First Build and questions.

[Monkeyman]

Hi all,

I've wanted a musket since forever, and I've finally decided to take the plunge and buy one. Coincidentally, I turned 18 only a couple months ago, so it is also the first gun I've ever bought. Earlier today, I placed an order for a 1740 Potsdam musket via The Rifle Shoppe. I've read here that it's best to ask if they have all of the parts in stock before purchasing, as they have a reputation for taking a while to get parts delivered. I gave TRS a phone call and asked if they had all of the parts in stock, they do apart from the assembled lock. The quote for the assembled lock was 3-6 months. They said they will ship everything before the lock is finished so I can get a head start, which was very nice of them. I have about 4 years of woodworking experience under my belt, but I do have questions. Do I need a super expensive set of chisels? Expensive being over $150.00 USD. For those who have bought kits from TRS, how much help did the stock need? What are some good tips besides patience for assembling a musket? What are things I can do to make the experience more enjoyable? What do you folks recommend for staining and finishing the gun? I want it to look like the picture below, which is also a TRS Potsdam.

 

[Phil Coffins]

You’ll get plenty of good tips here and I’d like to start with the one that took years to except, sharping stones and how to use them! Scary sharp chisels can only be made with good stones and careful use. If the edge isn’t mirror bright and cuts with little effort then you won’t make clean and controlled inlays or carving. Don’t buy a set of chisels buy the ones you need as you need them. A few basic high quality tools will allow you to enjoy building.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
Welcome aboard son. I like muskets too. TRS kits are really part sets and can require some skill to build but I am sure you are up to the task. With respect to tools, I suggest looking at the following threads that involved building muskets from TRS parts. In addition is a thread on working over a Pedersoli Bess. There is a wealth of information in them including tools and historical details. Read them thoroughly before you begin. Also don't hesitate to send me questions by PM on this site. I know a lot about building muskets.

dave
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...ish-pattern-1760-light-infantry-fusil.116956/Building a British Pattern 1760 Light Infantry Fusil
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...rown-bess-almost-ready-for-inspection.123947/https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-reworking-a-pedersoli-brown-bess.107405/

 

[Are. M.]

Amateur craft woodworker here.

x2 on that mirror sharp finish.

You can go as high or low as you want on chisels. I've put together two guns and a pile of craft projects with a 12 dollar set of chisels from the Aldi grocery store. The steel isn't that great, but I keep them sharp with wet/dry sandpaper (500-2000 grit) and windex, then a leather strop with jeweler's rouge.

I recently took the plunge into carving, and was able to put together a tool kit for a reasonable price. I'll post links below of my recently purchased sets of things. All in all, I have ~130 bucks tied up in all of my chisels, gouges, V-tools, files, and sharpening equipment. They've all been put to pretty good use, and they're a one time purchase if you take good care of them.


Some Links:

VonHaus Carving Chisels
https://www.amazon.com/VonHaus-Carv...et&qid=1606774937&sprefix=von+haus+car&sr=8-2
The steel is okay, but they need some serious sharpening before they're good to use. Knock the corners off the flat chisel in this set and have a nice round nose tool.


The rest of the stuff in this list comes from Klingspor Woodworking out of North Carolina. There are coupons out there if you look for them or sign up for their email and they'll knock x% off and start sending coupons.

Ramelson Basic Carving Set
https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/ra00116/
These are great straight out of the packaging. Very sharp, high quality toolage here.

Riffler Files
https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/bh13099/
These can be found cheaper elsewhere online. Super handy and can be used on metal as well.

SlipStrop
https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/pw12/
Magic in a box. Don't question it. Gets yer sweeps and v-tools sharp as a frikkin lazor.

Make yourself a large strop by gluing a piece of leather to some wood and you'll be good to go.


Best of Luck,
R.M.

