My Traditions Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #11

While waiting on the barrel to rust, there's always more to do. Here, sanding down the mortise to flush with the already-inletted lock plate (log #6). Using a sanding block and with lock plate in place, protected by masking tape:

Also because the tape serves as a tell-tale to when you're getting close to flush:

And some minor additional sanding and finishing touches with finer grits and I think it's good to go:

Though I'll need to black that top edge of the plate where it's visible.

There is a teeny tiny little chip in the very front, which can be seen in the last photo, and was already there, and about which I'm doing nothing, because it'll be mostly unnoticeable due to the adjacent frizzen spring.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #12

In log #10 I complained about barrel rusting progress. After carding one flat of that barrel with steel wool, it still looked patchy. I decided to card using a Dremel light abrasion wheel. Then applied LMF. And after three hours the result is:

Beautiful!! Just what I wanted to see. Nice (mostly) uniform rust. The abrasion wheel carding took off more rust than steel wool carding would have, but ... and this is just my theory ... I think it also very minutely scuffed up the surface, giving the rust more surface area to "grow" on. Though just one carding event pretty well used up the abrasion wheel, so I think I'll now revert to steel wool.

 

[Robert Losekamp]

Excited to see more of this! Great work so far.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #13

After the last LMF application and wait time I really liked the looks of the barrel color. So I stopped the rusting process with water, as per instructions, waited a couple hours for the rust to "set", and then proceeded to card. I wanted to card "lightly" so as to not take off too much rust. Gray Scotchbrite was too much and blue Scotchbrite not enough:

... so I tried my Dremel with a buffing wheel, and that was definitely way not too much.

It turns out that at this point the best carding medium is just your plain old ordinary #0000 steel wool:

I plan to let it sit overnight and see how it looks in the morning and then decide whether I need another application of LMF or whether can I just proceed with fixing it by applying oil.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #14

Odds and ends. I like the barrel color, but it's not uniform enough to make me satisfied with it, so it gets another application, very light, and maybe I'll stop it after a couple hours instead of three. Hopefully that's it, or I'll have to open a fresh new bottle of LMF.

While waiting on the barrel, some more stain testing. This time a third color was added to knock back the brown. Light walnut:dark walnut:fruitwood in a 5:1:1 ratio came out like this:

Also while waiting on the barrel, reassembled the lock. I don't like the blued pan. It's too hard to see powder and fouling against a black background:

So, I deblued it in heated white vinegar. Took about five minutes:

Polished and remounted it looks nice:

Reinstalling the frizzen spring was a real b****. My mainspring vise is too small for this frizzen spring. It came out easy enough by just unscrewing its retaining screw, and listening for the "clink" when the flying spring hit a hard surface. It doesn't go back in the same way. I ended up jury rigging this setup, where I had the spring lug inserted into its retaining hole, a small clamp holding that in place, and a second small clamp compressing the spring enough to line up with the screw hole. Then very delicately turning in the screw before the whole rig flew apart (yet again):

If I do any more flint pistol builds with small frizzen springs, I'm definitely aquiring a vise just for those springs!!

The parts of the lock were reassembled, with attention paid to polishing surfaces that rubbed or rotated to eliminate friction, which can be felt just by moving the parts in place before they're screwed in. I used little bits of rolled-up sandpaper for rotating parts:

So, then, all back together, function tests OK. Leather and flint installed. Traditions didn't give me one (cheapskates; Pedersoli did). And let's see how she sparks:

Sorry, I don't seem to have any softward on my computer to edit that and make it shorter. The spark is at :14 if you want to fast-forward.

 

[Rich44]

Just as a suggestion on staining. Sometimes it may be better to not mix the 2 stains wet trying to get the result. But rather stain the lighter color and let dry and then apply darker color.

Showing my stock, Rust-Oleum - Traditional Cherry was used as first coat and then Minwax - Dark Walnut as second coat. Dark Walnut was wiped on and then wiped down after 5-10 min. Got the shade that pleased me. Good Luck.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #15

I've got to face it: while I'm pleased with the color LMF is giving me on my barrel, I'm not pleased with the lack of progress toward a uniform finish. And if I just continue with more applications, I'm going to end up with a dark barrel, anyway ... sooooo ... I buffed it all off and I'm restarting with Birchwood Casey Plum Brown. That I've used before and know what to do and what to expect.

Except no more for the tang. It looks OK, and besides, I need it for the next phase of the project: reducing the excess wood on the top of the stock. So the tang gets installed and bolted to the trigger plate, and I did my usual Sharpie marking:

Whoa ... that's a lot of Sharpie ... which brings up a decision to be made: do I take it down to just the level top of the tang, or do I follow it around the rounded sides? That's a lot of wood to remove and rather significant stock reshaping, including possibly sideplate mortise alteration.

I think I'll be cautious and just start by taking it down to level with the top of the tang, then decide where to go from there, after I see how it looks.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #16

OK. Decision made.

First I got down close using a power sander:

Then reverted to block sanding to get detailed:

And it's clear to me, now, that what this wood and what this stock are telling me, is that they want the stock to be flat on the top and level with the tang extension only, and with gently rounded edges running into the existing side mortise shape edges.

