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1899 LEC restoration

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englishman_ca View Drop Down
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    Posted: July 15 2017 at 6:20am
Another one finished. Well, finished for now....


It all came together last night. I am into the BLO routine today and the carbine is starting to look nice again.

This was kind of one of those back burner projects. Trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
The carbine came to me as a barreled action. All there, nice metalwork, just needed a clean. It was in the way on the bench as I couldnt put it up in the rifle rack out of the way. So, I remembered that I had some sportered wood in the junk drawer....

The fore arm was brutally Bubba'd and cut back, sanded to death.

The butt stock was checkered and sanded, missing the butt plate.

So, I had a piece of black walnut long enough to splice the front end and a chunk of colour party flag pole that I found in the basement of an old Orange Hall to make the hand guard.

Normally, I like to put the splice under the lower barrel band. However, the fore stock was slimmed and shaped by Bubba so badly, I had to go way back far enough to get to find a dimensionally good cross section onto which to splice.

The checkering on the butt wrist came off without too much material being lost. Luckily, Bubba had no idea how to checker and the pattern was more of a shallow cross hatching than cut diamonds.


The butt plate is actually a rifle unit that had a screwed up tang hole. Same basic shape as a carbine one, so I just had to rework the tang.


The joint is visible, but I can live with it. With handling and use, the two woods will mellow and blend.

 

The nose cap is a CNC machined unit bright and shiny new steel. I oil blackened it and am now working on the patina.


The barrel band started out as a long rifle unit that I re-forged on the anvil and took out the shoulders. This has the effect of drawing out the band and more by luck than good judgement  fits like a charm.


This is a tell tale area to examine for repro handguards. For whatever reason, the repros just don't fit like they should up against the sight bed. The shape of the wood is tricky to form here and needs to be hand fitted.

Th carbine will eventually get a decent new wood set when I get rolling with the duplicator. But for now the salvaged set from the junk drawer will keep the thing shooting. I am not happy with the fit and the wood is just overall too thin from sanding, however, for now she is looking like a cavalry carbine again.

I will be taking it out to my range behind the garage later this weekend, see how she prints.

Now, back to my other projects.....


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evanguy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evanguy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 16 2017 at 3:21pm
Very nice work as always, i need to get into making stocks or atleast repairing stocks. I am in the need of way too many mlm/mle and smle wooden pieces.
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hoadie View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 16 2017 at 4:09pm
ENGLISHMAN!! U P.M.O.!! I shud b able to create beauty out of garbage, too!!
Your ability is astounding!
I truly wish I had the talent & tools!!
Loose wimmen tightened here
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pukka Bundook Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2017 at 5:37am
Grand looking work, E-man!
 
Do you have a fore-part for a Long Lee forend you could part with?  (To join under the rear band to my rear-end of fore-end?)   By! that sounds confusing!
 
I sometimes add some 'wear marks" to where wood is spliced.  helps to blend the woods together. 
Very nice work , and am surprised how well the American walnut has blended in.
 
Richard.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote englishman_ca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2017 at 6:51am
The black walnut was cut on a farm in Niagara. The logs sat in a barn for 50 years until somebody bought them and had them milled on site. The lumber then sat racked in a shed for another 25 years. Nice stable seasoned stuff! Old growth walnut cut quarter saw, not easy to find. I just got lucky.

The short answer is yes, I have front sections.

I am going to be banging a few out this summer. I have a bit of a backlog to catch up, then I'll be taking orders. I have a library of original wood to use as patterns. 
Cav carbine, RIC carbine, NZ carbine, Mk.I Metford, Mk.II Metford long rifle fore stocks, butts and hand guards plus just front sections. I can do front sections a bit longer to restore rifles that have been cut behind the barrel band.
Plus I have a selection of Martini stocks to copy for my own projects, then I'll be offering them up too. And I have some Sht.LE wood to do. No.5 carbine sets,  and . . . .and . .

Setting things up to get busy. Making drill jigs.

Life keeps getting in the way and working for a living slows me down.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2017 at 9:15am
How about Ross rifle wood bits?
Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.
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evanguy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evanguy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2017 at 9:17am
We shall be in touch, i need lots of wood and we can trade or ill buy them i need lots.
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Canuck View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2017 at 9:31am
Excellent excellent work as usual!
Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2017 at 6:59pm
WOW! I'm in Niagara..just try to find walnut wood here now!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2017 at 7:22am
Originally posted by hoadie hoadie wrote:

WOW! I'm in Niagara..just try to find walnut wood here now!


Is that like Hoadie looking for a woodie?

Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.
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A square 10 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A square 10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2017 at 7:04pm
nice , im impressed with it , still gotta get your package in the mail englishman , i have not forgotten , just gotta set aside the time to fill out that paperwork , 
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englishman_ca View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote englishman_ca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 03 2017 at 7:50pm
A Square 10, your package arrived safe and sound. Thank you.

I think that I can do something with it. Did you carve that?


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