Kibler SMR is Here! (Build Log)

[BadDaditood]

You should only need 1 (or 2 max) coats of sealer, then go to the finish coat.
Use as many of those as it takes.
Sealer keeps the finish coats from soaking in (like a sponge) and taking forever to get an even finish.

 

[Fly103]

You should only need 1 (or 2 max) coats of sealer, then go to the finish coat.
Use as many of those as it takes.
Sealer keeps the finish coats from soaking in (like a sponge) and taking forever to get an even finish.

I was planning on following Jim's process and using permalyn sealer only, the only difference between it and the permalyn finish is the viscosity so it will take more coats to achieve the same result.

Chris

 

[Fly103]

Put in about 6hrs off and on over the last 2 days, applied Jax Brass Black to the trigger guard and butt plate and have 3 hand rubbed coats of permalyn sealer on the stock. She is turning out far better than I ever imagined with my limited skill set.

 

[Mark E. Prickett]

looks really nice.

 

[Mike in FL]

Personally, I don't have the skills needed to build one. I gotta get a finished rifle. You, sir, are deep into it and doing great. I envy your efforts as well as the gun.

 

[Fly103]

Personally, I don't have the skills needed to build one. I gotta get a finished rifle. You, sir, are deep into it and doing great. I envy your efforts as well as the gun.

Thanks! I really have minimal skill at this sort of thing but it really hasn't been too hard. Jim has a great video series on YouTube that thoroughly documents every step, I've been watching and sometimes rewatching them before performing the task. Jim has also been more than patient answering my every question. I can't say enough good about his products and his support.

Chris

 

[Fatboyz]

What are you going to use to finish the lock?

 

[Fly103]

What are you going to use to finish the lock?

Jax Brass Black rubbed back to grey just like the butt plate and trigger guard. i've got to throw a spring vice from TOW on my next order so I can get it apart.

Chris

 

[BadDaditood]

I think they have two- I bought the cheap pine then misplaced it.
Bought the more expensive one, and it’s really nice.
Still can’t find the cheap one!

 

[Fly103]

Another hour was spent rubbing in the 4th coat of permalyn sealer this evening, bringing the total time to date to 26hrs. The stock is really starting to get some nice depth to it. Tomorrow or Wednesday I will Jax black the barrel and then it will be time to put all the pieces together.

Chris

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

Curious to see how the barrel comes out with that finish.

 

[TDM]

Another hour was spent rubbing in the 4th coat of permalyn sealer this evening, bringing the total time to date to 26hrs. The stock is really starting to get some nice depth to it. Tomorrow or Wednesday I will Jax black the barrel and then it will be time to put all the pieces together.

ChrisView attachment 192564

Looking great!

 

[RockRash]

Looking good I can't wait to see the finished rifle

 

[Fly103]

DISASTER!!

II have reached the 30hr mark on the SMR project. After rubbing in the 4th coat of permalyn and letting it dry for 2 days I decided I wanted a little more shine to the finish so I made the decision to rub in a few thin coats of tru-oil. The first coat went on flawlessly yesterday morning and after rubbing it back with 0000 steel wool I elected to do a final coat this morning. I rubbed the final coat in and sat back admiring my work and realized it was time for me to head to work, I stood up from my chair, grabbed my winter coat off my chair back, and turned for the door. The rest happened in slow motion.... as I turned the sleeve of my coat caught the fore-end of the freshly oiled stock, knocking it from its holding fixture! The stock flopped over onto the work bench, spun towards and off of the edge and headed for the floor, I instinctively reached down and grabbed it before that could happen and instantly felt the tacky surface smear under my grip.

For the damage.... it looks like one side of the stock has some slight scratches in the previous layer of finish and the tacky layer is impregnated with every bit of dust and dirt it touched as it slid accross the bench and then there smears and finger prints around the wrist and comb where I grabbed it to keep it from falling to the floor. Out of time I quickly put a drop of tru-oil on my finger and rubbed out the smears and fingerprints as best I could but nothing could be done about all the dirt and dust inclusions now in the finish.

