Kibler Kit

[Clydesdale4x4]

Looking sharp, sir. (I second the Dragon Wax notion).

[Hawg]

Well, yesterday afternoon I put a coat of LMF browning on my steel parts and about an hour ago I checked it and nothing, nada, zip. Metal was just as white as when I put it on. So I put another coat on and before I got done the first parts had already turned black. I guess it's going to work after all.

[Hawg]

Well I had a beautiful hand rubbed finish on the stock but when you looked close it had flaws. I got it a little too thick and had a few runs and there was a couple of places that looked like I didn't get the wood sanded smooth enough. I think it was that even tho I wiped it down with a wet rag after sanding it didn't get all the dust off because once I got through the hand rubbed coat there were no sanding marks I could see and I didn't see any before I put the first goat on. I discovered left behind dust after I wiped it down after removing the last coat. I hope nothing turns up on the next coat because I'm not sanding it down again. I know never say never.  The steel is starting to look pretty good. I've already rounded off some of the sharp corners on the trigger guard with files and sandpaper so I said the heck with it, I can't do much more damage so I broke out the Dremel and used a coarse sanding drum to take out the parting lines and am using a felt wheel with jewelers rouge for the polishing. So far I haven't done any more damage and what I've done so far looks pretty decent. I've already done the nose cap, most of the butt plate and side plate the hard way and I'll probably finish the butt plate the hard way as well as the ramrod thimbles. I'll probably use the Dremel on the entry pipe. This has been a learning experience. I don't think it's one I care to repeat. At least not with brass. I thought brass would be easier to work and it is but it's also easier to mess up. It should look pretty good when I'm done, at least from a few feet away. It may not pass a close inspection.

[Hawg]

I sanded the stock back down with 600 grit and redid it. It looks about like it did last time. I'm not extremely happy with it but it is what it is. Maybe one day I'll get an urge to give it another try but today is not that day. The steel parts came out ok I guess. I neutralized the iron nitrate and went over it with 0000 steel wool and 3 in 1 oil. I still have to put the lock back together. I've polished the butt plate and ramrod thimbles up to 12,000 grit. They shine like a diamond in a goats butt. Not exactly what I wanted but once I got started on polishing the previous grits out I couldn't stop  It will mellow out in time. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow.

[Hawg]

A few stock pics.

[Marshal Will]

That looks really good. Thanks for the updated pics.

[Hawg]

That looks really good. Thanks for the updated pics.

It's a long way from perfect and it's too glossy to be HC but it is what it is. I'm tired of fooling with it.

[Marshal Will]

That looks really good. Thanks for the updated pics.

It's a long way from perfect and it's too glossy to be HC but it is what it is. I'm tired of fooling with it.

Well, it looks great. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.

[Bishop Creek]

I think it looks good! It has nice figuring in the wood. I have stained a flintlock stock like that before and know that it is a lot of work.

[Captainkirk]

That looks fine, Hawg. Nice work!

[Zulch]

It looks great Hawg!! I like the natural tiger stripe effect in the grain. You did great in my humble opinion

[Hawg]

Y'all haven't seen the flaws. Hope you never do. I try to keep them out of the pics.

[Hawg]

I haven't posted here in awhile but I've got it to the point of putting it back together. Two problems. First I had the ramrod fitting the stock perfectly but after staining and oiling it no longer fits. Not even the metal tip fits. I chucked it up in a drill and attempted to turn it down with a file. I have had marginal success but still have a long way to go. I'm not sure there's going to be enough metal left once it's turned down to fit. I may turn it around and turn down the other end to fit and let the metal tip show. The big problem is the lock. Before I took it apart for finishing it worked perfectly. It snapped into full cock and was difficult to trigger with it out of the stock. Once reassembled it no longer snaps into full cock. In fact unless the internal screws are left very loose it won't hold full cock at all and doesn't click when engaging full cock and let off is extremely easy with the lock out of the stock. It being a single trigger I didn't think it had a fly but it did. I say did because I lost it. I don't see where that would have any bearing on it holding full cock or operating correctly since it is a single trigger.

[Bishop Creek]

Will Kibler send you a new fly?

[Hawg]

Will Kibler send you a new fly?

Probably but I don't see where I need it. All it does is keep the hammer from falling to the half cock notch with double triggers. I finally figured it out. I had gotten some iron nitrate on the back of the lock plate. I had smoothed it up but didn't try to get it all off. I took it back apart just now and sanded it all off and it works now. At least it works out of the stock. It doesn't work in the stock. It's rubbing on wood somewhere. This thing is turning into one big headache.