Getting inlets a little less tight

[BigBoreBLR]

I'm working on a 3 inch long square tang for my early virginia rifle. Tang is a touch snug, but inlet is 99% done. Any advice on slight clearancing. I'm surprised how good it came out for my first attempt and don't want to mess up.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

x-acto knife or light pass with emery board/sand paper over transfer marking. what are you using for marking?

it is also important to properly asses what your transfer markings are telling you, as they will appear in both areas where the part is fitting perfectly as well as in areas that need to be removed

with the x-acto knife, your goal is to just cut off the black. there is no substitute for many fitting and refitting the part as you make minimal adjustments in between

also, where are you having clearance issues? the height in the rear is often filed down a bit to match the swoop of the wrist

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

you can get into a lot of trouble using inletting black bc it can bleed into the wood and provide false indications. I use it sparingly, but I am also bottom of the food chain here. Flehto posted some great comments a few posts down on what he uses. I meant to say "shave" instead of "cut" with the x-acto kife. also, giving the part a slight chamfer with a swiss file prior to inletting is incredibly helpful, you can still chamfer the breech plug tang as long as you avoid making contact with the top edge and don't chamfer past the point that you will file it down to match the stock's contour. I can not think of a different tang you may have implied, these are good general rules for inletting, if you meant a different tang please correct...

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

also, don't beat yourself up when you make mistakes in the future. Somebody here posted that the measure of a skilled builder is 50% doing it right and 50% knowing how to fix what you did wrong...or something like that...it was really good advice anyways.

 

[2shute]

You might also consider a little light filing on the tang itself--just a few strokes at a time....

 

[ZUG]

You might also consider a little light filing on the tang itself--just a few strokes at a time....

I agree -- if you are looking for a few thousands clearance it would be easy to use 220 or 320 grit paper to polish the sides of the tang to get a nice smooth fit.

 

[Spikebuck]

it is also important to properly asses what your transfer markings are telling you, as they will appear in both areas where the part is fitting perfectly as well as in areas that need to be removed

This is the tricky part, isn't it. This is the stage where extreme patience and tiny adjustments are needed.

It's almost hard to provide advice without seeing it first hand, but in general if it is that close I would leave the "top line" of the wood and metal as is and only do minor adjustments below the line whether on the tang or the inlet.

 

[EC121]

If it is inlet to your satisfaction, then file a little windage on the sides of the tang. It only needs to be tight on the top. The tricky bit is keeping the tang-to-barrel joint from getting wallowed out while inletting the tang.

 

[necchi]

Keep in mind the wood will swell a bit when you apply sealers and finish, it's not un-common to have to go back a shave a bit. You can wet the area slightly, let it dry to raise the grain and shave that off, repeat that cycle a few times can help.
There is nothing carved in stone that say's you can not block sand the metal a bit.
The very back of the tang inlet should have a tiny gap, too tight there and there's a risk of cracking later.

 

[nhmoose]

YOU will always see your boo-boo's. 99% won't.

 

[Black Hand]

I'm working on a 3 inch long square tang for my early virginia rifle. Tang is a touch snug, but inlet is 99% done. Any advice on slight clearancing. I'm surprised how good it came out for my first attempt and don't want to mess up.

File a little off the sides of the tang. Far easier than trying to shave off a little wood....

 

[rich pierce]

Lots of approaches will work but I've never heard of or seen a pro builder file metal to make an inlet fit or use sandpaper on the sides of an inlet. Sharp chisels and scrapers.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

... but I've never heard of or seen a pro builder ... use sandpaper on the sides of an inlet. .

Rich: while I am confident that I personally do not possess the skills or experience to question one of your statements; the x-acto knife/emery board on sides of inlet idea I got from a Ron Ehlert instructional dvd. Everything I post I received from more credible sources and have had some degree of success with it personally. Contextually, Mr. Ehlert may have intended that technique for beginner purposes, while he uses faster methods himself, I do not know because he did not specify either way.

 

[Vaino]

Do the sides of the tang have a draft angle? When I file the draft, I leave 1/32" straight at the top and then file the draft. The sides of the inlet don't have to have the draft angle. In fact, irrespective of the tang shape at the rear, a generous amount of draft and a slight clearance between the tang and and the inlet avoids possible cracking of the stock. This is shown on all 3 LRs oictured below. I just use a chisel to fit the tang....Fred

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Fred: how long have you been making rifles for? Anytime I see something you post, it is the same feeling I get as when I am at the gas station topping off and somebody pulls up in a lambo? simply breath taking.

I can respect your anonymity if you decline to answer, but are you a famous builder or maybe even Clark Kent?

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Rich, additionally in retrospect of my comment, I do not want to give the impression that something I read or saw or took a workshop on is more valid that what you have to say. I take my information from a lot of different sources, including the generous members of this forum, and simply did not want to give the impression that I am pulling something out of thin air.

 

[Vaino]

Thanks for the kind words. I started building in 1977 and the stock of my first attempt at a LR ended up in my woodburner. Salvaged the metal parts, got a new blank and actually completed my first LR..."its" name is UGLY. The middle pic is my 2nd attempt. Should have gone to some seminars and workshops early on.....Fred

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

If I was around in 1977, I would have jumped in your wood burner after it

 

[hoochiepapa]

I must disagree with your post. Inletting black does not "bleed", that's the benefit of it. I have a jar that I've had since my cf building days, and swear by it.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

it must have been the result of other errors I was making when I first started using it. I am just in the habit of using it very sparingly now, and misdiagnosed the original problems I was experiencing. thank you for the correction. :hatsoff: