My first kit build

[30coupe]

Looks like you are getting plenty of good advice here. I don't want to add confusion, but will add a couple of alternatives in case you don't find some of what has been suggested. For polishing brass after the sanding is done, I prefer Simichrome polish. It works equally well on brass and silver. I've been using it for over 50 years with great results. We used it to polish brass uniform buttons that were popular on law enforcement uniforms back in the day. Been using it ever since.

For aging brass, I like Brownell's Oxpho Blue, but most cold bluing solutions will probably work. It's not rocket science, lol. Actually, a dirty cleaning patch (one with black powder residue) will also work. I can't help you on the browning solution, but I don't think you'd be out much to try. It certainly won't hurt anything.

Good luck with the build, and keep posting the pictures. We all enjoy build pictures, especially now that we are pretty much all shut-ins.

 

[alfaguyml]

Simichrome Polish works good if applying by hand.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Well crap.
View attachment 27783
I know it looks like brass, but really it’s made of glass.

UPDATE: new trigger guard arrived from DGW yesterday and it fits nicely. Haven’t determined if I’ll need to adjust the trigger yet, as I have the trigger assembly taken apart for polishing. But at least my parts list is complete again!

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

I thought I would share this info here for those of you following.

I asked my question about whether the Laurel Mountain Browning formula would have any effect on my brass pieces, and here's the word straight from the manufacturer:

Good morning Rob,

Our Barrel Brown will have no effect on brass. Cold blues, such as Birchwood Caseys or Brownells 44-40 work by depositing a thin layer of copper, then reacting this with selenium which turns the copper black. This is why it will also work on brass. You can also use black powder fouling, applied with a cleaning patch, it just takes a little longer to work. Birchwood Casey also makes a Brass Black which works on the same chemistry as their cold blue.
Regards,
Rick Schreiber
Laurel Mountain Forge, LLC
219-548-2950

So there you have it folks!

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Well damn! The replacement trigger guard that Dixi sent to me was cast poorly, and as you look closely at the screw hole, it’s actually hollow there! No wonder these things are so brittle.

Maybe tough to see, but you can actually poke into that dark spot on the picture, say with a jewelers pick. Since that’s at the screw hole itself, I fear that it’ll break prematurely with event the slightest bump.

Guess another email and then phone call to Dixi Gun Works is in order. Not happy!

 

[Phil Coffins]

Lucky is not your middle name I’m guessing.

 

[Gun Tramp]

Guess another email and then phone call to Dixi Gun Works is in order.

Perhaps send an e-mail with your image as an attachment?

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Perhaps send an e-mail with your image as an attachment?

Yup... already did. They didn't respond to my first email showing the broken trigger guard though. It was only after I called them that I was able to get connected to a gunsmith there.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Perhaps send an e-mail with your image as an attachment?

Another one on the way. I sure hope that third try is the one, as I had to convince them to send another. They wanted me to just install this one and when it breaks ask for another...

 

[simonbeans]

A little solder would fix it. Silver solder would be best, but whatever they call lead solder would also work.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

A little solder would fix it. Silver solder would be best, but whatever they call lead solder would also work.

Thanks for this. I have an elec. soldering gun with the usual solder used for electrical work, but would never have thought of this. Given the location of the air bubble, if I'm careful enough I suppose I could drip solder in there without too much trouble. I'd be worried about heating the brass itself though, and trying to "draw-in" solder like I'd normally do if I were soldering wires together.

Hopefully the replacement piece will fit, and won't have any of these issues! If not, I guess I have nothing to loose in trying solder on this one. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Pete G]

Use a torch and plenty of flux.

 

[Zonie]

Thanks for this. I have an elec. soldering gun with the usual solder used for electrical work, but would never have thought of this. Given the location of the air bubble, if I'm careful enough I suppose I could drip solder in there without too much trouble. I'd be worried about heating the brass itself though, and trying to "draw-in" solder like I'd normally do if I were soldering wires together.

Hopefully the replacement piece will fit, and won't have any of these issues! If not, I guess I have nothing to loose in trying solder on this one. Thanks for the idea.

An electric soldering iron or gun won't be able to make enough heat to solder something like a trigger guard. Like Pete G says, a propane or similar torch works fine. If you don't have one of those, the burner on a kitchen range can be used.
The catch is, you don't want to over heat the part and with a torch or kitchen range that's easy to do.

After applying a soldering flux, just heat the metal some and then push the solder against it. If it melts, your in business. If it doesn't, heat the part a bit more and try again. The common solders sold at a hardware store will melt when they get up to about 500 degrees F.

 

[Ames]

I use a small culinary torch. The kind you would use to brown the sugar on a creme brulee.
Yes, I'm getting fat on my own cooking during this lockdown.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

I’ll try the torch idea if the next one that arrives in my mailbox is also defective. Honestly, I don’t think I should have to make repairs to brand new parts. Buyer beware I guess.

 

[bptactical]

I’ll try the torch idea if the next one that arrives in my mailbox is also defective. Honestly, I don’t think I should have to make repairs to brand new parts. Buyer beware I guess.

Welcome the the world of building muzzleloaders. I have seen very few "kit" guns that the components didn't involve tweaking to some degree. Sometimes that tweaking involves repairing a FUBAR. It happens- its the nature of the beast.
You learn from every mistake, you get better as you go.
I do see one thing with ya- your excited, your enthusiastic about your build. You want to see your first build DONE!
That is great. But it can also lead to a bit of impatience.
Impatience in this art can be a killer Amigo, it can cause you to rush into something and make a mistake that didn't need to be made.
As you begin a new phase of your build step back, take a good hard look at it. Envision what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to get there. Try to look beyond the task at hand and how your current task will affect things down the road in your build and how it will affect the finished product. Try to visualize the challenges of the task and how you plan to overcome those challenges.
Build it 10 times in your head before you ever pick up a tool.

 

[Pete G]

I don’t think I should have to make repairs to brand new parts. Buyer beware I guess.

It's kit; get used to it...

 

[Jim Evans]

It's kit; get used to it...

Yes it is a kit, but they have gone down hill in Quality Control, they can't even get the touch hole centered, so how can you get use to that?

 

[Crow-Feather]

Remember that the touchhole has to align with the pan for rapid ignition. First check the alignment. See if it is good, and the vent enters the bore. However if the touch hole is not secure, then there is a problem. I would rather have the touch hole placed correctly in relation to the pan, than have it centered

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

Hello again fellas... I haven't been working on this kit for a while, but I thought I'd give a quick update, and ask another question.

I'm about finished up with polishing all of the brass pieces to a shine, and I think I'm going to just keep them shiny, as opposed to adding some sort of "antique" type finish. I could change my mind on that, but I admit that I'm a bit fond of polished brass, and I don't reenact or anything like that, so I might as well go that route.

I started to shave some of the wood off of the stock piece now too, and it's coming along. Here's what she looks like so far:

... and here's my question. If you look closely at one of the pin holes in the stock, you'll see what appears (to my eyes) to be a pencil mark. Of course it's not, but that is what it looks like. I've sanded that area quite a bit with 150grain sandpaper (pretty rough stuff), and the stain seems to persist deep into the wood. As it is so close to the pin hole, I can't help but wonder if some leaching from the pin got into the wood there.

Have any of you experts had to deal with something like this? Any suggestions?? Here's a close-up picture: