Just Ordered TOW fusil-de-chasse Kit..

[NJm1a]

i just ordered the TOW fusil-de-chasse 44" BBl Kit and also got them to do the four gunsmithing items they do, as this is my first build. They saidit should be here by the first week in Feb. Now, can ya'll sugest any tools i will need to do this build, and stock finishing advice. It is a maple stock, and i am a Rev War reenactor, so would like some Period Correct techniques. I was thinking of something i read about a bone being used on the stock? and then linseed oil? Anyone know how hard they are to put together? mostly just fit and finish work?

 

Congatulations sir! Waiting for the UPS truck drove me nuts when I was getting my TOTW kit. These "kits" are not just fit and finish work, they require a great amount of sore fingers and long hours of work but it will be worth it in the end. Did you order the taps and appropriate size drills along with your kit or maybe you have them already on hand. I ordered mine along with my kit just to be sure. Here are a few handy tools you will need. Drill press, vise, wood carving tools and maybe a rotory tool(if you're careful) a square, sure form tools and bastard files help with stock shaping/wood removal, needle file set, mill file, lots of sandpaper of various grits, good screwdriver assortment, small hammer. There's more but I gotta put my kids to bed. Good luck and be patient, I wasn't. Jim

 

[NJm1a]

Well i did not order the taps and such, but there is a guy in my unit who is a gunsmith who offered to help me out, so i figured i could have him "show me" how to do all that jaz and then do alot of the stock work on my own. Now, does anyone have some close ups of a French Tulle Fowler? that is 18th c. Period Correct?

 

here's how mine turned out...but then, I wanted it to look 75 years old!

Mine is the same thing, I got the 16 gauge barrel. It's not really fit and finish, but it's not the hardest component set you'll come across.

You'll have to do some shaping from the lock panels forward, which can be frightening the first time, but give it some time and you'll get it.

If you haven't seen the Jim Turpin video yet, go to www.flintlocks.com and order it before the gun gets to you, then set up the VCR in your shop and keep the remote on the bench. Actually, i really enjoyed - and learned the most from - the Building a Jim Chambers Gun Kit video.

Be sure to tell them that you learned about it through Buckskinner Magazine, though... :crackup:

have a good time, and take your time.

for a real period look, scrape the stock instead of sanding it. Brings out the grain really nicely.

Have Fun!!!

Stumblin.

 

Drill press, vise, wood carving tools and maybe a rotory tool(if you're careful) a square, sure form tools and bastard files help with stock shaping/wood removal, needle file set, mill file, lots of sandpaper of various grits, good screwdriver assortment, small hammer. There's more but I gotta put my kids to bed. Good luck and be patient, I wasn't. Jim

i agree with every thing but the rotary tool...if you have one, lock it up and throw away the key and your bolt cutters. As some one who has botched a $180.00 piece of Walnut with one, trust me, RESIST!!!

UPS drove me nuts because Track sent my order in 3 parts...pieces, then barrel, then stock...over the course of 2 months. Talk about going crazy! That's what I get for wanting the cool, custom stuff that they didn't have on hand.

Stumblin

 

[NJm1a]

AHHH stock shaping... oh no. hahaha. Can anyone provide me with some high res close ups so i can see where i should be when complete. Aprox. How many hours of work did it take you?


They said they had it all in stock when i ordered, so hopefully they do when it ships aswell...

 

I hear ya, man! My Dremel tool boogered up a thing or two for sure. I mostly used it to remove some casting gates from some of the furniture and cutting the barrel pins down to proper length. I quit using it on my stock early on in the game. How much fun did you have drilling the tang bolt hole and tapping the trigger plate?! :shocking: That was the one step that I dreaded the most. I used the book Recreating the American Longrifle which I ordered at the same time as the kit. Sounds like a video would be real handy to have.

 

[Henry]

The small booklet by Russel Bouchard ,
about the Tulle guns is what you need .
You will see the corrections to do on the
lock ( cosmetic changes only , the lock
works very well )

 

[davidesau]

Hay Stumblin!!!! I'm new to this forum. Just looked at your fusil. Looks great! I've been looking to order one too. Are the two bands to show repairs,or are they sling rings? They look to be copper. Also noticed it looks cut back for a socket bayonet. Being .69 cal. is interesting. First question. Did you choose this cal. because most French Marine muskets were, and you can share loads with your unit?{assuming your in one}. Second, Is the stock inlet for the .69 the same as the .62 or did you or Track modify it? A fella on the smoothbore forum said he got the maple stock and it was slightly warped. Did you use maple or walnut? Well I'm starting to bore myself , and I smell bacon frying Keep your powder dry

 

I hear ya, man! My Dremel tool boogered up a thing or two for sure. I mostly used it to remove some casting gates from some of the furniture and cutting the barrel pins down to proper length. I quit using it on my stock early on in the game. How much fun did you have drilling the tang bolt hole and tapping the trigger plate?! :shocking: That was the one step that I dreaded the most. I used the book Recreating the American Longrifle which I ordered at the same time as the kit. Sounds like a video would be real handy to have.

drilling the trigger plate kinda sucked, actually...lol...that's why I try to stick to guns that don't use them, ie trade guns and barn guns. That way if you mess them up, you can say you meant to!!!!!

