Finishing; with removable pieces or without?installed

I'm fast approaching the finishing phase of my build. Of concern for the process is to whether install my PB during this process, or finish the gun, and then RE-install it. On the bare wood the PB is very flush with the wood and tight. When I did my last gun, after scraping the finish out of the corners of the wood, the metal (particularly in the finial section particularly) became proud to the wood. I am less concerned about the interior of the lid portion because that most certainly needs to be stained and get a coat or two of finish. Likewise the lock and trigger internal areas, but this could also be applicable to the entry pipe tail area. Of course, one solution MIGHT be to put a coat of finish on, and then re-install the parts while it's still wet, but that almost most certainly will wind up turning in to glue once it sets up.

Coat with vaseline before installing?

Leave the PB in place before you start to finish it.

I don’t stain under inlays and only give that area one thinned coat of finish. Before reinstalling inlays I very lightly scrape the edges with a exacto knife. The parts will look as good as the inletting was befor.

The only areas that don't have sealer applied are under permanently installed components. I apply one coat of LMF sealer under the buttplate and under all other removable inlaid parts. The one coat of sealer is completely absorbed into the wood and doesn't expand the wood at all.

In fact, I also apply one coat of sealer in the RR hole, lock inlet and bbl channel

After the sealer is completely dry, all the parts are installed except for the bbl and lock and then 2 sparse coats of finish are rubbed in w/ the fingers.

Whether it be sealer or finish, a tooth brush is used to remove sealer and finish puddling in the carving and corners of inlets.

Possibly if the inlets became "tight", a varnish type finish was used and remained on the surface.......Fred