What Muzzleloading Stuff Did You Do Today?

[SOLANCO]

I B Dumb. Sitting at my desk, I noticed a box, that I did not recognize, under an end table . Got it out; realized it was a Reb Navy Arms 1860 revolver. I had completely forgotten I bought it. Losing my mind? Took it out, waxed it nicely, and it is near perfect. Looks great, functions as it should, and I am happy to have a gun I did not know I have. Getting old is not all moonlight and roses. Dale

Don't feel bad. Received a Jukar flint pistol two months ago. Kept it on my desk a week or two. Waxed it. Put it away "someplace safe". Could not find it. Looked all day. I may never see it again. Grand daughter will find it when she goes through our effects.

 

[ETipp]

Went to mailbox and got my new to me Lyman 57 peep for my GPR. Installed other than the front screw. Need to make a trip to town in the morning to get a drill bit and tap.

Also, reinstalled my TC peep back on my New Englander.

Now I get the fun of sighting them both in.

 

[mushka]

Got the size 10 and 11 ca makers along with two bags of the powder that they use this morning from the mail carrier. They look interesting and simple to use.

 

[Dobegrant]

Was the post by @TDM ?!? I swear I’ve turned around and bought so much stuff after reading his posts, that I think his avatar is some sort of voodoo totem!

He didn’t start the thread but once somebody mentioned they were at track of the old he was one many agreeing it was a good price for a neat rifle

 

[Dutch7]

Hit a brick wall for the day. After several sessions of filing the wood off the patch box top I realized I had put the screws in a too steep an angle and with less wood it pulled the backing plate down out of alignment! Instead of stopping and plugging the screw holes to start over I kept trying to make it work and came close to ruining the plate. Finally stopped and now have the screw holes plugged and glued. These photos show it with old screws backed out, I’ll make it work but I’ll have a couple of gaps I was trying to avoid. I sure can’t go outside so I’ll find something else to piddle with until Happy Hour.

I like the look of the matchbox lid without the screw heads - on the next one, don't fully c'sink the screws, just 1/4 of the depth. Run your screws down tight and do your fitting. When you are satisfied the file the heads of the screws off flush (the small c'sink will hold them)

Oops - @Snooterpup beat me to it, nice work

 

[PathfinderNC]

After three weeks I am now getting back to this cute little horn. Honestly, I have a horner’s version of “Writers’ Block”. I have been trying to find the right map to put onto this horn but absolutely nothing clicked that had any appeal to me. So, after another hour and a half of designing/erasing/searching again today, I just decided that it will be decorated with some fine-line designs, similar to a few of my other recent horns, with no grand design as yet. What a relief.
I am working from both ends towards the middle. It is a “journey into the unknown” horn

 

[TDM]

Was the post by @TDM ?!? I swear I’ve turned around and bought so much stuff after reading his posts, that I think his avatar is some sort of voodoo totem!

Put a spell on you, now I gotta remember how to undo it!

 

[Wireforhire]

Took my T/C Hawken and 1850s E. Phillips to the shop for some extra cleaning around the nipples .... you don't wish to neglect that area when cleaning after a shoot. (don't ask...) Bores are fine. Wanted to be sure everything was fine with the Phillips so I removed the barrel. Bottom of the barrel was clean. What I did find however, was the barrel was held in with a pin as well as a screw. The head of the screw had an odd "bent" head & slot so I took it along with the nipples to check thread sizes. Couldn't find a thread size for the screw used to hold the barrel. But after closer examination by me & the hardware guy, we realized it was actually a nail that had been altered into a screw. If they couldn't find what they needed in the 1800s they made what was needed. (Seems, I read something similar on this forum by our builders.) Also turns out that the nipple for the Phillips is an m7 X 1 nipple ..... TOW has them but they are normally used for repair? Ordered two to see. WZ

 

[TDM]

Success on the lid for the .54 Woodsrunner!!!!! Actually did it in less than 6 hours compared to a day and a half messing with the other one. The main thing I did differently is I filed and shaped the wood first, taking it in and out until I had the correct spacing for the plate. Traced and cut out the shape with a jewelers saw, had already been bent to shape, then measured and marked and drilled my nail holes in the plate. I have a bag of solid brass 1/2” nails so I cut two even shorter between 1/4” and 3/8”. Applied thick super glue to the wood and plate (had the wood wrapped with painters tape) then lined it up and held it together till the glue set. After a while I drill short 1/16” pilot holes and put a drop of glue on the nails and hammered them in. Filing off all the excess is time consuming but safer than a grinder or sander. Took my time and filed out each little spot one at a time where it was rubbing. Just need to polish out the scratches and install the catch. Now I’ll be ready when the new Cherry lid gets here!

 

[BackDraft]

^^^Looks very nice!^^^

 

[BackDraft]

Took delivery of caps and conicals for my “Confederate Navy” .44Cal. Also got a crossed-sticks bench rest. All from Buffalo Arms.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

Success on the lid for the .54 Woodsrunner!!!!! Actually did it in less than 6 hours compared to a day and a half messing with the other one. The main thing I did differently is I filed and shaped the wood first, taking it in and out until I had the correct spacing for the plate. Traced and cut out the shape with a jewelers saw, had already been bent to shape, then measured and marked and drilled my nail holes in the plate. I have a bag of solid brass 1/2” nails so I cut two even shorter between 1/4” and 3/8”. Applied thick super glue to the wood and plate (had the wood wrapped with painters tape) then lined it up and held it together till the glue set. After a while I drill short 1/16” pilot holes and put a drop of glue on the nails and hammered them in. Filing off all the excess is time consuming but safer than a grinder or sander. Took my time and filed out each little spot one at a time where it was rubbing. Just need to polish out the scratches and install the catch. Now I’ll be ready when the new Cherry lid gets here!

Lookin good!

 

[TDM]

Sanded the carved Woodsrunner stock, didn’t take much. Cleaned out all the incised lines with a toothbrush. Mixed bone black and 91% alcohol, used a small tip brush and went over all the incised lines, stopping every few inches and wiping off the excess with a paper towel and alcohol. This took a while. Using Laurel Mountain Cherry stain, I started with a very weak solution of stain and denatured alcohol. Trying different strengths on a test board, finally settled on one. Brushed on a couple of coats and it’s hanging to dry. It’s my first time working with Cherry so I didn’t my know what to expect. But after drying, if I don’t like the color or the black stands out too much I’ll rub it down with alcohol and start over if needed.

 

[TDM]

Need some advice/critique on this. A gave the stock a good rub down with 0000 synthetic wool and it really smoothed the finish and blended the color better. I braved the heat to take some outside photos, there’s one inside too. Also I plan to finish with 3-4 coats of Tried & True oil varnish.

My questions are: do you think I’m starting off too dark?, Is it too red?, and do you think the inlet black is too much?

I was pleased that most of the black toned down but there’s several areas where I think it’s still a little heavy.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Another pound of Swiss 3F gone while shooting in Pennsylvania last weekend.
It’s summertime my friends, no excuses…
time to get out there & burn that powder!!

 

[TDM]

Another pound of Swiss 3F gone while shooting in Pennsylvania last weekend.
It’s summertime my friends, no excuses…
time to get out there & burn that powder!!

View attachment 241560

Too hot Mark! I’ll just watch your videos for now.

 

[Polecat_Tom]

My questions are: do you think I’m starting off too dark?, Is it too red?, and do you think the inlet black is too much?

If it were mine I would leave it out in the sun for a couple of days and let it fall ken naturally. It will get a deeper richer reddish brown. Don't go by the color that is now as it will change with age. By laying it in the sun you are speeding up the process.

 

[TDM]

If it were mine I would leave it out in the sun for a couple of days and let it fall ken naturally. It will get a deeper richer reddish brown. Don't go by the color that is now as it will change with age. By laying it in the sun you are speeding up the process.

Thanks!

 

[PathfinderNC]

Finished building the Ketland Trade Pistol today. No bells or whistles on this gun, just a good, solid sidearm.

 

[gunpa]

Made lots of smoke today zeroing in my 485 grain No Excuses bullets. My shoulder took a beating so when I got the last shot about 1 1/2 inches above the bull I pulled the plug! The stupid sticky target stuck before I was ready!