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Recent content by Bob Smalser

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  1. Bob Smalser

    Rehabilitating a 200-year-old Jaeger Rifle

    It's the screws that were made ca1800, not the screw plate. Hand-made, the lock bolts were drawfiled and aren't even round. Compare these to the screws made for a ca1810 Liege-made French military pistol below and you'll see those fasteners were cut or filed on a machine, probably a...
  2. Bob Smalser

    Rehabilitating a 200-year-old Jaeger Rifle

    Patina? You mean rust? And a century of ugly, degraded yellow shellac caking up the checkering? I'm with you. As I said, if one is careful not to get down to the raw wood with abrasives, one doesn't loose the beauty of age. ;)
  3. Bob Smalser

    Rehabilitating a 200-year-old Jaeger Rifle

    Most interesting was working with cow horn for the first time. While epoxy and power sanders make shaping and fastening it relatively easy, the original builders didn't have abrasive paper, only loose pumice, and being splintery it doesn't shape easily at all using cutting tools and files. As...
  4. Bob Smalser

    Rehabilitating a 200-year-old Jaeger Rifle

    As a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, I regularly do living history presentations to schools and youth groups. As my ancestors during that war were Pennsylvania riflemen and gunmakers (Newhard, Kuntz and Moll), one of my classes is on the evolution of the long rifle from the...
  5. Bob Smalser

    Conserving a Napoleonic Wars French Pistol

    The Pistolet modèle An XIII in .69 caliber represents the service pistol of choice during the Napoleonic era, and was fielded by French cavalry as well as other army units and also naval personnel. Approximately 300,000 were manufactured at the Royal Armories of St. Etienne, Maubeuge, and...
  6. Bob Smalser

    Blanket Gun ca1750

    Depends on the school, of course, but we take these things into schools regularly. All it usually takes is a call to the principle to explain why the artifacts are necessary for the presentation.
  7. Bob Smalser

    Blanket Gun ca1750

    Of course I'm joking. :wink: That's why I posted it under gunmaking. I put this together from bits laying around during a rainy spell last week. Everything is fabricated from scratch except for the Indian-made, 60-dollar (Narayan Sports) lock and an old Belgian percussion musket barrel I had...
  8. Bob Smalser

    Blanket Gun ca1750

    Unami Lenni Lenape-made blanket gun taken on the Blue Ridge in Pennsylvania during the F&I War. From an old Dutch dog-lock musket with French sideplate, fabricated parts, and improvised repairs. Around 70 caliber. Heavy stock scantling in walnut to use as a war club. Combined natural-shell and...
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