Wild Rose

oops double tap......

You can get it direct from the maker..... WAHKON BAY AQUAFORTIS—2 oz. $8.95. S/H $12.50 up to six bottles. Continental U.S. ground shipping only. Visa/MC MICHAEL LEA AND DAUGHTER, 2109 Summit Street Columbus OH 43201. Telephone 614-291-4757 email <oldguns2109@sbcglobal.net> As I understand it both the TOTW and Log Cabin are from the same source, just bottled differently???. You can also get Ferric Nitrate and Ferric Chloride Crystals: http://www.sciencecompany.com/patinas/patinachems.htm Alan - some idea what I'm looking into having you make.... buttplate - similar to this one, note the littel curve - I've got dimensions - two piece iron - riveted and forge brazed.... http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(n02mu4ywl...NUM=BP-HAWK-E-I triggerguard - This one is an exact copy from the original rifle we're basing my rifle on - the curl does not have to be solid - that was done for casting purposes http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(n02mu4ywl...NUM=TG-HAWK-T-I

Alan - I'll drag out some pics and email you - I also have a casting of the original guard so will dig it out and send it as a pattern.

You can get Lead Dryer (lead napthanate) here - http://store.studioproducts.com/product.ph...=252&page=1 The Japan Dryer works well too. I am told by those in the know on ALR that the advantage to the lead dryer is that it dries from the inside out rather than vice versa. Alan you mention the hard skin - the old time violin varnish doesn't get a real hard skin either - it stays "flexible" therefore is supposed to be better for the music intruments as well as gunstocks, etc. BTW - I've read that at least some of the old violin makers "sun tanned" their wood before staining/finishing. Some of the gun makers using old time finishes use a sealers such as shellac first before applying the linseed varnish, but I prefer not to as IMO I get better depth without it and the BLO varnish seems to hold up well on it's own when applied properly. Edgar - the acid alone will give depth but not a lot of color - you need the iron for color - rusty iron seems to give more reds. Of course each piece of wood is different even of the same species. You can also increase the color difference between the soft and hard layers by first wetting things down with a strong tea solution which adds more tannin - it will got to the darker side though, especially the soft parts, but it can make for some dramatic looking wood. Here's some samples of different stains - bottom piece left is vinegar and iron aka ferric acetate, in the middle is a batch made from the Science Co crystals, on the right is AF made from BC Plum Brown, at top was my control - an old batch of Wahkon Bay - these pieces only have a light coat of oil and weren't burnished.. A couple of pieces - home brewed AF and full on varnished and burnished...note the vertical face of the piece on the left was not neutralized and turned dark... Alan - I'm working with a friend to make me up an early flint Hawken - since this will probably be my last rifle I'd like to be as close to original as possible ( can't afford a WI barrel though). Trigger guard and buttplate are the two main pieces - I've got patterns from originals. Looking at doing an early oval "patch box" as well and nose cap, but will probably get Larry Kemp to squeeze me out some of my wrought (got both anchor chains and bridge parts) on his press to build those. Tain't in a big rush - figure it will be after the first of the year at leas - I reckon a good sheath fro trade or???? Next time I boil up some varnish I'll send you a jar....

