

[Zonie]

True rust bluing is done by just modifying the hard brown rust that is formed by browning by boiling the browned part in distilled water.

This is not just a superficial coating like the Cold Blues that are sold in gun stores.

The hard brown rust that is formed by browning is ferrous oxide. Subjecting this form of rust to boiling distilled water or to steam changes it into ferro-ferric oxide which is black in color.
The black color is often called "bluing" because it can take on a slightly blue look when oil is applied to it.

If you want to "blue" your gun using this conversion process remember, the browning must NOT have any OILs or WAX on it for this to work.

IMO, there is no need to brown then boil then brown then boil etc. Just build up a nice uniform brown and when it looks good, do the conversion.

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

Zonie,
Thanks for catching ryzman's post and explaining the process and what takes place.I learned something too.
Rusty Spur