REPAIR on RIFLING - old original austrian Jaeger rifle

[rich pierce]

I have not found that lapping will remove pits visible to the naked eye.

MAKING THE CUTTER FOR THE GROOVES

Here is how I re-cut the grooves and lands with cutters inset into the lead lap. The cutter for the grooves must be exactly the width of the grooves and the top where teeth will be filed must closely match the profile of the grooves. One has to be very good at fabricating and filing to make the cutters. I make mine from spring steel. My cutters are 1.5” long and about .100” to .125” in thickness. I measure the groove width on the lap I just cast. Making the cutter is the most important and hardest part. Use your micrometer or calipers, square, and magnification. Must have uniform height and width within 0.001”. Then I mark the top of the cutter with dykem and cut the teeth with a triangular file. I normally cut about ten teeth per inch. Two types of teeth can be cut. One is trilateral triangle in shape, like pyramids. These scrape in both directions. I know folks who like them. I cut teeth with a vertical front face and a sloping back edge. Look at a wood saw blade versus a file. I file these using a very fine, small triangular file. After filing the teeth and grooves to catch the swarf, I double check they are all sharp and same height. Then I harden the cutter and temper it fur an hour at 425F in a tin can filled with sand in the kitchen oven.

If interested, next installment is how to set the cutter into the lead lap.

 

[M. De Land]

I have not found that lapping will remove pits visible to the naked eye.

MAKING THE CUTTER FOR THE GROOVES

Here is how I re-cut the grooves and lands with cutters inset into the lead lap. The cutter for the grooves must be exactly the width of the grooves and the top where teeth will be filed must closely match the profile of the grooves. One has to be very good at fabricating and filing to make the cutters. I make mine from spring steel. My cutters are 1.5” long and about .100” to .125” in thickness. I measure the groove width on the lap I just cast. Making the cutter is the most important and hardest part. Use your micrometer or calipers, square, and magnification. Must have uniform height and width within 0.001”. Then I mark the top of the cutter with dykem and cut the teeth with a triangular file. I normally cut about ten teeth per inch. Two types of teeth can be cut. One is trilateral triangle in shape, like pyramids. These scrape in both directions. I know folks who like them. I cut teeth with a vertical front face and a sloping back edge. Look at a wood saw blade versus a file. I file these using a very fine, small triangular file. After filing the teeth and grooves to catch the swarf, I double check they are all sharp and same height. Then I harden the cutter and temper it fur an hour at 425F in a tin can filled with sand in the kitchen oven.

If interested, next installment is how to set the cutter into the lead lap.

I'd like to hear everything I can learn Rich! I already have an indexable rifling machine but would like to hear other folks ideas on refreshing. I read the Lewis and Clark crue did it byhand with a broken file, wood lapping rod using paper shims to elevate the saw in the lead lap cutter pocket . I have two reamed .40 cal barrels I need to make a rifling head for if I can ever find time. I'm going to make dual tooth scrape cutters instead of a hook cutter I believe. I think perhaps it will be easier to experiment with gain twist using the scrape cutters.

 

[Gordoncourtney]

I was looking for my cutter to photo, perhaps later as I refreshed the riffling on my cape rifle. I have an outer tube 15 mm copper with a brass lug soldered on the end. This must fit one groove the riffling exactly so the tube follows the rifling when pulled in and out, in essence a built in riffling machine . Next a rod goes through the tube with the cutter slotted into the end the 3” cutter , ex lathe parting off cutter , is drilled one end with a diamond drill for a pivot and cutter ground to shape to put pressure on the cutter I jammed some elastic band under it. At the other end I drilled a hole for a rod to align the cutter. I must admit this was for a two grove rifle However the tube ran in the grove so smoothly and easily and gradually back and forward. I ended up with the origin corroded rifling looking like new. I wish you well

 

[Gordoncourtney]

I was looking for my cutter to photo, perhaps later as I refreshed the riffling on my cape rifle. I have an outer tube 15 mm copper with a brass lug soldered on the end. This must fit one groove the riffling exactly so the tube follows the rifling when pulled in and out, in essence a built in riffling machine . Next a rod goes through the tube with the cutter slotted into the end the 3” cutter , ex lathe parting off cutter , is drilled one end with a diamond drill for a pivot and cutter ground to shape to put pressure on the cutter I jammed some elastic band under it. At the other end I drilled a hole for a rod to align the cutter. I must admit this was for a two grove rifle However the tube ran in the grove so smoothly and easily and gradually back and forward. I ended up with the origin corroded rifling looking like new. I wish you well

 

[Robby]

http://www.flintriflesmith.com/ToolsandTechniques/freshening.htm

 

[EPIMENIDIS]

http://www.flintriflesmith.com/ToolsandTechniques/freshening.htm

Very interesting ! Thank you for sending the link !!