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[JW_Halverson]

Looking good, Eric.  Having finished some housework projects, I am back on my .45 Lancaster.  I’ll have to post up...

I see the addiction took root.

[Eric Krewson]

I suddenly got the urge to resume work on my Haines project, I decided to start with some decorative moldings on the forestock. The first one came out really nice.



I am in the process in cutting the second side and in spite measuring carefully, I cut my trench too narrow. What I did on the first side was cut the incised molding first and sandwiched the trench between the incised line and the ramrod channel. What I should have done on the second side was cut the trench first to closely match the first one then cut the incised line at the top for a perfect match side to side. I cut my incised line first and it was a little off

Fortunately you can only look at one side at a time and the slight difference side to side won't be all that noticeable.

[Eric Krewson]

I am working the forestock down to the final dimensions being sure I don't end up with the dreaded slab sided effect that indicates a rookies job of stock shaping.

I actually use a piece of long sandpaper like shoe shine rag to round off the forestock but needed one hand to hold the camera so I improvised.

That sand paper deal you directed me to J W has been great.



I check my shaping with a contour gage to make sure it is properly rounded.



Of course removing wood down to the entry pipe edges exposed some gaps I had forgotten about, time to add superglue and shims to close them up.

[Parnell]

Really like the look of the molding work, Eric.  Got my bearings with that double set trigger.  Hope to get that functioning right this weekend.

[Eric Krewson]

I am bringing the side rails on the forestock down to the middle of the side barrel flat and thinning them to a knife edge where they meet the barrel. The more barrel you have showing the more slender your gun will look, I like to remove wood down to slightly below the mid point on the side flat. I draw a line down the side flat with a sharpie to work towards.

Getting the wood on the sides rounded off evenly from the entry pipe to the muzzle is a chore. I will think I have it just right and come back the next day and see humps and bumps that I didn't see the day before.

[Eric Krewson]

My trigger plate sits above the wood, I can't inlet it any deeper so I am filing and sanding it down a bit, I needed to sand it down for browning anyway. I made a fixture to hold it while I work on it.

[Eric Krewson]

I cut some buttstock moldings, I didn't think to take a picture of the when I got them finished.

[Eric Krewson]

Started cutting the lock molding and realized I had ton of wood to remove in the forestock, it is much too fat from the lock to the entry pipe. This wood is beautiful but so splintery that even with tools sharp enough to cut a free standing hair I am getting some tearing out around the beaver tail, I will probably have to do all the cleanup with an emery board, a slow process.

I plan to turn the obvious end of the lock inlet patch almost black with stain so it won't show like it does now. I have some tannic acid that should do the trick, I plan on this being a very dark rifle to hide the precarve flaws and patches..

 

[Eric Krewson]

I am calling this lock panel done;

[Eric Krewson]

I inletted the lock during damp weather, we had an extra dry day today with very low humidity, I went to to check my lock inlet today and the lock wouldn't even fit in the mortise, the dry weather had shrunk the stock that much.

I blacked the edges of the lock and tapped it into the inlet, a little Dremel and diamond file work and I had the lock fitting back where it belonged.

[Eric Krewson]

I never figured a good way to transfer the exact lock panel pattern to the side plate side.

I start by making a rubbing for a pattern, transferring the pattern and drawing around it on the lock panel side. I adjust the panel as necessary when I cut it out to be a pretty good match to the lock panel.

[Eric Krewson]

When I get the side plate panel cut out I am done with stock, it will be ready for a final sanding, whiskering, staining and finishing.

All I have to do with the metal is finish polishing the lock parts, buttplate, the barrel and trigger parts and browning on the steel parts.

[Mike Yancey]

Very nice!!

[Eric Krewson]

Time to get the iron stuff ready to brown as well as finishing up polishing the last brass piece. I will polish the brass one time to make sure I have all the casting marks cleaned up, after that I may even black everything for the dark rife I am making.

I start with a file to get the casting gate and visible craters out of the way.



Next I use a cabinet scraper to get rid of the bulk of the file marks and follow the scraper with progressively finer sheets of sand paper.



This picture shows the kind of voids that have to be filed out to level the surface.



Next I go over the piece with the buffing wheel. I did learn a neat trick for a Dremel buffing wheel. I bought 100 various wool wheels and arbors off eBay for less than one Dremel buffing wheel  costs. The problem with these cheap wheels is the hole wallows out quickly and the shaft spins but not the wheel. I put a drop of superglue on the pad then screwed the wheel on and I have yet to have one come loose.



An honest 3 hours later I am done and only with a rough buttplate.

[Eric Krewson]

Taking the orange peal finish off the lock parts is particularly tedious, so many angles to file and sand, of course the frizzen is hard as a rock and hard to file and sand. The triggers and the trigger plate aren't too bad.

After several days, lots of sandpaper and sore fingers the steel parts are ready to brown, and the brass is looking good.