Student Report 2: First Mistake!

[clayfeld]

Well, at least I got through the patent breech fitting with no major mistake, because when I got to fitting the tang to the hook, I started filing on the inside, which meant too much steel was removed when I filed the faces- tang and barrel- in an attempt to get plane, matching surfaces. Why doesn't anyone tell you that you can't get a plane, matching surface when there's a pole sticking up in the center of the plane? (Can you?) I've slowly worked around the hook with flat files, triangular files , half-round files, needle files, swiss files and nail files, as well as with small grinding stones in my Dremel, and I've finally got a reasonable (but not perfect) match. I'll have to braze a little bar on the back of the tang under the handle to (re-) provide the spacer for the hook in the breech plug, but what the heck. At least I will not have offended the gods by an attempt at perfection- at least not a prolonged attempt!

Clay
The Gemmer Hawken Experimental Lab
San Jose CA

 

[dwarvenchef]

Sounds like fun :grin: I just moved up to San Jose a few months ago myself, Where can we shoot around here? Sunnyvale range says "No Black Powder or Subs" :cursing:

 

[davy]

Well, at least I got through the patent breech fitting with no major mistake, because when I got to fitting the tang to the hook, I started filing on the inside, which meant too much steel was removed when I filed the faces- tang and barrel- in an attempt to get plane, matching surfaces. Why doesn't anyone tell you that you can't get a plane, matching surface when there's a pole sticking up in the center of the plane? (Can you?) I've slowly worked around the hook with flat files, triangular files , half-round files, needle files, swiss files and nail files, as well as with small grinding stones in my Dremel, and I've finally got a reasonable (but not perfect) match. I'll have to braze a little bar on the back of the tang under the handle to (re-) provide the spacer for the hook in the breech plug, but what the heck. At least I will not have offended the gods by an attempt at perfection- at least not a prolonged attempt!

Clay
The Gemmer Hawken Experimental Lab
San Jose CA

Nuthin a 5000 degree blowtorch and a 20 lb sledge hammer cannot fix! :hmm: :rotf:

Davy

 

[clayfeld]

Great muzzleloader shooting at Los Altos Rod and Gun Club, up in the Santa Cruz Mountains just past where Highway 9 meets Skyline. Their URL is:[url] http://www.losaltosrodandgunclub.com/[/url] .

Have fun!

Clay
San Jose CA

 

[neek]

I agree - Los Altos is a good place to shoot black powder. I'm in SF so I don't get down there much (I'm usually up at Chabot in the Oakland Hills), but I do like to go down there when i can make it. The shooters and staff have been nice and helpful. One warning - it's up in the coastal range, so expect it to be colder than the valley floor. Sometimes a lot colder.

 

[Zonie]

"...At least I will not have offended the gods by an attempt at perfection- at least not a prolonged attempt!"
____________________________

Your not alone. He (they?) have nothing to fear from me.
I am very sure I will never build a gun which does not have some sort of mistake on it.

I would be willing to bet that even the Great Builders never produced a gun which they felt was flawless. (A artist is his own worst critic.)