Kibler "Colonial" build thread

[Jackrabbit1957]

Does it snag the patch at all?

 

[.38 Special]

My chemicals showed up today. I started with the tomahawk head, which showed me that I need to be very thorough with degreasing. The finish still rubbed back very nicely, but all the rest of the parts got a twice-over with MEK - and my life-long hatred for that stuff continues unabated.

Anyway, here's the barrel after Jax black. You can really see the touch hole liner. (And yeah, sorry for my ongoing shortcomings as a photographer...)



And after rubbing back with Scotch Brite.

 

[.38 Special]

Then on to the lock.


It actually looks pretty good in person. The cellphone pic under artificial light doesn't help. It (and the barrel) are still a bit darker than I think I want, so I probably will continue rubbing everything back. The Jax black is a nasty chemical - I got a few molecules on a bare ankle and it's still itching like hell - but otherwise is easy to work with. It will be interesting to see if the finish offers any real rust resistance.

 

[troy fairweather]

Looks good, still think I'd rust blue mine and let it wear with use.

 

[.38 Special]

Looks good, still think I'd rust blue mine and let it wear with use.

I'm really just looking for an even, light gray, as well-cared-for "in the white" iron would have looked after a few years of use. I gave real thought to just leaving everything unfinished, but between the coastal humidity and my deadly fingerprints, that probably wouldn't have worked out.

<edit> I went ahead and rubbed back the barrel as much as I could with green Scotch Brite, which left essentially the "French gray" that I was looking for. So I guess I'll be taking the lock apart again for the same treatment. The lock, by the way, is simply marvelous to work with. I've never seen tolerances held this well on a flintlock - it comes apart and goes back together like magic, the same way every time.

 

[JN01]

Then on to the lock.
View attachment 1162553

It actually looks pretty good in person. The cellphone pic under artificial light doesn't help. It (and the barrel) are still a bit darker than I think I want, so I probably will continue rubbing everything back. The Jax black is a nasty chemical - I got a few molecules on a bare ankle and it's still itching like hell - but otherwise is easy to work with. It will be interesting to see if the finish offers any real rust resistance.

I had a custom rifle built years ago and had the maker leave it in the white (as some originals were). Greased it up and took it out in all kinds of weather. After waking up in the morning during a rainy camping trip, I puckered up a bit seeing the orange speckles on my new gun. But rather than removing it with some sort of abrasive, I rubbed it off with a greasy rag, a practice which I continued to do. After while, it took on a nice mottled gray patina that just looked right for a working gun.

Awesome job on yours, by the way.

 

[troy fairweather]

I always wanted to test this on a mz, if you crumple up aluminum foil and rub hard on bare metal it will darken or give a grayish color the steel and it leaves a coating. If done with blued part of will turn the blue a gray color kinda like if rubbed with granite, wonder if it would be Corrosion resistant.

 

[.38 Special]

Painted the tomahawk shaft with iron nitrate/aqua fortis and got the lovely green color I'd expected.




Then hit it with the heat gun and got it a little more respectable.


A coat of "honey maple" stain:


I will let it dry for a few days while I wait for the sealer to get here, which should add a bit of shine.

Meanwhile, I added the only "artistic" touches to the rifle stock that I intend to.



Just a couple of ribs on the cheek piece, and a single line at the bottom of each edge of the buttstock. That's all I'm sure I can manage without screwing anything up, and even that was a near thing! It's now sitting out in the sun turning sickly green, and will probably get a coat of stain tonight.

 

[JeffG]

My goodness, that wood!

 

[.38 Special]

Well, the stain plus sealant ended up being really dark. I could live with it, but it's pretty far from what I had in mind. I really should have sanded back the stain before sealing, but live and learn. I let the sealant dry on the tomahawk shaft for four hours, then sanded it with 120. That worked, but the sealant really gummed up the paper, wet or dry. I ended up using several sheets of paper, the moved on to Scotch Brite for final prep before giving it another coat of sealant. That ended up looking much more like I had in mind, but I really am not looking forward to sanding the stock. I think I'll see if Scoth Brite or similar is available in much coarser grits, as it didn't load up as badly as the sandpaper. Otherwise I'll just buy out Home Depot's stock of not-purple sandpaper in 120 and 220 and get to work...