Edgar - Since that posting I've found that the muriatic alone doesn't do as good as the Aqua Fortis aka ferric nitrate plus muriatic or you can just get the old/new Wahkon Bay mix which is a combo of both - which btw is chemically a mix of ferric nitrate and ta da ferric chloride known in the old days as aqua regia. You can now get the pre-made Wahkon Bay mix from Track of the Wolf and Log Cabin Sport shop. I've made my own mix by using the ferric nitrate and ferric chloride crystal from the Science Store and mixing three to one with distilled water. I've also made a mix using muriatic, Birchwood Casey's Plum Brown (has nitric in it) and mixing with steel wool or scrap iron. All my mixes have worked well with no more difference between them than what is normal between various batches of using pure nitric and iron. Alan and I will have to maybe agree to disagree on this one - This is one of those things that IMO is based on personal preference - whether to let it dry or not - some of the best of the best gunmakers don't let it dry while others add a coat or two letting dry in between before heating. I've done it both ways and can't really decide which is better - although I am leaning to the letting dry - after much experimentation I'm letting a couple of coats dry and then doing a wet coat before heating - I have no "real" proof but "in my mind" I have the idea that letting it dry allows the acid to "work" more on the tannins and sugars in the wood which are what give that gorgeous chatoyance. As to heat - I've tried the pre-heat method and see no real advantage and the fumes are definitely obnoxious. One thing I wonder is in the "old "days the makers most likely used their large open top coal/charcoal forges for heat therefore they not only got heat but also UV which definitely has an effect on the change. Left un-neutralized the wood will generally turn very dark, even to black when exposed to sunlight. I had one piece that I experimented on - gave it a good coat of AF, put it out in the summer sun (here at 6500' altitude the sun is VERY intense), and within one hour, with out additional heat it turned a beautiful, dark reddish brown.To neutralize you can go two different directions - use baking soda or TSP, which in my experience gives a more brown tone or use lye (Red Devil mixed with water is one source) which gives me more red tones. As for whiskering - I generally use scrapers rather than sand paper so there is little if any whiskering needed. 4/0 steel wool is good but can leave scraps behind which will discolor when hit with the reagent, in that case the plastic pot scrubbers or plastic steel wool may be better choices. IMO - The real "kicker" to get the best chatoyance/color is using a good linseed oil based finish - I DO NOT recommend the standard hardware store "boiled" linseed oil. I make my own traditional violin varnish - it's made from heat polymerized linseed oil (get pure linseed oil from art suppliers or from health food stores where it's sold as flax seed oil), rosin, white lead dryer, and thickened turpentine . You can either make your own (a nasty operation best done outside) or buy pre-made violin varnish (expensive), or buy some Tried and True Oil Varnish. I'm experimenting with tweaking the latter - I add lead dryer (available from some art stores), and oxygenated/thickened turpentine. You can also get real thickened heat boiled linseed oil from art suppliers. So far it looks good and is much less messy to make than starting from scratch. I thin the first three or four coats with turpentine and then finish up with the straight varnish. After it's all dry - it mus be put on in THIN coats and it takes sunlight to thoroughly dry any linseed oil based product) I rub down with rotten stone to give it a more satin finish. Anyway hope that helps and look forward to seeing some pics.......I'd also suggest checking out the American Long Rifles forum for more info on traditional stains and finishes. Be sure to select the archives when doing a search. BTW - Alan I need to talk with you regarding getting some wrought iron gun hardware made - I've got the iron - Interested?

Birchwood Casey Super Blue - works like a charm........it's available from most any gun store...I also like ferric nitrate only I add some muriatic acid to it........

Cool! Well I'm about 3 months behind with new delivery dates 6-8 months out so I don't feel so bad!!! And right now I'm not gettin a whole lot done - 102F in the shade today with humidity at 5% - it's so dry the LIVING trees are at 6% - less than kiln dried lumber! At 6500' ASL the sun is INTENSE! no hot work for this chile....

VERY NICE Alan - we still got to get together on one or more of these..... As for the weld - as Alan noted lots of originals weren't/aren't all that solid. A trick though is to thin the handle area before welding - I learned that one a loong time ago when I was still pounding iron - well known old time smith Joe DeLaronde (who now just lives over the hill from me) shows how in this scan from the Book of Buckskinning 4: Also many old originals had the head brazed on - the method then was to forge braze - pin/peen the head on and with a piece of thin brass set between the bowl and the head (flux the joint and then heat in the forge). Iron muzzle loading butt plates were joined in that fashion as well as were iron hawks with brass bowls. (Alan - I've got one of those in the works using one of Gib's heads - if I get it done in time it will be at the CLA show in August along with one of my fancy sheaths for a bear jawbone knife that I didn't make...) That could be because they're making the molds directly off originals? And that's "PC" . The later Sam Hawken buttplates were cast from molds taken from original forged ones and show the leavings of the brazing - this stumped modern students/makers for a while who thought at first they were forge welded..

Yep my contact info is on the site (the Contact Us button is top right) - my phone is 970-259-8396 and email is chuck@wrtcleather.com... "Just down the road" - well a bit more than that - I live about a 9 hours southwest of Denver.... Besides the book Alan suggested I would check out 1) the Colorado Historical Society http://www.coloradohistory.org/ 2) Google Colorado Historical Blacksmithing - there are several historic sites (Littleton has one) with blacksmith shops 3) Check out the Solomon Butcher Collection - although photoed in the NW of Nebraska, you will see good images of the clothes worn by the working people of the era and general NE/CO area http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/re...her/photos.html I can't think of anything else right off hand, but that should give you a good start.............if you need sources for clothing, etc let me know......

