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Tools for Cutting Mouldings
On many longrifles, there are mouldings along the forearm (usually the upper forearm) and along toe of the buttstock. Most often these are simple raised moldings cut in with a knife or chisel and then relieved behind the cut with the chisel or knife. The moulding is usually cleaned up using a slim triangular file […]
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Wallace Gusler Muzzle Blasts Articles
Below is a list of the Muzzle Blasts articles by or about Wallace Gusler. Wallace Gusler is one of the foremost experts on southern longrifles, particularly Virginia longrifles. Many of the articles focus on rare iron mounted rifles. I am listing the issue, the title, and the first page. This may not be a complete […]
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Firearms Photography 101
As I am no longer doing photo shoots for others, I thought that I would share what I have learned about firearms photography so that others can duplicate it. Here is a link to a .PDF document that will guide you through how to take professional quality photographs of firearms and accouterments: Firearms Photography 101 […]
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18th Century Bow Drills for Drilling Retaining Pins in Gunstocks
I was getting ready to install pins in my most recent rifle and wondered how would this have been done in the 18th century. I normally use a couple twist drills (1/16″ and 5/64″) and my cordless electric drill. So, I asked that question on ALR, and after reading a number of the responses, I […]
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Appraising Antique Firearms
I get lots of requests for appraisals on antique rifles. Consequently, I felt I should make a general blog and FAQ post on the subject. In order to properly estimate the value of an antique firearm, it must be closely inspected, in person, including disassembly. Additionally, you should seek out an appraiser who routinely buys […]
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18th Century Gunsmithing Tools, Metal Cutting Brace Bits
Below are a couple of metal cutting drill bits for a brace, and the holes they bored in a 1/8″ thick brass plate. Also shown is an 18th century style countersink. I ground and sharpened the drill bits to form approximately 3/16″ and 1/4″ holes. The countersunk hole fits a #10 tang screw. The bits […]
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18th Century Gunsmithing Tools, Screw Plate & Circle Cutter
I just added a few more 18th century gunsmithing tools to my tool kit. One is a pristine early screw plate, probably from the late 18th century or early 19th century. I don’t think this thing has ever been used. It appears to still have the temper colors on it. At least it did, until […]
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The Best Cleaner/Degreaser
A lot of you probably already know this, but I thought that I would repeat the information for the un-informed. Dawn® dishwashing detergent is the best commonly available cleaner and degreaser there is. For those of you who still wash you pots, pans, dishes, and silverware (especially actual silver) by hand, you know that a […]
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Rifle Sight Height Calculator
Rifle Sight Background The traditional muzzleloading rifle has fixed, open, metal sights. This means that you have to select an initial height for both the rear and the front sights. Original longrifles had fairly low sights, at least the way we see them 200 years later. As a matter of standard practice, I set the […]
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Tools on My Bench?
I had the thought one day that it might be interesting to list out all the tools I had out on my benches. As I worked on the project, I thought that it might be a better idea to expand the list to not only those tools that are normally out on my benches, but […]