Well, I'm kind of an old fart, but I'm new to black powder. I did gunsmith work for years, so after cleaning other people's guns on a regular basis, I had no desire to use one that was going to require daily (when used) cleaning. I have been a traditional bowhunter for years, preferring longbows and recurves to those machines with training wheels that some call bows. I have nothing against those who use them; they are just not for me. I also fly fish and prefer flies I tie myself.
The simplicity of a traditional bow is probably what has finally drawn me into the world of traditional muzzle loading firearms. That and a TC Hawken kit I've had for about 25-30 years without taking it out of the box. I'm nearing completion of the kit now, so I'll be making smoke before long, assuming I can find primers and powder. :hmm:
Since I'm a hunter, I'm making a hunting rifle of the TC (a .50 cal BTW). I've draw filed and blued the steel parts using Brownell's Oxpho Blue. Oxpho gives a nice, deep blue that is very durable since part of the process is burnishing the finish with steel wool. Most of the cold touch-up blues will rub off with steel wool. Oxpho blue won't. I also used it to "antique" the brass parts, since I don't want shiny brass on a hunting arm. It Oxpho works pretty well for that as well. The brass has a bit more of a coppery look than the "antique brass" you see on door knobs and such, but I think it will look good on the finished rifle. I'm not good at taking pictures during the process, but I'll try to post some of the finished rifle. I plan to use dark walnut stain on the stock and finish it with Truoil.
I'm sixty for a couple months yet, and I've been married to the same woman for over 40 years. We have three wonderful children, two boys and a girl, who have given us five awesome grandchildren and will add another any day now. I worked in law enforcement for about 15 years, but my right knee finally forced me to find a new career. For 20 years I taught secondary language arts (English). I retired from full time teaching in 2010, but I sub quite a bit. I love the flexibility subbing offers, especially during deer season, though the pay is obviously not much to brag on. My wife worked for 34 years as an accountant before corporate downsizing forced her career change. She now works in financial services for a local hospital on a half-time basis, which is what she wants.
We bought a small farm/large acreage last year (36.5 acres), which has timber, a field for food plots, and a trout stream. It's about 5 minutes from the Mississippi River and 40 minutes from both of my boys. Yeah, it's heaven...okay, it's Iowa, but it's my field of dreams. It includes a two bedroom mobile home that is in good shape, so we have a summer/fall home that is close to kids and grandkids.
That's about it for now. I've been lurking around this site for a while now, trying to suck up as much knowledge as possible before I attempt this new venture. Seems like a great place to learn to me.
The simplicity of a traditional bow is probably what has finally drawn me into the world of traditional muzzle loading firearms. That and a TC Hawken kit I've had for about 25-30 years without taking it out of the box. I'm nearing completion of the kit now, so I'll be making smoke before long, assuming I can find primers and powder. :hmm:
Since I'm a hunter, I'm making a hunting rifle of the TC (a .50 cal BTW). I've draw filed and blued the steel parts using Brownell's Oxpho Blue. Oxpho gives a nice, deep blue that is very durable since part of the process is burnishing the finish with steel wool. Most of the cold touch-up blues will rub off with steel wool. Oxpho blue won't. I also used it to "antique" the brass parts, since I don't want shiny brass on a hunting arm. It Oxpho works pretty well for that as well. The brass has a bit more of a coppery look than the "antique brass" you see on door knobs and such, but I think it will look good on the finished rifle. I'm not good at taking pictures during the process, but I'll try to post some of the finished rifle. I plan to use dark walnut stain on the stock and finish it with Truoil.
I'm sixty for a couple months yet, and I've been married to the same woman for over 40 years. We have three wonderful children, two boys and a girl, who have given us five awesome grandchildren and will add another any day now. I worked in law enforcement for about 15 years, but my right knee finally forced me to find a new career. For 20 years I taught secondary language arts (English). I retired from full time teaching in 2010, but I sub quite a bit. I love the flexibility subbing offers, especially during deer season, though the pay is obviously not much to brag on. My wife worked for 34 years as an accountant before corporate downsizing forced her career change. She now works in financial services for a local hospital on a half-time basis, which is what she wants.
We bought a small farm/large acreage last year (36.5 acres), which has timber, a field for food plots, and a trout stream. It's about 5 minutes from the Mississippi River and 40 minutes from both of my boys. Yeah, it's heaven...okay, it's Iowa, but it's my field of dreams. It includes a two bedroom mobile home that is in good shape, so we have a summer/fall home that is close to kids and grandkids.
That's about it for now. I've been lurking around this site for a while now, trying to suck up as much knowledge as possible before I attempt this new venture. Seems like a great place to learn to me.
:rotf:
