Lancaster patch box

[kswan]

Hello all.

Ive been doing some research looking for original Lancaster rifles and just how many had patch boxes. It seems most had. Im currently building a late Lancaster and was going to put a patch box on but after a few attempts on some test wood I dont think Im going to get the results I want around the more difficult pieces of a daisy PB without gaps. So, would it still be correct with a very simple 1 piece hinged or rotating wood PB? Ive seen a few modern builds without?

Thanks for reading.

 

[Vaino]

Pictured below is a Pbox style that was furst made by an original Lancaster builder...it doesn't have a fancy outline. The dome of the lid could be eliminated.

I think this style might be available from some suppliers.

Of course a 2 pc Pbox could be used w/ a very plain finial.....Fred

 

[Chowmif16]

Kswan,
If you have Rifles of Colonial America, have a look at #66 and #68, both by Jacob Dickert.
66 has a brass, side opening patch box that is essentially in the shape of a sliding wood patch box. It would be comparably easy to inlet. #68 has a daisy finial patch box, with gently curving side plates and a fairly large daisy head that would be easier to inlet than some of the others. Those would be correct for the location and period.

On another note, I am about to inlet my first patch box, and it has a more complicated profile. I am not great at inletting, but getting better. I strive for perfection, but also know that I will never achieve perfection. I was initially so reluctant to do anything for fear of screwing it up that I agonized over every bit for hours before proceeding.
I now know that my 2nd,3rd,4th rifle will not be perfect, but it will be better than the previous one. That is all I can hope for.
My first rifle is pretty at a distance, but as you get closer, the flaws begin to grow. Strangely, most folks don't notice. I do.

The point is, strive for perfection, challenge yourself, and realize that you will not ever build the perfect rifle, but each will be better than the last.
That, and a bit of practice will go a long way.
There are lots of inletting tutorials on the various websites and forums. If your inletting is atrocious, then watch those, and practice more. It will get better.
Then, just go for it. Most folks won't see the flaws, and you will know better next time.

Also, if you don't have RCA, I can send some pictures.

Cheers,
Chowmi.

 

[Elnathan]

Hello all.

Ive been doing some research looking for original Lancaster rifles and just how many had patch boxes. It seems most had. Im currently building a late Lancaster and was going to put a patch box on but after a few attempts on some test wood I dont think Im going to get the results I want around the more difficult pieces of a daisy PB without gaps. So, would it still be correct with a very simple 1 piece hinged or rotating wood PB? Ive seen a few modern builds without?

Thanks for reading.

Hinged/rotating wood boxes are a NC specialty, I believe. A sliding wood box would be appropriate, however.

 

[kswan]

Thanks all for helping a guy new to the Long rifles.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Kswan,
Go to the Kentucky Rifle Foundation web site and purchase a couple of their CDs containing photos of original guns. The CDs are invaluable. Most patch boxes were not all that complex in outline because most makers filed them from squared sheet metal or punched out the outline with chisels and filed to shape. Most makers did not have jeweler's or fine scroll saws. Any piercings were drilled first and then punched and filed or just filed. You don't have to create a mass of scrolls to look good and correct.

dave

 

[Pete G]

Kswan,

My first rifle is pretty at a distance, but as you get closer, the flaws begin to grow. Strangely, most folks don't notice. I do.

Cheers,
Chowmi.

...As are quite a few of the originals, but 200+ years of beating and banging around disguise it.

18th century guns were built in "a workman like manner" which usually means it is somewhat short of perfection. Do not let some of the super guns being built today intimidate you. You will not learn this stuff by taking the easy way out.

The daisy head patchboxes are not too terribly complicated to inlet; just proceed like any other inlay, file a slight draft on the edges, outline the inlay with a sharp Exacto knife and remove the wood inside the cuts. I have found the offset chisels sold by TOW are excellent for this. I use a 1/4" and one that I have ground down to less than 1/8". Keep them razor sharp. As the metal is let into the wood, the draft you filed on the edges will start to fill small imperfections. Start with one edge, like the top and don't cut the other edge until the first is flush. This helps to compensate for any alignment problems that might happen because of the curvature of the stock. Once the inlay is filed flush with the wood and finish applied, most of the imperfections will be gone. As previously noted, you will still see them but most others won't.

Undoubtedly your first effort will fall short of perfection, but it might surprise you how well it comes out. You will not learn how to play the game sitting on the side lines. :wink:

 

[kswan]

Thanks, if you could send along some pics that would be great. I dont have RCA just yet.

 

[Onojutta]

My first build was also a Lancaster, and I was torn between a wooden lid and a brass patchbox. I went with a brass patchbox because I thought it wouldn't be a "Lancaster" without a daisy finial. While the daisy finial is a classic element of Lancaster rifles, if I could do it again I probably would have opted for the wood lid because I think that would have been more fitting for my wide butt plate. Anyway, if you are going for a late Lancaster, the brass PB may be more appropriate, but don't rule out a wood lid especially if you are struggling with inletting. But, you won't get very far as a builder without developing some proficiency at inletting along the way.

Below is the daisy finial PB I went with for my "early Lancaster". This style is based on a Dickert original (I think it was #19 in Rifles of Colonial America). I bought the lid, hinge, and finial assembly from Track of the Wolf, and I made the side plates from brass sheets. As you can see, the side plates without scrolls were very easy to inlet. The only difficult inletting was around the daisy pedals, but even that wasn't too bad. I used an X-acto knife, a small flat inletting chisel, and a skewed pairing chisel.

 

[kswan]

Looks fantastic. I ll give the inlaying a shot with a few more practice rounds and perhaps a bit more simple of a patch box. Thanks for the advice all.