 

[troy fairweather]

Maybe try a scraper

 

[.38 Special]

Getting down to the last bits. I'd actually be done tomorrow except that I've run out of stock sealer. I'm using the Permalyn stuff, which has been pretty easy to work with, but the stock sucked up about a third of the can right off the bat. So if anyone is curious, a four ounce can of Permalyn sealer is not quite enough for a tomahawk, a ball board, and a longrifle stock.

 

[troy fairweather]

She's sure pretty, you can burnish the wood and it won't such up as much, it gives better contrast from the light and dark wood. I've been dieing to get out and shoot some muzzleloaders but don't own one at the moment.

 

[.38 Special]

She's sure pretty, you can burnish the wood and it won't such up as much, it gives better contrast from the light and dark wood. I've been dieing to get out and shoot some muzzleloaders but don't own one at the moment.

I love woods walking in the rain/snow, so I'm happy to get as much sealant into the stock as possible. Should have bought the big can - I expect this won't be my last build...

 

[troy fairweather]

I love woods walking in the rain/snow, so I'm happy to get as much sealant into the stock as possible. Should have bought the big can - I expect this won't be my last build...

Wish I had a place for woods walks, don't think they would like doing them on state land either. Always wanted to go trekking, maybe possible out west but not on the east coast. Be cool if you could do it on the Appalachian trail it's only 5 miles away from me.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Very nice job on the muzzle Mr. Sauce! Your file work looks pretty good to me.

Thanks, looks great from a distance...makes the bore look even bigger than it is.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Wish I had a place for woods walks, don't think they would like doing them on state land either. Always wanted to go trekking, maybe possible out west but not on the east coast. Be cool if you could do it on the Appalachian trail it's only 5 miles away from me.

Unless there is a law (no, I am not a big-city creepy Lawyer, so this is not legal advice) specifically prohibiting the carrying of a firearm, you could carry openly on State Land, or any other public land. ? (but yeah, Appalacian trail, I'd probably not carry a rifle in that circus environment) A muzzle loader is not going to get much attention, and again, unless specifically prohibited under law, ain't nothing they can do about it.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

My chemicals showed up today. I started with the tomahawk head, which showed me that I need to be very thorough with degreasing. The finish still rubbed back very nicely, but all the rest of the parts got a twice-over with MEK - and my life-long hatred for that stuff continues unabated.

Anyway, here's the barrel after Jax black. You can really see the touch hole liner. (And yeah, sorry for my ongoing shortcomings as a photographer...)
View attachment 1162550


And after rubbing back with Scotch Brite.
View attachment 1162551

View attachment 1162552

Don't know what Jax-Black is, but most any finish like that will look great at first, and can be rubbed down to a grey, but usually you'll get a big shiney spot where your hand carries the gun. Really, a good gun-metal grey finish takes time. However, as time goes on and you handle the gun, most of a "finish" will wear off, and you'll be back to getting the grey naturally. Artificially getting a light surface rust on the barrel is a good way to go, but some of steel used in those barrels just does not want to rust. My Jeager won't rust, (Colerain barrel) and my Bess is ultra rust resistant. Sometimes I'll get a few small spots on Bess, but then they "go away". !!!??? A little discoloration around the touch-hole and barrel in that area. However, the Bess now has a nice natural gun-metal grey "finish", but yeah, took a few years. I never oil the barrel on it, and rub my sweaty hands on it any chance I get. First patch out of a dirty barrel gets rubbed on it. The Jeager is not too far behind, it's getting there.

 

[woodnbow]

Thanks, looks great from a distance...makes the bore look even bigger than it is.

That might be enough to give ‘ol Ephraim pause… nah, prolly not. Sure looks nice from over here though.

 

[.38 Special]

Don't know what Jax-Black is, but most any finish like that will look great at first, and can be rubbed down to a grey, but usually you'll get a big shiney spot where your hand carries the gun. Really, a good gun-metal grey finish takes time. However, as time goes on and you handle the gun, most of a "finish" will wear off, and you'll be back to getting the grey naturally. Artificially getting a light surface rust on the barrel is a good way to go, but some of steel used in those barrels just does not want to rust. My Jeager won't rust, (Colerain barrel) and my Bess is ultra rust resistant. Sometimes I'll get a few small spots on Bess, but then they "go away". !!!??? A little discoloration around the touch-hole and barrel in that area. However, the Bess now has a nice natural gun-metal grey "finish", but yeah, took a few years. I never oil the barrel on it, and rub my sweaty hands on it any chance I get. First patch out of a dirty barrel gets rubbed on it. The Jeager is not too far behind, it's getting there.