Given that we will have a day of good shootin weather this weekend before everything goes back to winter for the next few weeks I still intend to take her to the range saturday and see how she does. after that though it looks like i'll be sanding off and re doing the two top coats of tru-oil. RATS! Everything was going so well right up till old man Murphy and his law got in the way!

Chris

 

[Mark E. Prickett]

AMD thays exactly how I build things!

 

[Toneloc]

My friends and I have a saying that we often recite for times like this….. “Can’t have nothin nice!!!!”

Sorry to hear about your fiasco….reminds me of the time I was plumbing a new toilet flange for second story bath. I was on the kitchen counter reaching up into the ceiling fighting on the pvc fitting when I kicked the still open purple primer off the counter onto my beautiful Cherry floors.

 

[Jim K]

I am so sorry. Makes me sick for you. Unfortunately we’ve all been there. I’m sure you’ll get it fixed. Happy shooting this weekend!!

 

[Fly103]

yep, no permanent damage done, just aggravating spending a week lovingly rubbing in finish coats just to blow it on the last one. Oh well it will give me something to do next week when we drop back into the single digits.

 

[Fly103]

34hrs build time:
Proceeding on past yesterday's screw up for the time being, last night I tackled the task of finishing the barrel and a few other odds and ends. I started by shoving a foam ear plug in the muzzle and breaking off a toothpick in the flash hole, after which I gave it a scrub down with hot soapy water followed by drying and a final wipe down with alcohol. I was careful to only handle the barrel with gloves after the soap and water bath. I placed the muzzle end in a large plastic dish and suspended the barrel vertically using a piece of .040 stainless wire looped through the tang. A healthy coat of Jax black was applied using a sponge and I allowed it to remain on the barrel for 3 minutes before dousing the barrel with several gallons of water to end the reaction. After drying the barrel was rubbed back with 0000 steel wool to produce the result shown below. After rubbing it back I again cleaned with alcohol and applied liberal amounts of barricade before setting the barrel aside. I have never had this good of luck using any other cold bluing products so I am a firm believer in Jax black and will use it again on future projects!

With the barrel finished I took care of a few other small tasks. I installed and pinned the ramrod end along with filing down the screw heads to fit the counter bores in the butt plate and barrel tang. I also slotted the barrel pin holes in the lugs and final trimmed the pins to the correct length.

All that remains this evening is for me to Jax black the ramrod pipes, install the sights, and put all the little pieces together!

Chris

 

[Jim K]

34hrs build time:
Proceeding on past yesterday's screw up for the time being, last night I tackled the task of finishing the barrel and a few other odds and ends. I started by shoving a foam ear plug in the muzzle and breaking off a toothpick in the flash hole, after which I gave it a scrub down with hot soapy water followed by drying and a final wipe down with alcohol. I was careful to only handle the barrel with gloves after the soap and water bath. I placed the muzzle end in a large plastic dish and suspended the barrel vertically using a piece of .040 stainless wire looped through the tang. A healthy coat of Jax black was applied using a sponge and I allowed it to remain on the barrel for 3 minutes before dousing the barrel with several gallons of water to end the reaction. After drying the barrel was rubbed back with 0000 steel wool to produce the result shown below. After rubbing it back I again cleaned with alcohol and applied liberal amounts of barricade before setting the barrel aside. I have never had this good of luck using any other cold bluing products so I am a firm believer in Jax black and will use it again on future projects!

View attachment 193493

With the barrel finished I took care of a few other small tasks. I installed and pinned the ramrod end along with filing down the screw heads to fit the counter bores in the butt plate and barrel tang. I also slotted the barrel pin holes in the lugs and final trimmed the pins to the correct length.

All that remains this evening is for me to Jax black the ramrod pipes, install the sights, and put all the little pieces together!

Chris

I did mine with the Jax too. I like it. So simple and love the outcome.