Give the guys at Dunlap a call_ I bought a piece of hardrock maple from them for $35.00 PPD and got two nice pieces out of it: Dunlap Woodcraft 14600F Flint Lee Rd Chantilly, VA 20151 dunlapwdcrafts@aol.com Tel. (703) 631.5147 Here's one of the pieces I made using that wood. Before it got "westernized" After it went west........ BTW - gunstock war clubs were NEVER made from gunstocks (way to thin and small) - some pretty good evidence in fact points to the style being in use BEFORE the Euros arrived and that the name got stuck to it after due to the resemblance......

FWIW - the Great Lakes NDNz also worked copper pre-Columbina that is, IIRC the Mound Builders were also copper smiths of a sort..... and later some NDNz worked iron even without a lot of tools....here's a Comanche "smiths" outfit: stone anvil, Winchester rifle receiver for a hammer, and iron arrowheads which were made from wagon wheels and other scrap iron...

WI came in several grades over the centuries it was used, therefore it is not so much age that determines the quality and thus how it will etch. I have worked with some very finely refined WI from the 18th Century when it was often used for fine quality gun parts (and other things) which was then case hardened for wear. Wagon wheel WI for instance is usually the least fined and is what is often seen/used today and which will show more grain than the more refined types, which don't/won't necessarily show the same degree of pattern even if heavily etched hope this helps.........

Cast-steel (aka crucible steel). Blister steel which has been broken up, fused in a crucible, cast into ingots, and rolled. The blocks of steel are melted in crucibles of refractory clay, and the molten metal is poured into ingot-molds of cast-iron. These are opened, to let out the red-hot ingot, which is then passed to the rolls. See CRUCIBLE; INGOT-MOLD. The process of making cast-steel was invented by Benjamin Huntsman, of Attercliff, near Sheffield, England. In 1846, the French metallurgist Monsieur le Play wrote of Huntsman: 'His memorable discovery advanced the steel manufactures of Sheffield to the first rank, and powerfully contributed to the establishment of the industrial and commercial supremacy of Great Britain.' Within 100 years, Sheffield was producing 20,000 tons of crucible steel per year a staggering 40% of total European steel production at this time. At first, Sheffield cutlers refused to work with crucible steel because it was much harder than they were used to. French cutlers had no such reservations, providing a ready market for the new steel and producing higher-quality cutlery that began to challenge Sheffield's dominance. When the British government refused the Sheffield cutlers' demand that Huntsman's exports should be banned, the cutlers were forced to start using his steel for their own products.

