buttplates

[BlackNet]

I don't suppose anyone has some buttplate photo's they would liek to share? I have an unfinished buttplate in my blunderbuss kit and all the plates I have seen (all unfinished) has these raised square tabs on them, mostly 1 or 2, was curious what that's for and what it should look like when it's finished. Searches on the net does not turn up much in this area and im told it's the buttplate that makes the difference in all the older stuff but that's one area that's hardly ever shown.

Was thinking about checkering and using the tabs as screw holes. There's other design methods I was thinking about as well but that one seems the best one so far.

Ed

 

[silverfox]

I think what you are asking about is probably due to or called a casting knob. When they cast the buttplate thats the opening where they pour the molten metal.
The normal thing to do with these is to file them off flush with the rest of the metal making a smooth butt plate.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[CrackStock]

There will be a pour hole where the metal was poured into the mold cavity and at least one vent hole to permit the air to escape which allows the mold to be filled.

These are generally ground or filed down to reach the desired shape.

The picture is merely showing what you are getting.

CS

 

[aragorn]

If you clamp the plate in a vise (careful not to bend it, brass is soft), you can use a hacksaw to saw off the main part of those 'tabs.' Then it's a relatively easy matter to file the rest off flush with the plate - if you carry on until you're filing the plate too then you'd never know the tabs existed.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Those are casting sprues, to be sawed off, then filed and sanded to existing profile of parts.

 

[Zonie]

If you want to amaze the folks who are around you you can tell them you had to cut off the casting "gate" and riser".

Don't be suprised when they look at you with a blank stare.

 

[BlackNet]

so what type of pattern should I go with? It's for a blunderbus and finding info on them is super hard.

Ed

 

[Zonie]

I'll show how little I know by saying
That's a Hard One to answer.

From my reading I know these guns were used as Navy weapons (boarding and defending), Coach weapons (dissuades the Highwaymen, don't you know?) and by guards for the wealthy (nothing like a giant hole in the muzzle to deter the mob) (among other uses).

With this varied usage I can picture anything from a very plane, wide brass military style to an elaborately chiseled buttplate and thumbpiece casting.
Assuming I'm not off base, I would think that it could be almost anything in this range.

 

[jlynn]

Mr Street-On the two
bbusses that I built I just filrd and polished them and let it go at that. I have been building over 25 yrs and still do not attempt any engraving. I have practiced on scrap brass several times and it always looked like crap-even simple stuff. Be content with a good fit and a good bright or matte polish and work up to other stuff later. Keep chugging and enjoy the work and remember that at least one gunsmith (Haga supposedly) NEVER engraved anything on his firearms and a number of others should not have. Simple and good IS good in the beginning. jwl

 

[Harddog]

so what type of pattern should I go with? It's for a blunderbus and finding info on them is super hard.

Ed

Blunderbusses were an English thing. Almost all the blunderbusses you see are English. Therefore you should use a british style buttplate. A brown bess buttplate shows up on a lot of blunderbusses or you could use any English fowler style buttplate.

Randy Hedden

 

[WRussell]

The answer is: they should look like any other shoulder arm buttplate. I'm a pistol fan, and only have a a few longarms, two of which happen to be blunderbusses. I've had the buttplate off my Barbar blunderbuss, and it has a tab toward the end of the tang. There was a pin through the stock holding it in place, in addition to the two screws through the buttplate itself. When I replaced it I didn't bother with the pin, I just bent the tang so it was sprung in place a little bit.

There was originally a single line engraved around the edge, but most of it is long gone. The tang is engraved as per photo.

 

[charliek]

"Weapons of the American Revolution", by George C. Neumann has 3 or 4 pages of illustrations of blunderbusses, both British and American. There are dimensions included in the descriptions. The photos show more of the locks and sideplates than buttplates, but the triggerguards and sideplates look like either fowler parts or Brown Bess hardware.
Charlie

 

[Mike Brooks]

Mr. Russell,
I hope you don't mind if I copied and stored that picture in my engraving archives?

 

[BlackNet]

Hello,

The buttplate is early english

Sidelock Plate: Early Style J. Long Stamped Sideplate

Trigger Assembly: Early Traditional Style Trigger and Plate

Trigger Guard: Early English Shotgun Style, Acorn Front

I can just see the trigger guard engraved, in fact it just screams ENGRAVE ME.

 

[Mike Brooks]

That trigger guard dates from 1765 to the 1780's. You might consider a more english sideplate if you want the gun to look more english.
Sounds like a great project! :thumbsup:

 

[BlackNet]

this is the sideplate I have currently.

tho I am not sure what to put on it.

I did find a book at track of the wolf called Blunderbuss 1500-1900 by James D Forman. So I threw that on the order I made. Hopefully this will give me the layouts I am looking for.

Ed

 

[mikelange]

That's a sideplate off a late (mid-1800's) rifle. By this time it was harder to distinguish the origin of rifles by details of their furniture and construction, but it's similar to plates used on rifles by Joseph Long, who I believe worked in central or western PA (I will graciously accept correction if any of that is wrong). In short, it isn't right for your blunderbuss.

If you have a Track Of The Wolf catalog, check out the various English musket and fowler sideplates. Track's website breaks their hardware down according to gun type and era, also, so take a look there if a catalog isn't handy.

I agree with the previous posts that pointed you toward English-style furniture, and that you've got a cool project in the works.

 

[Zonie]

Although the picture didn't come out as good as I had hoped, this picture is from the book SMALL ARMS by Frederick Wilkinson 1965 LCCCN 66-16162

Notice the sideplate in the lower right hand picture. It looks very much like the TOTW Brown Bess Sideplate with the tail chopped off (TOTW # SP-BESS-46-B) or perhaps the sideplate for the 1803 Harpers Ferry rifle (TOTW #SP-1803-B)
The Bess sideplate might be better suited to your lock?

The gun was made by I. Gill and caries the Tower mark and G.R., with a crown. It appearently was made for the government.
The author mentions the gun, at some time in its past was "decorated" by someone who drive steel nails into the stock.
"Some native characters are inscribed on the barrel with a passable imitation of the East India Company's mark..." although the marking is different form the East India Comopany's markings.

In the photo to the left you might notice the buttplate seems to be rather plain and flat.

 

[WRussell]

I hope you don't mind if I copied and stored that picture in my engraving archives?

Not at all. Want more???

 

[BlackNet]

OK the best image I can find on the net is this one.

william andrew beckwith blundebuss

Interesting to note the side plate.

This is where I got the idea to engrave/checkering and do something with the buttplate besides plain. I could leave the plate with nothing on it and just engrave the trigger guard and tennions.