Formed buttplate for New England fowler

[rich pierce]

I’m starting a custom New England fowler. Many characteristics are from gun called NE 11 in Grinslade’s Flintlock Fowlers book. That one has an unusual buttplate of French design with a raised panel on the comb extension. No commercial buttplates had enough comb extension to modify as the comb extension is 5” long.
The buttplate was formed from brass flat stock 0.080” thick. It is 2 and 1/8” wide and over 5” tall. I’ve used 1/16” thick brass sheet for forming buttplates before but I think I’d take all the 0.080” brass flat stock I could get my hands on. Sturdy and harder to work but can stand some filing. The raised panel was outlined with a square graver then some background was removed with a flat graver. Filing and rifflers finished it up.

 

[Cruzatte]

There is a tab extending downward from underneath the finial. Will that be mortised into the buttstock and then pinned, or held in place by the mortise alone?

 

[rich pierce]

Haven’t added the tab yet. I’ve pinned them and also made a catch previously. Undecided.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I’m starting a custom New England fowler. Many characteristics are from gun called NE 11 in Grinslade’s Flintlock Fowlers book. That one has an unusual buttplate of French design with a raised panel on the comb extension. No commercial buttplates had enough comb extension to modify as the comb extension is 5” long.
The buttplate was formed from brass flat stock 0.080” thick. It is 2 and 1/8” wide and over 5” tall. I’ve used 1/16” thick brass sheet for forming buttplates before but I think I’d take all the 0.080” brass flat stock I could get my hands on. Sturdy and harder to work but can stand some filing. The raised panel was outlined with a square graver then some background was removed with a flat graver. Filing and rifflers finished it up.

Awesome job Rich!
Flintlocklar

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Beautiful work !

 

[dave_person]

Hi Rich,
As I wrote in the other forum, that is a beautiful butt plate. I think you will find that a lug for a pin will work better than a hook for a catch. Your plate has to fit straight down. You really cannot fit it by sliding forward in the stock so a hook would be a problem. The saving feature for inletting is that the sole of the plate is so straight. You can trim the end of the stock as a straight flat face and then you really only have to inlet the extension (return, tang etc.) straight down.

dave

 

[rich pierce]

Dave, good thinking. I’ve done the Bess-style with a catch and it was so long ago I forgot about the sliding forward part!

 

[dave_person]

"Dave, good thinking."
Rich, that's why they pay me the "thunder bucks".

dave

 

[Percy]

Awesome work! I wouldn't even know where to start.

Percy

 

[rich pierce]

Awesome work! I wouldn't even know where to start.

Percy

I start with a 10” long, 2” wide piece of flat stock. I’m not confident enough to cut it to shape first because things can get wonky. I use hardwood forms and a modified ballpeen hammer to form the dome at the heel first. I anneal the brass regularly. Once the domed part is pretty regular I start bending it To 90 degrees and use forms to finalize the shape. Lots of straightening, annealing, forming using wooden blocks. I cut to shape after all forming is done on any buttplate with a complex comb extension.

 

[M&P]

Nice work !

 

[M&P]

I start with a 10” long, 2” wide piece of flat stock. I’m not confident enough to cut it to shape first because things can get wonky. I use hardwood forms and a modified ballpeen hammer to form the dome at the heel first. I anneal the brass regularly. Once the domed part is pretty regular I start bending it To 90 degrees and use forms to finalize the shape. Lots of straightening, annealing, forming using wooden blocks. I cut to shape after all forming is done on any buttplate with a complex comb extension.

Do you have any pictures of your forming blocks and your modified ballpen hammer ? It might be helpful to me. I tried to make one buttplate but it wasn't a success.

 

[rich pierce]

Here’s another buttplate formed recently along with some pictures of my hardwood forms. Pictures are in no particular order. The large face of the ballpeen hammer has a rounded face and the peen ens is less pointy than as made.

 

[KENT.REICHOW]

that's really nice work I cant wait to see the fowler.

 

[M&P]

Here’s another buttplate formed recently along with some pictures of my hardwood forms. Pictures are in no particular order. The large face of the ballpeen hammer has a rounded face and the peen ens is less pointy than as made.

Thanks for the pictures ! It will be very helpful for me and to others wanting to form their own buttplates.

 

[rich pierce]

Some folks use a big chunk of lead to act as a form for the heel. I’ve got some very tough hickory that will take any amount of abuse.

After initial steps of creating the heel bulge and getting it close to a 90 degree bend, much of the time is spent balancing the buttplate, trying for symmetry. If you’re going to try this I suggest practice with any kind of thin sheet metal. Of course, simple fold over buttplates like on some trade guns don’t require much forming.

Using these techniques I always get some “innies and outies” on the exterior of the buttplate. They show up especially after rough filing. Divots on the exterior are punched out from the interior using a large rounded punch.

 

[Percy]

Rich, I can see you are a "master" metal former, it must take a lot of skill, practice and patience to get the results you want, Thanks so much for sharing, pictures are great!

Percy

 

[Notchy Bob]

Outstanding workmanship, in design and execution! Thanks for sharing!

Nochy Bob