 

[Monkeyman]

Hi,
Welcome aboard son. I like muskets too. TRS kits are really part sets and can require some skill to build but I am sure you are up to the task. With respect to tools, I suggest looking at the following threads that involved building muskets from TRS parts. In addition is a thread on working over a Pedersoli Bess. There is a wealth of information in them including tools and historical details. Read them thoroughly before you begin. Also don't hesitate to send me questions by PM on this site. I know a lot about building muskets.

dave
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...ish-pattern-1760-light-infantry-fusil.116956/Building a British Pattern 1760 Light Infantry Fusil
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...rown-bess-almost-ready-for-inspection.123947/https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-reworking-a-pedersoli-brown-bess.107405/

Wow, thanks for the great information! I gave you 1760 Light Infantry Fusil thread a read, and I'm already learning a lot, thanks!

 

[Monkeyman]

Amateur craft woodworker here.

x2 on that mirror sharp finish.

You can go as high or low as you want on chisels. I've put together two guns and a pile of craft projects with a 12 dollar set of chisels from the Aldi grocery store. The steel isn't that great, but I keep them sharp with wet/dry sandpaper (500-2000 grit) and windex, then a leather strop with jeweler's rouge.

I recently took the plunge into carving, and was able to put together a tool kit for a reasonable price. I'll post links below of my recently purchased sets of things. All in all, I have ~130 bucks tied up in all of my chisels, gouges, V-tools, files, and sharpening equipment. They've all been put to pretty good use, and they're a one time purchase if you take good care of them.


Some Links:

VonHaus Carving Chisels
https://www.amazon.com/VonHaus-Carv...et&qid=1606774937&sprefix=von+haus+car&sr=8-2
The steel is okay, but they need some serious sharpening before they're good to use. Knock the corners off the flat chisel in this set and have a nice round nose tool.


The rest of the stuff in this list comes from Klingspor Woodworking out of North Carolina. There are coupons out there if you look for them or sign up for their email and they'll knock x% off and start sending coupons.

Ramelson Basic Carving Set
https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/ra00116/
These are great straight out of the packaging. Very sharp, high quality toolage here.

Riffler Files
https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/bh13099/
These can be found cheaper elsewhere online. Super handy and can be used on metal as well.

SlipStrop
https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/pw12/
Magic in a box. Don't question it. Gets yer sweeps and v-tools sharp as a frikkin lazor.

Make yourself a large strop by gluing a piece of leather to some wood and you'll be good to go.


Best of Luck,
R.M.

Thanks for the information! I just ordered some of the Slip Strop. I just borrowed a set of chisels from my grandfather, if I need something finer, I'll buy some Ramelsons.

 

[Flintandsteel]

The first mistake that new builders make, is buying “sets” of chisels. Buy a set of 6, and I guara teed, you’ll only use one or two.
Figure out what you need, and buy the best you can find.
you’ll be glad you did,

 

[rich pierce]

TRS precarve stocks don’t leave much meat on the bones for adjustments. As with any precarve stock with a lock inlet you need to be ready to move the barrel to get the touchhole where you want it. Just the opposite of working with a blank where the barrel goes in then the lock.
Because trigger plate and so on has an inlet made, the adjustments must be very subtle. I’d spend some time finding the face of the breechplug, looking at where the pan will end up with the lock positioned as it is, and making sure the touchhole is going to work.

I tossed a 1728 Fusil Ordinaire TRS precarve and stocked the parts as a New England fowler because it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to mount and shoot that gun and there was no extra wood to allow any adjustments. I suppose that was the soldier’s lot back then. Shoot what you were issued!

This parts set may be better fitting.

 

[Pete G]

I suppose that was the soldier’s lot back then. Shoot what you were issued!

Still is

 

[Kansas Jake]

The first mistake that new builders make, is buying “sets” of chisels. Buy a set of 6, and I guara teed, you’ll only use one or two.
Figure out what you need, and buy the best you can find.
you’ll be glad you did,

The only problem with this statement is if you are a total newbie you have no idea which of the 6 you will find most useful. I bought s set many years ago and have used all of them a little bit and as Flintandsteel noted primarily use two.