Stumblin

 

Hay Stumblin!!!! I'm new to this forum. Just looked at your fusil. Looks great! I've been looking to order one too. Are the two bands to show repairs,or are they sling rings? They look to be copper. Also noticed it looks cut back for a socket bayonet. Being .69 cal. is interesting. First question. Did you choose this cal. because most French Marine muskets were, and you can share loads with your unit?{assuming your in one}. Second, Is the stock inlet for the .69 the same as the .62 or did you or Track modify it? A fella on the smoothbore forum said he got the maple stock and it was slightly warped. Did you use maple or walnut? Well I'm starting to bore myself , and I smell bacon frying Keep your powder dry

Hey Houndstooth,

The copper "bands" are actually copper wire wrapped tight to represent repairs. I have a barrel band being made, the old side mounted French Grenadier and Marine styles. I built this gun to represent an old military surplus or militia style musket, so I left the stock a little chunkier than I would have for a civilian gun.

It represents - not exactly recreates - a 1728 Marine fusil, which had a single barrel band and octagon to round barrel. The Marine model was .69 caliber (around 14 gauge), though some officer fusils I have seen records of were 16 gauge (.66). The stocks were cut back, but they still used the plug bayonet on these as well as the earlier 1717 model, it's predecessor.

My stock is maple, and it wasn't exactly warped, but it took a little fitting, if you know what I mean. I have used walnut and maple, and I think that maple is far easier to use, HOWEVER, I stained the heck out of this gun because I wanted a dark stock....I also used dark brown Rit dye, minwax antique oil and sawdust, and scrubbed it into the stock then lit it on fire to age it a bit...

Full instructions are in the February issue of Buckskinner in an article titled "Why I ruined a perfectfully good musket". We may post it on the website, or at least part of it.

 

[tg]

I am working on the same gun now, there is much more than fit and finish to do but at the same time less than many other sets of parts, the set comes with a full sized drawing which is incorrect as to the placement of buttplate screws, tg attatchment(use 3 screws and no pins) and shows two pins in each thimble where there should be one, the book mentioned above is a good investment as a reference, for a PC plus you will want to add a small 2" section of 16 flats at the end of the oct section, scrapers, small files and rasps and no sandpaper are the best way to get the original look on the stock I plan on a tounge oil finish after a bit of ageing with asphaltum rubbed in to darken the wood.

 

Being .69 cal. is interesting. First question. Did you choose this cal. because most French Marine muskets were, and you can share loads with your unit?{assuming your in one}. Second, Is the stock inlet for the .69 the same as the .62 or did you or Track modify it? A fella on the smoothbore forum said he got the maple stock and it was slightly warped. Did you use maple or walnut? Well I'm starting to bore myself , and I smell bacon frying Keep your powder dry

i missed one of your questions here. I chose 16 gauge because I already have a 20 gauge, and I was thinking that it looked like a good turkey gun...lol. Also, the 16 gauge Colerain barrel is over a half a pound lighter than the 20ga and a full pound lighter than the 24ga due to the barrel thickness. The only problem is finding a mould for a 16 gauge (.645-.648) BUT, I am going to order a mould from Cannon Mike and once I do, he'll have them available in that size. Right now the only 16ga mould he has is .656, which is way too big for the patch thickness that I like to use. But, he has to make a new cutter, so, I'll let you know when I have it and how it works. This will be one of his "gang" moulds, so it will cast a ball, four buckshot, and six #4 shot. They are REALLY cool and come highly recommended.

http://www.users.qwest.net/~cannonmike/

 

[davidesau]

My thanks to you and TJ for all the stock aging tricks. I built a 2nd model Bess with a walnut stock. It took dark stain like a sponge, and being soft, got naturally aged from lots of use. It sounds like you guys like the maple so I'll give it a try. Thanks again fellas.

 

[NJm1a]

TOW Turn around time. Ordered 18 January Left their Facilities in MN 27 January, Not bad considering it went to their gunsmith.

 

[Donny]

I wuz wondering exactly what color the stock should beon my tulle and trade gun. The museum of the fur trade site has a couple of pics of tradeguns that I kinda tried to match the color. ::

 

HUZZAH! that's what happens when you don't order special stuff, I guess. Have fun!

 

I wuz wondering exactly what color the stock should beon my tulle and trade gun. The museum of the fur trade site has a couple of pics of tradeguns that I kinda tried to match the color. ::

Wellllll.....for a tulle, you really have to look at european wood, like walnut. I think--note the word THINK, as in have been lead to believe in my own meager research--that you'll do best with a nice dark stain.

here's an original french musket:

I have seen some lighter colored NWTGs, but it's sort of hit or miss. In 1780, HBC traded in NW guns that had "Brown Stocks, the barrals (sic) likewise brown..."

a lot of NW guns were made domestically, by Henry, Deringer, Lehman and others, but more were made in England and Belgium at Liege.

In 1809 there was an order for "100 NW guns, blued barrels and breass mounted except the gaurd to be made of iron" and 40 more with brown barrels.

J J Henry made NW guns in 1828 with light blue barrels and well varnished stocks.

Belgian made guns has a brightly blued barrel, polished lock and gaurd, brass butt plate, and a dark finished, heavily varnished stock.

hope that helps a little.

 

[NJm1a]

Package is in UPS's hands now... they say Feb 2nd as delivery date ::

 

I bet it will seem like forever! Now's a good time to collect any last minute tools you may need and prepare a work area if you haven't already done so. All this talk makes me want to get another kit of some kind or another!