first kit, help, cont.

[cavscout]

hey everyone.. i have two questions this time, i hope i can explain this to where you can understand it. i have looked at pics to try and get the answer, but i want to make sure i am doing this right. on the butt plate should the wood be flush with the butt plate on the sides as well as the top, what about the toe plate. the second question is should i do anything to the inside of the stock, ie the barrel channel, ramrod channel and inside where the trigger and lock are, such as finishing it or sealing it? thanks ahead of time

 

[SKS_madman]

scout, I would at least seal the areas under the metal for protection, as water is very pervasive and wood tends to rot when wet. :m2c:

 

[Pittsburghunter]

I would seal any exposed wood as well but be light about it if everything is lined up good. The buttplate should be flush when finished. If it is a hunting gun that will get wet a lot make sure all parts of the wood are sealed.

 

[George F.]

Hey Cav, do you have a builders book, like GUNSMITH OF GREENVILLE COUNTY or REACREATING THE AMERICAN LONGRIFLE? That would pretty much answer any of your questions if you don't think you're asking them right. They are excellent! But there's nothing like a hands of on examination of a completed gun. And by the way, yes the wood should be flush with the butt plate on all edges. The toe plate as you probably know is fitted after the butt plate is installed. Usually there is a little of the toe end of the butt plate extended past the bottom edge of the stock, you can leave that until you fit the toe plate to the toe of the stock and buttplate, then cut it about 1/32" longer than the surface of the toe plate then file it flat and flush with the surface of the toe plate.....
........Hoped that helped......George F.

 

You should seal every possible millimeter of that gunstock that you can. Whether the gun ever gets wet or not, humidity changes will cause the stock to swell and shrink and possibly cause issues with accuracy, cracking, etc. You should remove every piece of metal from the stock that you can, and seal it up with the oil finish you're going to use thinned down with mineral spirits. I use tung oil thinned down with 4 parts MS to 1 part tung oil. Thinning it down that much lets it soak into the wood really well. Use a toothpick and get it down into the pin holes even.

 

[cavscout]

Yes i do have a couple of those books. here is another question. i have been sanding down the butt stock to get it flush with the buttplate. i read on here or in one of those books about sanding the whole butstock and not just in one place or down near the butt plate. is there a good way to make sure that it all stays the right look or size and not just sanded down on the butt. i hope that made sense. i think the answer will be just experience and eyeing it will be the answer but i wanted to ask for any tips or if i'm right.. thanks

 

[Geoff Jones]

cav scout,

You are wise to consider the entire geometry of the rifle as you build and not concentrate on any one area without the overall picture. So, congrats...your insticts are correct.

Eric Kettenburg, one of the finest builders on the planet has an excellent treatise of this subject on his website. It's actually a step by step process of building an early VA rifle, but since it's from a blank, he details the thoughts behind the stock geometry in an excellent, rational, easy to understand fashion. Good read regardless of your building experience. It will also answer your questions from the other thread regarding "cast off".

http://www.firelocks.com/page42.html

good luck!

 

[Birddog6]

I would seal everything with Tru-Oil. Tho I like the tung oil finish better than Tru-Oil, Tung Oil is not waterproof & will not seal out moisture. Tru-Oil will. Thus seal it with Tru-oil first, rub it down & then finish with Tung oil or whatever.
And I seal everything. I get the rifle in the white, sanded & stained, then completely strip it & I coat every hole, gouge, cut, inlet, whatever, I even make a swab & I swab all the way to then end of the ramrod hole with Tru-Oil... Then I put all the metal stuff back on & do my finish rubbing & whiskering. Then when I have it ready I seal the entire rifle in Tru-oil & then rub it all out & then put the Tung oil on if that is what the customer wants.

:results:

 

[crockett]

Just a couple of thoughts. It is best to sort of finish everything as a whole, rather than bring one area to completion and then moving to another area. I hope that makes sense. On the fitting, if you aren't using a black, you ought to consider it. Scraping rather than sanding may also prove beneficial because you can scrape a very small area. A single sheet of aluminum foil is about .003"(I think)- in any event it makes a pretty good gauge. You can slide it under the part and pretty much determine the high spots. If you think the buttplate is fun just wait until you get the the entry pipe/thimble.
Your greatest asset is time. You will have the gun for years so go slow and do it right.