Defarbing my Investarms Hawken Rifle.

[Ringel05]

For those who are unaware what defarbing means it's making a modern reproduction look more or exactly like the original.

Here's the reproduction as it was sold:

The Hawken Brothers never made a Hawken with brass furniture, it was all steel. I picked up the conversion parts from The Hawken Shop which makes kits completely based on the originals. Both sights need to be replaced as they're modern, the rear sight is from The Hawken Shop but I had to purchase the correct front sight from Track of The Wolf, it hasn't arrived just yet. Also ordered a toe plate from ToTW.

 

[Ringel05]

The metal parts are rough cast requiring a lot of filing, sanding and polishing. Plus they will require extra fitting to the stock.

 

[Ringel05]

Decided to refinish the stock, have some modifying to do in the comb and wrist. Here's what I found under the factory stain....... Gorgeous wood grain!
This is the first sanding with 80 grit.

 

[Votto]

Commie Harris just wants your address to know where to pick it up is all.

 

[Shawnee_b]

Oh yes. Browned iron mounted The best.

 

[Ringel05]

Oh yes. Browned iron mounted The best.

I believe most if not all Hawken barrels were blued, locks case hardened and the rest left in the white. I am having one challenge, no one makes a patchbox cover in steel for the Investarms....... yet...... So what I've done is browned it to look "aged".

 

[Shawnee_b]

If you really want brass aged. Pee on it, bury it in the sand a while!

Got a German jewelers saw? That's not a difficult capbox to replicate.

I honestly don't know if they all were blued. Unless I had a blued kit ie TC, I browned it plum brown.

 

[Ringel05]

If you really want brass aged. Pee on it, bury it in the sand a while!

Got a German jewelers saw? That's not a difficult capbox to replicate.

I honestly don't know if they all were blued. Unless I had a blued kit ie TC, I browned it plum brown.

Pretty sure the barrels were all rust blued because (if I remember correctly) that's when rust bluing became popular. Heck, prior to the 1800s most firearms were sold in the white.

 

[Shawnee_b]

Pretty sure the barrels were all rust blued because (if I remember correctly) that's when rust bluing became popular. Heck, prior to the 1800s most firearms were sold in the white.

White is good

 

[Ringel05]

So far the biggest challenge has been fitting the new nose cap onto the stock, lots of metal and wood removal. All the steel parts are unfinished, in the white and in this case the casting is quite rough on all of them. The "minimal fitting" as claimed by the shop I bought the parts from has so far required hours of work, I guess minimal fitting is relative........ Still waiting on some other parts I recently ordered.

 

[Shawnee_b]

Sand cast steel. Always lots work!

 

[Ringel05]

Getting most everything filed and fitted, still have a long way to go. Waiting on a toe plate for it and did some comb modification on the left side as well as making the front of the comb more steep. Once I have the hardware drilled and mounted I can do the final stock forming to match.

 

[Shawnee_b]

Looking really good. Nice piece of walnut too.

 

[Ringel05]

Looking really good. Nice piece of walnut too.

Looks like black walnut

 

[Shawnee_b]

Yes it does, looks American walnut but could be Euro but got some good black. My property is covered in black walnut. Sold several thou of it. plenty left and many nuts. Not a good nut year this time though. I drive my truck over the hulls, dehusk, pressure wash, dry in the sun 2 weeks. Best ever. Take the nuts, band saw them and make the coolest buttons ever. I have one on my BP possibles bag if I can ever take pics again.

Seen many but mine come out just like this.

 

[Ringel05]

Yes it does, looks American walnut but could be Euro but got some good black. My property is covered in black walnut. Sold several thou of it. plenty left and many nuts. Not a good nut year this time though. I drive my truck over the hulls, dehusk, pressure wash, dry in the sun 2 weeks. Best ever. Take the nuts, band saw them and make the coolest buttons ever. I have one on my BP possibles bag if I can ever take pics again.

Seen many but mine come out just like this.

Nice!

Well did committed a serious screw up when drilling and attaching the buttplate. On the back hole the bit wandered too much an the hole is off center but that's not the worst, the worst is when drilling the pilot hole in the butt the drill bit snapped off down inside the pilot hole. Ordered another butt plate and I'll have to re-locate the back hole. Live and learn..........

 

[Blues Man]

So you scuffed up a perfectly good rifle?

 

[Ringel05]

So you scuffed up a perfectly good rifle?

Say what?

 

[Shawnee_b]

Nice!

Well did committed a serious screw up when drilling and attaching the buttplate. On the back hole the bit wandered too much an the hole is off center but that's not the worst, the worst is when drilling the pilot hole in the butt the drill bit snapped off down inside the pilot hole. Ordered another butt plate and I'll have to re-locate the back hole. Live and learn..........

That sucks. When possible I use a lathe centering bit for pilots. They don't wander but they can still break.

 

[Ringel05]

Nice!

Well did committed a serious screw up when drilling and attaching the buttplate. On the back hole the bit wandered too much an the hole is off center but that's not the worst, the worst is when drilling the pilot hole in the butt the drill bit snapped off down inside the pilot hole. Ordered another butt plate and I'll have to re-locate the back hole. Live and learn..........

That sucks. When possible I use a lathe centering bit for pilots. They don't wander but they can still break.

Think I need to get me some of those. The Harbor Freight just down the road shows they have them in stock. Others recommend spot drills instead.