First Build - Jacob Dickert .50 Cal. Transitional Period

[McGuire2003]

I had one just like that years ago and had no problems with it!

I think the original poster I was replying to had the idea that my touch hole was too far from the "perfect" location. I had said I wished it could have been closer to exactly where I originally intended. It's only 1/64" up and 1/32" forward of exact sunrise position. When the Frizzen is closed, the touch hole is well within the frizzen/pan cutout, and its position is far more accurate to "perfect" than many of originals I have looked at. The pic made it look worse than it really is. I'm certain it will be fast and fine.

 

[McGuire2003]

Beautiful nice and neat!

Thank You

 

[McGuire2003]

Well done indeed!
I simply do not have those sorts of skills. My stock would be ready for the woodpile and I'd be trying to sell the rest of the parts.

Thank You. These skills are not that hard to acquire. I have been a woodworker for a long time, and the metal working skills were all acquired while doing woodworking. But I will admit that there is a much wider breadth of skills required to assemble a fine flintlock that I had originally anticipated. All doable, of course, but it's a big list of "things" to be done. One step at a time, and finding a few good mentors has helped me immeasurably. Without the two I have, I'd be sunk in a several areas so far.

 

[McGuire2003]

Just a few baby steps this weekend. Roughed in the Heel of the Butt Plate, removing and shaping the area where the sprue was located. Also rounded-over the mounting screws. Butt Plate still requires smoothing and polish. Drilled the Ramrod Pipes mounting pins. Certainly not my most accurate work. Screwed the first one up entirely and had to plug the hole, then two of the other pins drifted off axis on me. Oh well. Next up is final shaping of the comb and butt stock sides prior to patch box inletting and installation.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

Slow and persistent does it!

 

[McGuire2003]

Kept looking at the original Side Plate, and did not like the shape. Decided to make a new one with a small change in shape more indicative of a Dickert, and re-inlet the new one into the old inlet. It's a bit bigger than I would have liked, but I had already inlet the previous one and had to inlet around that.

Also started shaping the Butt Stock and forming the comb to the Butt Plate. I'm still undecided as to what the bottom of the cheek Rest will turn out to be. There are several moulding types that Jacob Dickert used in the early period, but none are very well represented in books and pictures. But, now that the right side of the stock is shaped and ready to go, it’s time to inlet the Patch Box finial and Patch Box Cover.

 

[McGuire2003]

Just a Patch Box ready to bore some holes ...

 

[frankie]

Not being the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes, I decided to build, as my first attempt ever, a Jacob Dickert - esque rifle. Primarily an early style, but with a few golden age leaning features. I chose a preshaped stock with barrel channel cut and ramrod groove and hole drilled, without any inletting. I didn’t feel up to a blank start.

So far I have the barrel breeched and inlet; the lock has been inlet; the flash hole bored, threaded, and insert installed, and barrel draw filed. The first images I’ll post represent an order of progression of the lock inletting.

The flash hole came out a little forward and higher than I originally planned, but it’s well within limits, and should go boom without delay. We shall see. I’ll update this post as I progress through this build.

@Brazos John
Here's the build ...

I’m sure there are many versions of PhD.

Very very nice

 

[Eddie Southgate]

Beautiful work. I would have stuck with the original side plate though, the new one looks to be positioned a bit off . Could be the angle of the picture, looks a bit higher on the back end .

 

[Buckskinn]

Good start! Why isn't this in the Builders Bench Forum???

 

[McGuire2003]

Good start! Why isn't this in the Builders Bench Forum???

I’m a novice. New to the forum, hobby, and a first-time, builder. Who knew? LoL

 

[McGuire2003]

Beautiful work. I would have stuck with the original side plate though, the new one looks to be positioned a bit off . Could be the angle of the picture, looks a bit higher on the back end .

I agree, but at this point it comes down to two things:
1) Note to self; “Don’t do that again, stupid.”
2) As to the side plate, It is what it is … can’t do anything about it anymore. LoL

 

[McGuire2003]

A little excavating and it springs!

Installed teh Catch Pin and drilled the receiving hole in the stock. Excavated the Patch Box cavity and installed the door spring.

I do have a question here, though. The bottom of the Patch Box cavity right now has about 1/16" of the brad points left from the Forstner bit. For an early Dickert, should the bottom be flat with no sign of the brad points, or should it have a whisper of the points remaining?

 

[Eddie Southgate]

No Forstner bits in Dickert's day. Lose them if you can. Whittle some pegs and tap them in the holes with a little glue or work them out with a chisel so it looks hand cut.

 

[McGuire2003]

No Forstner bits in Dickert's day. Lose them if you can. Whittle some pegs and tap them in the holes with a little glue or work them out with a chisel so it looks hand cut.

I am well aware Forstner Bits didn't exist until 1874. Dickert used Center Bits in his production, which had a chisel point, and left a similar dimple. My question was whether or not Dickert left the dimple, or did he remove it. Not many Dickert patch box interiors are photographed, but those I have seen appear they may contain the whisper of a dimple. For now I will leave them there until I can get positive confirmation. I can always take them down later.

 

[Red Owl]

Ditto on the flash hole. Go ahead and shoot it as is. It is the heat that ignites the charge, a little high shouldn't be a problem. Worry about it later if it does create an issue.

 

[McGuire2003]

Spring went the thing ...

Installed the Catch Release: Still needs a little fine-tuning and shaping of both engaging parts, but it's almost ready to drill the Release Button shaft.

 

[McGuire2003]

Surprised myself. Couldn't have got it much more right than I did.
Fine tuned the engagement of the Catch and Latch Spring, then drilled the Release Pin hole. I was given a very handy piece of advice on the Release drilling process that worked great for me.

 

[McGuire2003]

Got the Patchbox Release steel rod cut and filed to length, counter bored the wood below, and all wrks great. All that's left is to reduce the profile of the button and add the screwdriver slot.

 

[Cattywompuss]

I am well aware Forstner Bits didn't exist until 1874. Dickert used Center Bits in his production, which had a chisel point, and left a similar dimple. My question was whether or not Dickert left the dimple, or did he remove it. Not many Dickert patch box interiors are photographed, but those I have seen appear they may contain the whisper of a dimple. For now I will leave them there until I can get positive confirmation. I can always take them down later.

I believe the Dickert recently featured on ILOVEMUZZLELOADING had dimples in the box. Either that one or the JP Beck. One of the two def did.