Fowler side plate: round faced or flat?

[Onojutta]

This side plate for a British fowler came with a shoulder around the screw heads. On the top screw, I didn't get the hole perfectly centered so the screw wasn't concentric with the shoulder. To deal with this, I filed off the shoulder. However, because the plate face is round, this causes the screw to appear as though it is sunk into the plate, or as if the screw drew the plate downward. To mitigate that, I could file down the round face so that the plate is flat. This would cause the whole plate to be flush with the wood like a cheek piece inlay. The question is, which sin is worse? Is it more important that the plate have a found face, or that the screw appears to sit flush with the plate surface?

Another option is to leave it as is and engrave a simple design like I have have penciled in to disrupt the transition from the flat screw bearing to the rounded face.

 

[martin9]

My first move would be to trace the plate on a piece of brass and make a new plate.....I'd probably just make a flat plate. Just use a piece of brass thick enough to sit above the wood properly. You could also go ahead and engrave your design on that one and see if that works for you.

 

[akroguy]

Getting the lock/side plate bolts exactly perpendicular to the face of the side plate can be a little tricky. Lots of curves on these guns and getting all the angles perfect around the breech and lock area can be tricky. A little bit of end mill (if you have a mill or good drill press) the same diameter as the bolt head could dress off just enough brass to flush the head with careful use. Like Martin9 says, cutting a new plate from thicker material might give you a fresh start.

 

[Onojutta]

I agree, getting the screw to sit flush is tricky. I did achieve that by removing brass in a bit of a dental procedure with a Dremel (I know, I know), and this is what has resulted in the uneven surfaces. I'm afraid that if I used a new plate altogether, the same thing might happen where the screw head wouldn't sit flush without modification. I think the easiest thing to do if it must be dealt with would be to stick with this plate and just file it down flat to remove the round face. But is that necessary? Could it work as is, especially with some engraving?

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

order a new one from chambers.