Here's a color case hardening how-to by one of the best modern (high dollar) muzzleloading rifle makers......you can see some of his work here - http://www.jwh-flintlocks.net/ Case hardening for colors. Requirements #1 Clean charcoal. Preferably wood and bone # 2 Polished Metal--carbon steel --no chrome or stainless. # 3 Pack properly Container type and construction Best type is stainless or cast iron box or pipe with properly fitted lid. however a lain mild steel box of 1/8" thickness is sufficient for about a dozen or more heats Pack parts with at least 1/2" of charcoal around all parts preferably with the parts not touching. note--- touching will do no harm as long as box or contents are not over heated. and no improper metal is in the pack--aluminum etc. #4 Accurate temperature is absolutely necessary. I recommend a type K thermocouple pyrometer with a submersible probe . approximate cost new 175.00 or less - this type of thermocouple is very versatile and can be used for casting or heat treating springs etc. also. Steel or iron will begin to absorb carbon at approx 1200 deg maybe lower should be held at 1250 to 1450 for at least 1 hour. carbon depth approx .008" per hour at 1450 F. If a temperature of over approximately 1500 is exceeded colors will begin to disappear fast. If the temperature is not at least 1350 at quench the metal will not harden. note -- Some people have discovered that by quenching at too low of a temperature enhanced colors will be produced . remember that hardening is the prime requirement if it is not hardened it is not color case hardened. Keep the temperature at least 1400 F at quenching. Remember that when you regulate temperature it will take about 10 to 15 minutes for the inside of the pack to arrive at the same temp as the outside. #5 Quenching. A--- The quenching material must be water. The water should fresh out of the faucet and be about room temperature and clean. The purpose for this is to help reduce the possibility of cracking. B--- all precision parts , long flat parts such as lock plates must be blocked to hold warping at a minimum. Lock plates will warp almost every time. Parts like revolver frames, Sharps rifle receivers etc. must be blocked with jigs that are made for the purpose. Blocks must be made so as to allow the water quench and the carbon material to reach all parts of the object that case hardening is critical to. C----- When the pack is dumped into the quench the parts must not be exposed to oxygen before they hit the water. In order to accomplish this the lid must remain on the pack until the pack is dumped. For this reason it is recommended that the lid not fit too tight on the container. It is not necessary for the lid to be air tight in order to keep oxygen out of the pack the charcoal will accomplish this chore. If a heat source is used that is anything other than electric the flame should be either neutral or very slightly reducing. A good electric furnace is automatically reducing or neutral and fairly cheap to make. HOLD THE PACK AS CLOSE TO THE WATER AS POSSIBLE WHEN DUMPING. DO NOT THROW THE WHOLE BOX INTO THE QUENCH it will only serve to reduce the life of the box and cause other problems. DANGER!!!! USE A FULL FACE MASK AND WEAR A HAT OR DAMPEN YOUR HAIR. WEAR FIRE PROOF GLOVES AND DO NOT WET YOUR GLOVES. WET GLOVES ARE DANGEROUS BECAUSE IF THEY GET HOT FAST THE STEAM WILL BURN YOU MUCH WORSE THAN IF YOUR GLOVES WERE DRY. WHEN THE PACK IS DUMPED THE STEAM FROM THE HOT CONTENTS HITTING THE WATER WILL THROW STEAM AND HOT CHARCOAL UP IN THE AIR IF YOU ARE NOT READY FOR THIS IT WILL BE QUITE STARTLING. Manipulating and enhancement of colors. As stated previously the colors on the steel are caused by oxidation . The oxidation in this case is allowed to occur by the steam bubbles in the water. There are three or four ways to manipulate the colors to my knowledge. #1 One way is to put other pieces of steel in close proximity to the part being case hardened. For example -- bolt another piece of steel with holes in it close to the part being quenched or you might wrap some large or small wire around the part. Any place where another piece of steel or other metal is touching the part that is quenched will cause a play of colors to occur there. also it will usually occur around screw holes or parts that very in thickness . you will notice that on a lock plate if you put your block on the back of it you will have a great display of colors on the back but not many on the front. This is because the block traps steam between the lock plate and the block. If you want more colors on the front put your block on the front. for finer colors drill more holes in the block etc. My personal preference is to wrap with wire it is easy ,fast and effective. #2 Some people build a system that aerates the quench bath to put bubbles in it. I suggest that if you do this the bubble must be very small and numerous. I have never tried this but I think it would be hard to control and you will have to do much experimentation to get it as you want it to be because no one is going to help you . All the professional case hardeners I know are very secretive about their systems. However if you get it adjusted correctly it may be a very good system. #3 You can put potassium nitrate in the quenching bath to get more blue color . This is effective but can be easily overdone. 1/4 of a cup in five gallons will result in almost the whole part coming out blue. so I would suggest that you use no more than two heaping tablespoons full. #4 Colors will be enhanced if you put your parts in an oven for 1 hour at 350 deg F. to 400F after quenching Don't go over 400 or the colors will begin to merge . This will also reduce stress within the parts and reduce the possibility of cracks showing up later on. Also in the event that one of your parts is solid tool steel it will stop it from breaking later on I repeat my preference is the wire wrap method. #5 Color hardening is not a real durable finish for it to be durable you must do a baking lacquer finish over it. These supplies are available from Brownells - you can use a gloss or a matte finish . Some case hardeners prefer to leave it as it comes from the quench. It will last quite some time and is almost rust proof. I am going to answer one question now so I won't have to answer it five hundred times later. People ask--Jerry why don't I see more color case hardening on your guns if you know so much about it. The answer is I am basically an engraver at heart and color case hardening does not flatter engraving. It is very hard to see clearly fine engraving thru color case hardening for that reason you will only see a minimum of colors on my guns. GOOD LUCK HAVE FUN - Jerry Huddleston