 

[Rich44]

This is what mine looked like at that stage. Hope it helps.

 

[Rich44]

I think I'll be cautious and just start by taking it down to level with the top of the tang

First I got down close using a power sander:

I can't help it, you are so funny.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #17

The barrel is finished. Took only two applications of Plum Brown:

There's one more minor stock-shaping exercise before I get to the biggie - THE TRIGGER GUARD - (except if I rethink the tang fit - a distinct possibility) - and that would be the butt cap:

Ehhhhh ... I think files and sandpaper here; no power sanding needed.

 

[Rich44]

Do yourself a favor and open that hole for the but cap screw. It doesn't need to torque in so strong and split the wood. Good luck.
Also the smaller wood oval should have that sharp edge removed with a little chamfer.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #18

The butt cap has been fitted.

First, the excess marked was filed off (see previous log).

Next thing was to deburr the edges and the interior of the cap. And to sand and round the stock butt cap interface:

The pre-drilled screw hole is neither deep enough nor large enough to properly accomodate the provided screw:

So the hole was deepened and then enlarged by three screw sizes. Then the screw lubed with chamber lube was screwed in to tap the wood:

The cap was installed, and with the cap in place, the final adjustments to fit were made with sandpaper. Some sanding of the brass itself occurred, but easily removed by polishing:

It should finally be noted that the now-fitted cap on its now-flush butt is no longer perfectly symmetrical, nor is the hole exactly centered. So once it's properly fit, the cap now has a front side and it has a back side.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #19

After doing my research, I believe the proper fit of the tang is for the top to round down around the entire contour.
Various images I found online:

I believe doing this will require some reshaping of the offside mortise top contour, but if it's right, it's right, and it shall be done. Note how close the contour line comes to the sideplate screw washer in the first photo. Doesn't seem esthetically pleasing, at least to me.

 

[1stnamebassist]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #13

After the last LMF application and wait time I really liked the looks of the barrel color. So I stopped the rusting process with water, as per instructions, waited a couple hours for the rust to "set", and then proceeded to card. I wanted to card "lightly" so as to not take off too much rust. Gray Scotchbrite was too much and blue Scotchbrite not enough:
View attachment 270830

... so I tried my Dremel with a buffing wheel, and that was definitely way not too much.
View attachment 270831

It turns out that at this point the best carding medium is just your plain old ordinary #0000 steel wool:
View attachment 270832

I plan to let it sit overnight and see how it looks in the morning and then decide whether I need another application of LMF or whether can I just proceed with fixing it by applying oil.

Hi Wiscoaster! I carded mine with rolled up denim while running it under hot water. It worked well for me.

 

[Alan O]

Never saw a bridle on a Traditions lock.

But all I have are their nipple guns.

This is making me want a flinter.

oh yes, you definitely want a flinter...

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #20

After doing my due diligence (log #19) wrt the tang curve fitment, it's clear I have no ear for what the stock tells me I need to do with it (log #16), so I decided to do the excess wood removal, and to do it with the tang in place, mainly because I was concerned about that thin and small wood extension on the right side, and having the tang in place would support that.

Not wanting the trigger group hanging about and getting in the way, I "manufactured" a substitute "tang screw" and a "washer" and bolt to hold it in place:

The tang itself was protected by masking tape, though if it gets scratched up, it's easily re-browned. The material to be removed was sketched out and marked by pencil:

Yes, a belt sander was utilized to perform the initial reduction, lightly and deftly and with close attention to results:

Fine tuning was done with the usual hand files and sanding blocks.

The end result was satisfactory in so far as no mortise edge was encroached upon. This pic shows stock and tang, after re-sanding the tang and reinstalling tang screw to trigger plate. Sorry, don't call it "cheating" - just call it "forgot to take a pic immediately after".

Yes, it looks just a bit proud on one side - more noticeable in a close-up pic than "to the naked eye". I'll take another look at the inletting and the tang-barrel joint.

 

[BadDaditood]

Yikes!!
Power tools ?!?

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #21

I took another look at the tang fitment, and this time with the barrel hooked in, the tang secured with proper screw to the trigger plate, and Sharpie transfer medium on both tang and barrel. Usual tap tap tap. Also marked a spot on top of the tang that could use reduction, if needed:

Yep. Inlet needs work, and not just the tang inlet, but the barrel channel, also. I don't think I dry-fitted these two pieces connected together as a unit before.

Looking better:

Always recheck:

And (seems, anyway) always a little more to do!!

Lesson reinforced: because a part seems to fit OK alone doesn't mean it's still going to fit when it's connected to another part.

 

[wiscoaster]

Trapper Pistol Kit Build Log #22

This stock is definitely going to need some scraping:

Though I don't know whether scraping then sanding, or sanding then scraping works best. This scraping stuff is kind of a recent addition to my woodworking skillset. Seems to be a tossup wrt end result. This result shown here was by scraping w/curved scraper, then sanded with 150/220/320 grits, then dusted, then wetted:

Wetting will show up whether or not the job is perfect. You have to look close, but, no, it's not. Yet. Wetting also raises the grain, so it needs to be resanded and burnished, and sometimes that's enough.