Wrought Iron Barrel

[Slowpoke]

Does anyone know a maker of "New" wrought iron barrels? I need to find one for a customer that has lost his mind.

SP

 

[fatboy]

I sent you a Pm

 

[Packdog]

Slowpoke,
I believe Steve Bookout still does. Toad Hall Rifle Shop. I don't have a clue what he charges but I would e-mail or call him.
http://www.midiowa.com/toadhallrifleshop/

 

[musketman]

Does anyone know a maker of "New" wrought iron barrels? I need to find one for a customer that has lost his mind.

SP

Now what does Squire Robin want??? :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

 

[jrdavis]

Does anyone know a maker of "New" wrought iron barrels?.

SP

Wrought Iron hasn't been made in quite some time

 

[Slowpoke]

Now what does Squire Robin want??? :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

Now that was funny....


I've got a call into Brad Emig, I had forgot that he makes them. If that fails, I'll call Bookout. I can't believe this guy actually wants to pay that amount of money for a barrel, I'm thinking it will cost around $2k. Even "The Squire" isn't that crazy, but he has impressed me in the past.......

SP

 

True wrought iron is currently being made in small quantities in Great Britain and they will import. I can't recall the web address but google and you may find it. Let me know if you can't and I'll try to get it off a blacksmithing site. Obviously, this is solid bar stock that you will have to bore and rifle.

 

[Packdog]

Slowpoke,
I've heard his name before. I take it he forges barrels also? Just out of curiosity. Is your guy wanting it for nostalgic reasons or is he a shooter?
Packdog

 

[C_Laubach]

I don't think you are going to get a hand forged barrel, hand bored and rifled for less than $4000.00 and I think it will be more like $6000.00
The last time I talked to Brad I think he said he was charging $6000.00-$8000.00 for a totally hand made wrought iron barrel.
I know some people where buying round stock (wrought iron) and sending it to Ed Rayl and having barrels made out of it. I don't know that I would trust doing this but some do.

 

[robinghewitt]

Now what does Squire Robin want??? :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

Cor, swipe me pink, maybe what Squire Robin wants is new friends :: :: ::

I have here 37.25 inches of 1.25 across the flats, Enterprise Iron from Pittsburgh, circa 1850, complete with a 90 bore pilot hole up the middle, weighs lots.

You can have it for a mere $2k :crackup:

 

[Slowpoke]

Is your guy wanting it for nostalgic reasons or is he a shooter?
Packdog

The guy wants me to build him a exact copy of a early Beck rifle, down to the screws. Money is not a problem with this guy but I'm going to sell him some swamp land in Arizona if his agrees to the $8K that Emig wants for a barrel. He tells me that he will never fire it and just wants it to show off and hang over it fireplace. Good grief, why do I get myself involved with such people..... (insert snide Squire comment here) :crackup:
I'm trying my hardest to get out of building guns. It's almost time to start thinking about planting a garden, tending the flowers, and working on my golf game.

SP
Who just moved up to the bridesmaid of all calibers, the 45.

 

[crockett]

Colonial Williamsburg usually tries to do things the old way. Last time I was there a guy was forging a barrel around a mandrel( no it wasn't in the 1700's). In any event, they may know where you can get one.

 

[Zonie]

Colonial Williamsburg usually tries to do things the old way. Last time I was there a guy was forging a barrel around a mandrel( no it wasn't in the 1700's). In any event, they may know where you can get one.

For what it's worth, even forging a barrel around a mandrel doesn't make wrought iron. Yes the material is wrought and forged but in all likeyhood the material they are using is steel.

As was mentioned, real wrought iron is available for a BIG price but the thing that makes it different (as I undrstand it) from cast iron or steel is wrought iron is a fiberous sort of material. (It has long strands, almost like wood fibers but made of iron of course). It is also a relatively weak material.

As money is no object, when all is said and done, it may be cheaper to find a Colonial period gun which is in very poor condition but has a usable barrel. Draw filing and reboring the barrel could make something which is about as close to the original a your going to get.
If you did this, the customer can have his wrought iron barrel and you can keep the lock/trigger or whatever is left of the original. I bet you could find a use for a original lock, even if it took some work to get it working again?

:shocking:

 

[robinghewitt]

Puddling at the bloomery produces a very pure iron but with slag inclusions, if you used puddled iron in thin section, you risk having a large slag inclusion weaken it.

Wrought iron is puddled iron which has been drawn and folded until slag inclusions become long and thin, less likely to weaken any one spot in particular.

The grain makes it a good bet for twist barrels :thumbsup:

 

[C_Laubach]

Zonie,
They are still using wrought iron and CW to make barrels. They have in the past used mild steel but your range of welding temp
is smaller with steel thus making it a little more difficult.

We use wrought iron for our barrel welding demo at the Dixon

 

[BLAHMAN]

Now what does Squire Robin want??? :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

Now that was funny....
uote]


Ditto's....that was funny :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

 

[Zonie]

C Laubach: Thank you for the information and the photos.
Very interesting, indeed.


Robin: "Puddling at the bloomery..." You gotta love it. It sounds so....British!!
There I was, preparing to do my puddling at the bloomery and along comes this Copper. "What do we have here good sir?" says he. "We can't have people right out here in broad daylight puddling wherever they want, now, can we? Especially at the bloomery, of all places!" "Please do your puddling in the John from now on." :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: ::

 

What's the total "time" invested in make'n a finished wrought iron rifled barrel??

YMHS
rollingb

 

[BrownBear]

They're still hand-forging barrels around mandrels at the gun shop in Colonial Williamsburg. Amazing to watch. I know the guns are for sale, but I don't know about the barrels.

I'd wade in at the Williamsburg site and see if you can find out more about the gun shop: http://www.history.org/

 

[Stumpkiller]

John Donelson can and has made them ("depending on your desires and pocketbook"), but I don't know if he wants to do any more.

http://www.donelsoncustommuzzleloaders.com/index.html