Traditions St. Louis Hawken Build

I will try the pinch and stippling first! Thank you for the guidance! Barrel Blueing & Brass darkening tomorrow!

So Close today! Degrease, solvent wipe down, JAX brass darkener - all brass, metal parts and the barrel - 2 coats. Thoughts - the brass took the Jax unevenly, followed rinse directions, dry then used a 0000 scotchbrite w/WD40 to even the color out. Brass looking aged/antique. Barrel - uneven take up so did a 2nd coat - rubbed back w/WD40. Looks nice however I will go ahead and do a 3rd treatment tomorrow evening.

Winterhawk - I peened the front sight tenon on the bottom and it worked like a charm.

Ready to wrap this up and do a reveal early this coming week!

Pics from todays journey follow....

Hanshi - The kit is a .50 Caliber - I have round ball molds for .45 & .50 cal - so I started with the .50 cal.

I will do a 3rd coat tomorrow evening and let it set for a longer period then rub it back 0000. The Barrel tang and the cast peep sight took the JAX very well and look amazing/dark.

This pic is for Winterhawk - peened front sight blade after filing it just a tad too much yesterday. Will mount the front sight early this week once I do the final coat of bluing. Notice my $9.00 cheapie hickory ball peen hammer - I scraped the varnish off and stained it the same as my rifle stock to see how it would look and out comes the most beautiful tiger stripe hickory-

Thank you Hanshi! I will add this to my list to explore.

Well I gave the JAX barrel treatment one more try last night. Degreased, wiped down with acetone, applied the JAX a different more controlled way using makeup pads. Let it set 10 minutes, rinsed well, stopped the reaction with WD40. Wiped down after a couple hours and oiled heavily overnight. Wiped it down this morning and put her together to see what we have!

She is gray and a nice patina. Not perfect but attractive. A little dark around the bolster but the rest is pretty nice for my first go!

I learned a ton and looking forward to the next one.

Here you go!

Thank you to everyone on this forum for your advice, tips and encouragement. Jonathon thank you for the inspiration and demonstrating your builds on YouTube. I hope I did this one justice.

There are many like it, but this baby is mine and I couldn't be happier.

It will be a few weeks before I will be able to get out in the field and fire/sight in! I'll keep you all posted.

all for now - Jcast

For a first timer, that was a great job. Like Jonathan said, it looks damned good.

A few more finished pics taken to today to see if I could capture the Rusty Walnut - Red.

Jcast wrote:A few more finished pics taken to today to see if I could capture the Rusty Walnut - Red.

It's looking real good my friend.

Thank you Gentlemen. Your comments mean a lot. This rifle project purpose is to start a legacy for my daughters (3) who all hunt . My Dad has dementia and sold all his TC Hawken’s to an unscrupulous antique dealer vs passing on. I plan to build one for each and now I’ve been bitten by the bug I’m already jonesing for the next build! I guess there are worse things…….haha!

All for now - Jcast

Jcast wrote:Thank you Gentlemen. Your comments mean a lot. This rifle project purpose is to start a legacy for my daughters (3) who all hunt . My Dad has dementia and sold all his TC Hawken’s to an unscrupulous antique dealer vs passing on. I plan to build one for each and now I’ve been bitten by the bug I’m already jonesing for the next build! I guess there are worse things…….haha!

All for now - Jcast

Sorry about some really unscrupulous people in this world.
However, it's a good bug to be bitten by:-)
Love the fact that the girls hunt and the legacy you are starting.

I did really enjoy the build and learning new skills! Planning my next build now. Trying to decide between a Traditions Mountain Rifle or the Investarms GEMMER kit. I see knife & Tomahawk making in my future. LOL a 62 year old kid has gotta dream, right?

The .50 Cal kit is coming together. Just missing #11 Caps and 3F Goex Powder - (at my daughters in Georgia) waiting on a road trip in between busy work weeks!

Thought I would share a recent realization - RUST IN THE BARREL! This past weekend I was tidying up and a glimpse into the end of the muzzle indicated a fair amount of rust in the rifling grooves. Scrubbing with bore cleaner did nothing to remove. I did some research and headed off for an auto parts store for a quart of EvapoRust - rust remover. Prepped the barrel removing oil with brake cleaner, dry swabbed, teflon taped the nipple and a nipple cover, clamped the barrel vertically and filled with EvapoRust. I left it 24 hours, covered to prevent evaporation. Last night emptied the barrel, flushed with hot water. Ran cleaning pads with the jag - holy crap!

The barrel is pristine clean now, oiled for storage until I can get out to shoot! This stuff worked very well!