some more facts to back up Larry's statement that the appelation being applied to only a dagger type is a modern one: Historically during the early to late 19th century the names Bowie and Toothpick were used interchangeabley, based on both period documents and existing knives: Note the top knife is marked on both the blade and the sheath "Arkansas Toothpick"........... from an 1849 newspaper account by Alfred Arrington, writing about the Anthony-Wilson altercation in Arkansas's State House. "The bowie knife of Anthony was one of the very largest size, of the class called, in that country, 'Arkansas tooth-picks', the most savage looking weapon before which a human eye ever quailed."-- Note that he states that it was a "bowie " but was called an "Arkansas toothpick"

Well just about any rust technique will work: bleach, Muriatic (aka Hydrochloric acid and HCL - which BTW is what the "active" ingredient in Ferric Chloride is), nitric acid, salt water, vinegar, and any of the commercial browning formulas work well As Alan noted a humidity box can be of good use, if you have access to muriatic acid use it instead of the water (I set a cup of it in the bottom) helps immensely especially in real dry climates such as where I live - the heat from the light bulb helps speed things, but isn't necessary unless using water to prevent condensation. I use a tube of 3" diameter plastc sewer pipe that can be capped at both ends as a "box". When using HCL check about every 3 hours and do it in a WELL ventilated area and away from your tools - otehrwise everything steel/iron will soon show signs of rust! :261: A super high polish is usually not the best for this type finish though - too polished and it usually won't rust evenly - 320-400 grit seems to be the top end for polishing. Basic steps are - brown, card off the rust (I use a piece of old jeans or other coarse cloth - over card and you just wear away the finish too soon - 4/0 steel wool is OK but may be too aggresive and it MUST be degreased - ANY grease/oil and the finish is caput!), brown some more, card some more, repeat until you get the depth of finish you want. After the final carding boil in water (distilled is probably best, but not absolutely necessary if you're water is "good"). You can also add baking soda to the boiling water if desired to stop/neutralize the browning. While still hot (It's best IME t heat it with a hot air source - a hair dryer, etc. - I prefer not using propane, etc as the flame can leave residue), then rub in a coat or two of Linseed Stand Oil (available from most artist supplies or you can make your own) and/or bees wax or carnuba wax.

7/8 or 8/9 oz vegtan is the leather most used for general use sheaths........ scroll down to the sheathmaking http://www.knivesby.com/knifemaking.html for info on sheathmaking and a shameless plug I have a DVD out on sheathmaking - folks tell me it's good.......

There is a third method which has been used for 100's of years on high end firearms mainly - it's called slow or cold rust bluing - it's simple, cheap (especially compared to hot slat bluing) and fairly easy to do.......www.brownells.com sells a kit for it and if you do a search for it on line you will find more info...... Basic process is to rust brown the metal and the simply boil it in hot water and then oil well while hot (I like artist grade Linseed Stand oil availble) - the boiling changes the color/state from brown/ferrous oxide to a deep blue-black/ferric oxide that is tough, much tougher than hot salt bluing which was a method developed in the early 20th century for the military to provide a fast CHEAP way to finish gun steel. Not the best picture but this will give you an idea of what can be done.....

Mike Ameling at http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/firefromsteel/ has doen some of the best research on fire steels available - his site is chock full of types from the ancient Romans on................

Exotic Leather: I don't use much exotics but when I need that something extra special this is THE place to buy: Fong Exotic Leather Co. 1610 Hyde St. San Francisco CA 94109 tel: 415-441-3519 Veg Tan Leather and some other types Wickett & Craig - www.wickett-craig.com - best of the best and the price can't be beat Demers Leather - www.demersleather.com Colorado Leather - 719-633-8722 Dyes, all types of leather including some exotics, hardware, etc.: Siegel of Ca - www.siegelofca.com Leather Factory/Tandy Mid-Continent Leather Sales Company (800) 926-2061 http://www.midcontinentleather.com/ Tools: Cheap but OK: Leather Factory/Tandy - the Craftsman brand Tools - Better: Osborne Tools & Linen Thread Mid-Continent Leather Sales Company (800) 926-2061 http://www.midcontinentleather.com/ - these are the folks to get linen handsewing thread from as well - Barbour's 5 cord left hand twist is a good all purpose thread) Leather Factory/Tandy and Siegel also sell Osborne tools Tools: Best: Jeremiah Watt - www.ranch2arena.com Expensive but worth it - made by a master saddle maker and a heck of a nice guy! I can recommend all of the above having used them for several years (some several decades - There are many other suppliers including Hidecrafters and others which folks have recommended elswhere including some suppliers on EBay - as always with any unfamiliar suppliers it's caveat emptor.....