Almost certainly. I don't at all mind honest wear. I just hope to gain a head start with modern chemistry - which really amounts to little more than fancy rust. I primarily hope to avoid the troubles that my lethal fingerprints combined with our local salt and humidity so often cause: orange and brown rust spots that look less like "well-used firearm" and more like "pot metal left out in the garden". Time will tell, and at the worst there is always steel wool and WD-40...

 

[.38 Special]

Unless there is a law (no, I am not a big-city creepy Lawyer, so this is not legal advice) specifically prohibiting the carrying of a firearm, you could carry openly on State Land, or any other public land. ? (but yeah, Appalacian trail, I'd probably not carry a rifle in that circus environment) A muzzle loader is not going to get much attention, and again, unless specifically prohibited under law, ain't nothing they can do about it.

One surprising bit about "commie-fornia" is that we have huge tracts of BLM land which are essentially "As long as you aren't dumping uranium, you're good" sorts of places. I avoid the parts which are popular with the tree huggers, but otherwise, it's a paradise - as long as you don't mind walking.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Almost certainly. I don't at all mind honest wear. I just hope to gain a head start with modern chemistry - which really amounts to little more than fancy rust. I primarily hope to avoid the troubles that my lethal fingerprints combined with our local salt and humidity so often cause: orange and brown rust spots that look less like "well-used firearm" and more like "pot metal left out in the garden". Time will tell, and at the worst there is always steel wool and WD-40...

Could you put the killer finger prints to good use? Maybe rub the barrel down with sweaty hands for a couple days, to get an even coverage?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

One surprising bit about "commie-fornia" is that we have huge tracts of BLM land which are essentially "As long as you aren't dumping uranium, you're good" sorts of places. I avoid the parts which are popular with the tree huggers, but otherwise, it's a paradise - as long as you don't mind walking.

I love walking. That's why I so love hunting, hiking, trekking. I lived in Southern Cal at one time. Me and my friends roamed the hills, canyons and fire-roads around L.A. often with our mil-surp rifles, .30-30'and .22's, shooting up the rocks, jack rabbits and who knows what else. That was a million years ago, and perhaps things have changed drastically. ? I know the laws have changed, but I can't imagine the Sheriff bothering about a call that some guy was seen out in the boonies with a powder horn and flintlock rifle. I would think the same would be true in upstate NY. ?

 

[.38 Special]

Could you put the killer finger prints to good use? Maybe rub the barrel down with sweaty hands for a couple days, to get an even coverage?

Never tried it, honestly. I'm going to continue hoping that "French gray" and Ballistol makes it moot.

 

[.38 Special]

I love walking. That's why I so love hunting, hiking, trekking. I lived in Southern Cal at one time. Me and my friends roamed the hills, canyons and fire-roads around L.A. often with our mil-surp rifles, .30-30'and .22's, shooting up the rocks, jack rabbits and who knows what else. That was a million years ago, and perhaps things have changed drastically. ? I know the laws have changed, but I can't imagine the Sheriff bothering about a call that some guy was seen out in the boonies with a powder horn and flintlock rifle. I would think the same would be true in upstate NY. ?

I've been hassled while hunting in Orange and Los Angeles counties - people taking pictures or video and making calls to the authorities to report a man with a gun (or even a bow, on one occasion). It's never amounted to much* but it certainly gets on my nerves. Recreational target shooting just about anywhere in L.A. these days - even when you do the research and find a legal spot - would likely get you some unwanted attention. I personally prefer somewhere legal and far away from people, so usually end up driving for a couple of hours.

*I was bowhunting a year or two back, carrying a Howard Hill longbow at the end of an unsuccessful day, and while walking back to the parking lot noticed a frantic couple pointing cell phones at me and making calls. When I got back to the lot, half an hour later, there was a deputy standing around and looking bored. As I walked by him he asked if I'd gotten anything, and we talked for a moment. Then he mentioned that they'd received a call about an "armed man" on the trail. Turns out the callers had made it down the trail ahead of me and had already been interviewed, with the cop telling them that this was a legal hunting area and that they can't go around calling the cops on hunters. It turned out that he himself was a bowhunter, but with the latest wheelie bow. His comment about my gear was a half-serious "I'm not completely convinced that you meet the definition of 'armed'".