TVM - Tenn Valley ML - Question

[Alden]

Just remember, you won't be going back and putting a new stock on that gun as an upgrade. Measure twice, cut once. Get the most expensive running shoes you can reasonably afford if you're actually gonna go runnin'.

 

[hanshi]

Go slow and use the forum for any problems you might encounter. I think you'll do fine with that kit.

 

[Micah Clark]

Well, $900 is about my max and I am about there already. . so I gotta go with that, I think. . but I agree with you, which is why I chose a custom over the very nice Pedersoli Scout that tempted me for quite some time. . were I right handed, I would have gone with it.

 

[mike garner]

and it's also like my daddy said, you tote one more than you shoot one, so i say get the good wood that you will want to tote and look at....

In case this could be of interest to you I'll mention that for my .32 I called Jason at Rice Barrels and described what I was hoping for in a barrel. He suggested his Rice "transition" barrel which is 38" with round bottom grooves and is "A" weight swamped. It made for a feathery light rifle. In fact if I'd known it would be this light I "might" have opted for a 42" barrel. I also got a Chambers late Ketland flint lock. These were sent to Matt to be used in my rifle. I also asked Matt to use brass mounts rather than iron; my .36 SMR is iron (steel, actually) mounted and I wanted something different. Also specified was a "honey" stain and it did pop the stripes out nicely. I'd bet a slightly darker stain would have done it even better.

I spoke to TVM on the phone today. What I am looking at pretty much is all covered in the kit. (Late Lancaster) The rice barrel costs a little more in .32 in 42 inch, but I still think for a first time kit builder, TVM is really hard to beat because of the things they do as part of their basic kit price.

Inching closer to pulling the trigger and getting excited about it. Would like a stock with more (or any) curl, hoping basic sugar maple will stain pretty, but it's like my dad used to say about deer hunting - you can't eat antlers. Curl looks nice, but this will be my squirrel hunting rifle. . . all wood grades shoot the same. . .and the reason I am going custom is for a good, LH, tack driver. Thanks for all your advice.

 

[Dewey]

and it's also like my daddy said, you tote one more than you shoot one, so i say get the good wood that you will want to tote and look at....

:thumbsup:

 

[Micah Clark]

I am making a few assumptions here that maybe I should start a new thread by asking -- Can plain maple (sugar maple) be made to look nice? Or does it look nice?

 

[silly goose]

I'm a big fan of plain wood.

 

[hanshi]

If you have carving you don't need figured wood.

 

[Micah Clark]

Interesting . . . haven't thought of carving that much. Glad to hear there are some fans of plain maple.

I just got the big book (Its not in front of me) called something like Building the Guns of Greenville County or something like that from TOW. On Chapter 3 now, but flipped through and saw the use of nitric acid on stock in the finishing section. . . is that done on plain stocks or just fancy grained?

 

[frogwalking]

The nitric acid, with iron dissolved in it is a very traditional stain used back when the flintlock was state of the art. I have even used it on walnut so the rifle did not look so new. It leaves a nice brown color that varies with your piece of wood, and how concentrated your solution (as well as how many coats you put on.) It is permanent, unlike some commercial stains, but some report it often darkens with age. It will work fine on a plain piece of wood. In the old days, I understand that plain unfigured wood was often stained very dark. I do that today as I think it looks better. Laurel Mountain makes a good rifle stain if you don't want to take the trouble to use acid.

The rifle shown on my earlier post was stained using Ferric Nitrate, which is what one gets when dissolving iron in Nitric acid.

 

[Micah Clark]

Good info . . thanks. Didn't know some of that. .have heard of Laurel Mountain.

 

[EC121]

[/img] Here's one I just finished. Mostly plain maple with a curl here and there. The curl is off a little because I think it was sawed wrong, but for $20 I can't kick. I used water based stain. It did fine with the curl and no acid to worry about. TVMfg. Not TVMuzzleloaders did the barrel channel and ramrod channel. The web was fine. 41x13/16" .40cal. old Orion barrel. Slightly modified Dale Johnson lock. Get some cheap parts and learn on them. A well done plain rifle still looks good.

[/img]

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[Alden]

Aqua Fortis gives a nice reddish hue to it in the background and is supposed to work best on Sugar Maple (something to do with reacting with the sugars is my understanding) to bring out grain figure.

Might try Minwax Wood Finish color...

...Gunstock.
http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains-color-guide/

The latter is what you'd start the gun wood off with, like linseed oil, but finish with butcher block treatment. I use a food-grade mineral oil (that I also use separately on metal surfaces), beeswax, carnauba-wax w/Vitamin E blend.

 

[frogwalking]

Looks good. I do like the Dale Johnson lock.

 

[rusty]

Never use a solvent based stain like min wax,it will end up looking like mud,use an alcohol based stain instead..

 

[Zonie]

I agree 100 percent.

If the label says anything about solvents or thinners based on oils or distillates other than alcohol, pass on them.

Examples of things to avoid are Paint Thinner, Kerosene, Mineral Spirits, turpentine, Lacquer Thinner, MEK, Acetone, Toluene and similar fluids.

 

[Micah Clark]

Beautiful rifle !!!

Thanks for the tips on stains . . many have said to avoid the modern stuff . . modern stains that is . some say a finishing off with polyurethane hand rubbed low glass is OK.

 

[EC121]

As a reference the rifle above was done with a brown/red stain from Muzzleloaders Builders Supply. It was a little darker before I steel wooled it.

 

[Crow Beads]

With plain maple you won't always worry about nicks and scratches. I made the mistake of buying a TVM early Lancaster with super premium maple several years ago. It sat on the wall unfired for three years before I gave up and sold it. It was so beautiful I was too afraid to take it outside. My new TVM late Lancaster in plain maple looks fine and gets used. If I had it to do all over again though I'd have ordered maple going one step up with slightly more figuring as a compromise.

 

[Critter Getter]

Crow, that's a serious problem you got there with nice wood! . The answer to that is take that Grade 6 wood out and nick it up once on purpose and then spend a lifetime enjoying that beautiful weapon in the woods! Greg.