 

[Zonie]

The chisels I found most useful for most rifle building are 1/8", 1/4" and 1/2" wide. (I had problems finding many 1/8" wide chisels to choose from so I ended up grinding a 1/4" chisel down.)

 

[Flintandsteel]

You can find chisels as narrow as 1/16” , which I use for underlugs.
Pfeil offers pretty much anything you want in chisels and gouges. I like the intermediate size the best. But be prepared to pay for them. You get what you pay for, and you will have these the rest of your life, as long as you don’t use them for a pry bar.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Scrapers can be used for wood removal and smoothing. Scraping is a very traditional method for smoothing wood and the scrapers can be inexpensive.

The tines from a metal leaf rake can be ground to a special shape and sharpened to use as detail scrapers. The tines can also be ground as tiny chisels for inlet work. Worn out hacksaw blades can be sharpened to make a scraper. A flexible paint scraper can also be turned into a scraper. Of course there is the traditional broken glass.

 

[rich pierce]

Here is my approach to flat or straight chisels I make for building guns, narrowest to widest:

I need one narrow enough for the trigger blade slot. Yes, I drill for the slot but like the ends of the inlet to be square and to clear the slot out. The same chisel works for ramrod thimble tabs and squaring up wedge key slots. It needs to be about 0.070” wide but it tapers from the point back to at least 1/2” deep for strength. I don’t know where you could find such a stout narrow chisel for sale. You can get by with one more delicate by using it gently.


Next I need one a tad wider for underlug tabs for the wider underlugs used with wedge keys. About 1/8” wide.

One about 1/4” to 5/16” wide gets a lot of use inletting barrel breech lungs and tangs etc. It’s used all over the gun build.

A 3/8” wide flat chisel helps with octagon barrel inlets.

I make and use a very thin, wide flat chisel that is about 0.060” thick and half an inch to 5/8” wide. This is used to stab in and clean up the edges of narrow slot inlets like the trigger blade inlet. It also works great for stabbing in tang inlets and such. You can’t buy such a chisel SFAIK.

A couple stout flat chisels up to an inch wide are good for general use.

Gouges I use include ones for specific spots in the build. The smallest one will work to inlet the bend of the sear spring. The next bigger one will work to inlet or clean up the inlet for the bend of the average mainspring. I make a larger one that matches the nose of many flintlock lock plates.

With these task-specific chisels and gouges I can do about everything on a gun without carving or inlays.

I make my chisels and gouges from files, drill rod, or spring steel.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Rich made me a chisel from some narrow steel stock so I could get the underlugs into my stock blank. I use it a lot and keep it sharp for the next use.

 

[LawrenceA]

Scrapers can be used for wood removal and smoothing. Scraping is a very traditional method for smoothing wood and the scrapers can be inexpensive.

The tines from a metal leaf rake can be ground to a special shape and sharpened to use as detail scrapers. The tines can also be ground as tiny chisels for inlet work. Worn out hacksaw blades can be sharpened to make a scraper. A flexible paint scraper can also be turned into a scraper. Of course there is the traditional broken glass.

Old hacksaw blades are great fr this to. Also for making little chisels and other bladed gadgets

 

[Monkeyman]

Lots of great information here, thanks all!

 

[billraby]

$150 is a super expensive set of chisels. Stay away from the Woodcraft website!!! And you are best off with no idea what a Liogier rasp is. If you are starting off with no tools, the cheap ones will get you started and get the job done. They are also likely to get to say a few dirty words. Once you are started you can replace the cheap tools with better ones as you go.

 

[Monkeyman]

Update: the chisels my grandpa loaned me are a set of Bracht. I sharpened them just now and they feel really good!

 

[LuVerne Schumann]

I now have two chisels I use from pfeil. A 1/8th and a 1/4. I also just obtained a flat and curved japanese rasp. I think you could honestly build a rifle with just these tools and a hacksaw blade scraper