A note of caution - when ever using ANY kind of oxidant such as Potassium Permanganate be sure and neutralize after final application otherwise it will continue to "work" and your piece will get ratty looking and will continue to darken especially when exposed to sun light. Personally after experimenting with just about every colorant imaginable on stag/antler/bone for over 40 years, I've found that Fiebings spirit dyes work best and hold up over time (I like to layer colors until I get the look I want). I do finish antler as well and prefer my own homemade version of a traditional (18th/19th Century) oil varnish. I start with artist grade linseed oil and "cook" it in a non-flammable slow cooker until it changes to a deep amber color (This heat polymerizes it which speeds drying). Once there mix in some good quality hard rosin - I use an 5 or 8 to 1 ratio of oil to rosin. Once the rosin completely dissolves turn the heat off and add artist grade turpentine - anywhere from equal amounts of turp and oil/rosin (I use this mix as a filler particularly on wood) up to a 1 to 4 ratio of turp to oil/rosin. Apply in THIN coats and allow to dry 12-24 hours between coats. Keep an eye on it for the first few hours and wipe off ANY excess. 3 or 4 coats is usually the most I ever use, but you can use more if the antler is old/porous. Even lone this gives a nice finish. Although the process is slowere than more modern ones, it gives a "depth" to the antler that is unmatched IMO. others mileage may vary........ P.S. to see various example of my finished product check out the antler and bone handles here - the WRTC Randys- Knife on Page one and all of the CactusRose pieces were done using the basic method posted above: http://www.wrtcleather.com/Frontier-Knives...ex-gallery.html

Another way to speed things up and lower usage follows: This will most likely ONLY work if you are hosting your images off site: Here is an example - the first part is the large image to which you link to via your thumbnail - the second posts the thumbnail which I normally size to 200 pixels for the largest size of the image i.e if the fullsize image is 640 x 480 your thumb will be 200 x 150 and only around 10-11Kb - for those on dial-up this is a godsend as it will speed the opening of images immensely and you can post 3-5 thumbs. This is especially helpful when posting multiple shots - in that case I usually post one full size image to catch the eye and then use thumbnail/links for all additional images [ URL=http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/1-gallery/randys-3.jpg ][ IMG ]http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/1-gallery/1-gallery-thumbs/t_randys-3.jpg[ /IMG ][ /URL ] Here is how the above will look when set up without the spaces I added to the tags above in order to demo this way of posting images: Hope this helps...........

BTW - if you've got particular questions about AN feel free to call....

I can HIGHLY recommend Total Merchants as a merchant account - it is an AuthorizeNet rseller. http://webpaymentsolutions.com/?id=103185 As someone who has been through the ringer with various merhcant services, both for my own business and for other's I design web sites for, I have found Authorizenet to be far and away the best/easiest to deal with. Other's mileage may vary........

Howdy - Rik - would love to do a sheath for one of your pieces. I even have some nice traditional hawk sheath designs. Dean - For customers, Can't afford my own stuff LOL The knife and hawk were originally intended to be a set, but they wound up getting sold separately. Then the gentleman who purchaed the hawk ordered a knife to make it a set. The bear jawbone knife has a blade by Gib Guignard aka CactusForge. The hand carved haft, a black bear jaw bone with buffalo rawhide wrap, the aging, and the sheath were done by me - the beadwork is by my wife Linda. Here's how it looked when finished. (still shown with the hawk) The hawk and knife set look like this: The knife and hawk head are by Mark Williams - again I did the hafting, including the brass work and the doodads and sheath are by me and Linda. BTW - the beaded drop on the hawk is beaded both sides - geometrical style on side and floral on the other.