Oh, man. That's a beauty. 

Beautiful piece...just beautiful. Here's hoping the proof test goes well. Being able to fire this beauty will be ultimate restore. 

Ok so I got some more work done on the Bess and she's about 80% complete. I still need to make the stock finish have a more satin look. 0000 steel wool and then apply a coat of Renaissance wax to give it a nice look. I used some homemade Alkanet wood stain to color the wood and the 6 coats of Tru Oil. Another job is to polish the brass furniture again plus give the ramrod a once over. I still need to proof test the barrel but I will wait until next week to do that. Now all I have to do is let the finish cure for about a week or so and then get back at it.

Wow, Bess sure cleaned up nice. She's a beaut. 

42 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Wow, Bess sure cleaned up nice. She's a beaut. 

@Monkey Paws

 

Wow! What a difference from what you started with at the onset. Kudos.

You nailed it on the stock color IMO. Once the sheen is rubbed down, gonna be something to behold.

Pulling for you on the proof test. Loving every picture/story line of this restoration.

Make sure your insurance policy is updated to cover this from loss (fire/theft).

KUDOS!!!

Wow, GREAT job Kenny!

My Buddies and I went to the range today so I had the opportunity to fire the Brown Bess I just restored. The musket survived testing and is ready for service. I started with light loads and went up to a load just short of the regular service charge. Here is a short video of this Brown Bess being shoulder fired after almost 200 yrs. Now it's off to my next project.

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 20197 yr by Monkey Paws
Bad video link

As Gene and a few others have said, that is a real beauty.  

 

To dull down that finish, you could try giving a coat of paste wax.  Even buffed, it is duller than most varnishes.  

Now how cool is that? What a restoration and preservation of a great piece of history.

How'd it feel to be the first to fire rounds through it after 200 years? Pretty awesome I'd guess.

26 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Now how cool is that?

very....

Question for you, @Monkey Paws... what caliber ball are you using, and what kind of patch? I've never fired mine with a projectile.

John

For a standard service load I use a paper cartridge with a .690 lead ball and 100gr of FFG black powder. When you shoot the Brown Bess it builds up fouling in the barrel and after a few shots a .735 ball would be extremely difficult to force down the barrel. The military soon found out that a .690 ball would slide past the fouling and would work well for most of a battle since volume not accuracy was important. Here is short video on cartridge making.

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 20197 yr by Monkey Paws
Additional Info

On 1/9/2019 at 4:09 PM, Grandpadave52 said:

Now how cool is that? What a restoration and preservation of a great piece of history.

How'd it feel to be the first to fire rounds through it after 200 years? Pretty awesome I'd guess.

It is an amazing feeling when you bring a piece of history back to life. When you consider this musket was found in an abandoned palace in Kathmandu Nepal where it lay undisturbed for well over 175 years, it's pretty cool to fast forward and see it shoot today. 

Bess's journey was a long one but, she ended up in the right hands. You gotta know, she's very happy now.