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I am Interested in making muzzle loaders the old way. Need advice how to.
- Thread starter MrMystery02
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Just WOW! That was quite a project!
Close to being finished :
And YES : really EVERYTHING completely made "oldstyle" with but hand tools !
But I have to be honest : I also own a ca 130+ years old , completely worn out lathe , which still does its job ( with little improvisations ... )
Just to give You an idea , was could/can be done with scrap material , imagination , lots of elbow grease and YEARS of experiences , but not last not least :
an original sample for a more or less historial correct job :
Good luck !
If there should be any interest , I'd be lucky to post more photos of my rebuilding of this more than rare vintage American pistol !
Just ask !!!
And YES : really EVERYTHING completely made "oldstyle" with but hand tools !
But I have to be honest : I also own a ca 130+ years old , completely worn out lathe , which still does its job ( with little improvisations ... )
Just to give You an idea , was could/can be done with scrap material , imagination , lots of elbow grease and YEARS of experiences , but not last not least :
an original sample for a more or less historial correct job :
Good luck !
If there should be any interest , I'd be lucky to post more photos of my rebuilding of this more than rare vintage American pistol !
Just ask !!!
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Wow! Two threads in one!
Did you do your own casting or send the waxes to a foundry?
making muzzloaders the old way? to start with they weren't called muzzloaders. because there was no other guns but muzzloaders! LOL, i would imagine they were called rifles/guns. black powder wasn't black powder either, it was just powder,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Look on line for a blacksmithing association in your country, or a nearby country, for starters. Most schools assume some level of competence for prospective students, so I would contact the various schools to determine what prerequisites, or what level of skill is necessary to complete their blacksmithing programs, prior to enrolling. A small forge can be made, with not too much trouble, and almost any block of steel can be used as an anvil, so setting up a crude, but usable shop is not all that difficult. There are a few videos on Youtube illustrating how this can be done, and almost any general purpose hammer can be used for blacksmithing.
Bealer's book of blacksmithing is a must. Forging buttplates, triggerguards, and other assorted parts is not difficult, for an relatively new smith, as long as one understands how metal moves. The important first lesson is learning how metal moves, under the hammer. Buy a couple of blocks of modeling clay, a toy hammer, or use your finger to press on the block to learn how metal moves, by "forging" various items, using your fingertip to move the clay into the desired shape. I suggest doing that after reading Bealer. There are also quite a lot of good blacksmithing videos on YouTube, to give you some idea of what is necessary to get started, and some excellent videos on virtually every aspect of blacksmithing.
There are a number of good building videos on Rumble, posted by Bill Raby. Search for Maryland Longrifle build, Four bore rifle build, Tennessee Rifle Build, or fusil-de-Chasse build in addition to buying several building DVDs by Herschel House, Mike Miller, and James Turpin, to name a few. IMHO, the best book on building longrifles is "Recreating the American Longrifle, by Buchele, Shumway, and Alexander. The "Gunsmith of Grenville County" is also good, as are some other books.
As mentioned earlier, learn to make small parts, by hand, using hacksaw, file, and other hand tools.
You have begun what can become a long, arduous journey, that will take determination, discipline, time, sweat, and money to learn. Some of the skills can be self taught, some cannot. I wish you good luck in this, often, consuming hobby.
J.D.
Bealer's book of blacksmithing is a must. Forging buttplates, triggerguards, and other assorted parts is not difficult, for an relatively new smith, as long as one understands how metal moves. The important first lesson is learning how metal moves, under the hammer. Buy a couple of blocks of modeling clay, a toy hammer, or use your finger to press on the block to learn how metal moves, by "forging" various items, using your fingertip to move the clay into the desired shape. I suggest doing that after reading Bealer. There are also quite a lot of good blacksmithing videos on YouTube, to give you some idea of what is necessary to get started, and some excellent videos on virtually every aspect of blacksmithing.
There are a number of good building videos on Rumble, posted by Bill Raby. Search for Maryland Longrifle build, Four bore rifle build, Tennessee Rifle Build, or fusil-de-Chasse build in addition to buying several building DVDs by Herschel House, Mike Miller, and James Turpin, to name a few. IMHO, the best book on building longrifles is "Recreating the American Longrifle, by Buchele, Shumway, and Alexander. The "Gunsmith of Grenville County" is also good, as are some other books.
As mentioned earlier, learn to make small parts, by hand, using hacksaw, file, and other hand tools.
You have begun what can become a long, arduous journey, that will take determination, discipline, time, sweat, and money to learn. Some of the skills can be self taught, some cannot. I wish you good luck in this, often, consuming hobby.
J.D.
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