doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Niedner Buttplate

Dennis, the inletting is pretty standard for a quality job. I'd like more contact in the middle, less chance of chipping the edge.
Why the blue/black isn't removed? As a rule I don't answer "why" questions because there usually isn't an answer.
Just to show off if anyone had the inclination to look, or one less scraping? Who knows? In this case I'd suspect the signature wanted to show quality work, inside and out.
I've been known to hide things, and notes under the furniture�
I just hollowed out a space for the original folding sight under the recoil pad I installed on a Mannlicher that I replaced the fixed sight� hate to see these parts get separated, you know?

As a follow up to the gift Dan made of the butplate to Steve. I haven't met Dan but it appears he is "a chearful giver'. This will pay him many times over in life. He has made a deposit, which comes before the withdrawal. As to Michael, if I ever had someone take more of an interest in me and what I was trying to accomplish. I do not remember it. When the ebay actions were going on, there were many things I wanted, that I could have bought. But I saw a couple things on the shelf there that I had given Michael and that was enough. If an item made that shelf he really like it. That's my take-a-way. Dan you get my good guy award! Merry Christmas all!!

Thanks for the response, Stephen.

Self-trained can be a state of ignorant bliss. I see the voids on the Shelhamer now that you pointed them out. I had never thought of scraping end grain to inlet. My butt plate inletting method has been 'a thousand cuts' with a sharp chisel. While the results have been ok, I've always known they could be better. The job in the photo is nearly done. What exactly does an end grain scraper look like?

Dennis

A photo of a commercial Niedner buttplate with screws sent by Bob Saathoff. I'm going to have to reread the buttplate making sequence in MPs book but I seem to think I might have disagreed with some of how he relates it was done(?) I can't see how it could possibly be checkered first?

At the back of my workbench: a dog-leg chisel for recoil lug inletting, flat and round, large and small scrapers, and a large gouge, all bench-made in gunsmithing school and in use for nearly 40 years.
We have made these tools in Seminars here and I've taught there use to all students. These seminars are a huge advantage in that I have all the correct tools and if a student wants to know how to do particular task I show them and hand them the correct tool, then watch as they accomplish the task.

Dennis, I don't have time to elaborate but there are at least 4-5 things I could tell you about your techniques just from looking at that photo. I can also say that you are doing Very well, sharp tools are the first requirement and you would take to professional methods readily. It is amazing how quickly a guy with experience (eh, Dan?) can pick up a professional method and make huge progress in his abilities and how rapidly the task is accomplished.
Although we've been out of touch for decades I have great respect for Morris's machining skills and like to think I am in a similar place doing handwork.

Steven,
I have several original Niedner plates here, and if you look close at them you can see that the diamonds that go around the curve at the heal are stretched out for lack of a better word as a result of the plate being bent after checkering, or knurling as it were. Also, the ones I have here do not have any circular machine marks on the border. I believe the border was filed, and you can see a few places where the person doing the filing slipped a little and took the tops off some of the diamonds.

John Holliger

I don't know if I've ever seen a NRC manufactured Niedner buttplate, except the one on the Krag I didn't pay very close attention to.
I'll try to keep that in mind if/when I have another opportunity.
The ones I've seen were modern manufacture starting in the 1970s. They looked an awful lot like the pic of Bob's I posted.

How about showing what you have John?

Having re-read the section of Michael's book on making of the buttplate I believe that his story is exactly the way the first original plates were made.
Whether making by hand forging or machine made the checkering must be the first process if you want the look that these plates have. 2 points of observation:
1. If you look carefully at the rim edge you will see traces of the checkering that was removed. First by hand filing and later by machine. Most likely they used a harden steel form jig to guide the filer's hand.
2. The direction of the checkering points on top of the heel are at 90 degrees to the face of the plate. This means that all the points were formed prior to forming the shape of the plate.

I have found that the best buttplate inletting tool is the "stacked washer" barrel inletting scrapers that Brownell's sells. I've also used the same tool to fair out the joints on the handrail of my new house. I did that over a weekend so that the carpenter wouldn't screw it up trying to sand it.

Dennis, I am also self trained on steel buttplate installation. The tools that have worked best for me are a small gouge and small scraper. When finished all the high points of the gouge marks should contact metal. The scraper is used on the border and wood/metal contact should be 100%. Always scrape from the edge inward to avoid splintering or chip-out. My small scraper is near identical to the one Steven has posted (forth one from left) and sharp. I'm not saying this is the best way to install, just that it works for me.

Garry, Thanks again for the kind reply. Dan.