Long Rifle Retoration – Finis

With the overall reassembly and configuration of the rifle stock accomplished it was time to dive in and rectify as many of the structural problems as I could.  Given that the damage was 100% cross-grain breakage at the narrowest part of the curly maple structure, and the area had been repaired previously several times, my options were not the hifalutin’ elegance of conservation ideology.  However, I still used that decision-making framework I developed decades ago as best I could..   Fortunately I understood the ultimate use of the rifle was as an exhibit item, not for re-enacting or use or anything similar.   It was a historic document of the brilliance of David Cooley, the maker.

The original(?) inlet patch behind the metal plate of the hammer works was only partly intact, but that part was re-glued into the box.  A new repair element was crafted, then grafted into the void of the previous material that had become pretty much pulverized.  Combined with the infusion of the West epoxy the overall soundness of the structure was enhanced immeasurably.  I reattached the shoulder to the hammerworks box with hot hide glue and the stock re-assembly was mostly complete.

There were two more areas of damage and loss adjacent to the trigger that needed compensation, again areas that had been worked over several times before.  In the more severe case I needed to carved and fit a new piece to glue into the void.  With some inpainting to match the adjacent area and a bit of pigmented hard wax (my Blend 31 wax with microlith pigments turns out to be a magnificent fill material) melted into any remaining voids and the project was essentially done.  All I had to do at that point was reassemble all the parts into a whole artifact and return it t the client.  Having paid attention to Tim’s disassembly I had no difficulty reassembling the rifle.

Again, I cannot find the images of this process ex poste.  I hope I did not erase them from the SD card they were undoubtedly on.  When I find them I will post them.

At the request of the client I hung the rifle over the mantle of the cabin for a final picture before I delivered it back to him