Restock of a Trojan
 

Started work on restocking a Trojan 12g.

Original gun that had the buttstock broken from the wrist up through the head. Right side of the head was broken right off and some other large pieces of wood were missing on top and bottom. I was able to glue the head back together and use body filler to build back up the voids in order to get it onto the duplicator. After getting it put back together, I found that the original dimentions of the stock are perfect for me in every way, so I could do a complete profile duplication.

I finished heading up the stock and fitting the action today. More pics to come as work progresses.

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Got the wood shaping work done as well as finish sanding. Ready to start applying finish.
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Very nice work. It's good to see someone doing a faithful replacement work.

very nice fit.

Looks great, 'B.' I am impressed!

I am keeping the original forend. Nothing wrong with it. Just refinishing it and recutting the checkering. Original barrel bluing is in great shape. I will most likely leave the receiver as is for now.

Here are a few pics of the New Trojan buttstock with some finish on it. Just need to cut the checkering.

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Brian, Very nice work!

Beautiful work!

But you forgot the checkering :corn:

Dean, Please read Brians post....Sheeesh.....:rotf:

great job on the stock ..finish looks good this should make a good gun for the field... charlie

Oops... I missed that part earlier.

Thanks for the remedial reading lecture Dave :cool:

I couldn't forget the checkering. I am just itching to get it done.

Bravo Zulu, Brian! Very nice work.

Brian, are you now set up to head up Trojans on a mass production basis? It looks like you have a lifetime job "if you take care of it" as my Dad used to say.

Well I wouldn't say mass production given the time that I have. But it doesn't really take too long anymore just to head up. And my 2 frame Trojan pattern actually worked well for my 2 frame GH that I am doing as well.
I also have my 1 frame shooter that I have to set up as well. I wanted to put a nicer piece of wood on it. I found that my No. 1 frame tang was shaped a lot differently than the No. 2.
So I can't use the No. 2 pattern for the No. 1.

Checkering is done. 16lpi flat top checkering doesn't take long to cut. I was able to use photos from the book "Parker Guns - The old Reliable". Photos of Ed's Unfired Trojan were a big help. Along with what was left of my original checkering on my pattern stock.

I do intend on replacing the forend with a new one that matches the color of the new buttstock better, but the refinished original one works fine for now.

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Checkering
 

Beautiful work brian. Tom

Brian, Looks like a really nice job, you may recall the "try pic" I posted of the VH I started stocking early in Oct. I am just now finish sanding that stock, I am fairly sure that you are younger than me, better set up to build stocks, and more talented than I am. Watching for the progress on the "G" you mentioned. Best John Hancock

Typo
 

Hi Brian, Sorry for the typo. I don't know how to fix it. Tom

Thanks guys.
John, I am working on the G grade. I need to post more pics of that soon. Coming along nicely. I am just 28.

Beautiful work Brian. I too have a G grade to restock, a 0 frame 16. Been thinking about it for about 10 years, going to start it any day now. Did you cut the flat top checkering with a "V" cutter or a square groove cutter?

Spaced with 16 lpi spacer and Used a 60 degree V Fine toothed cutter to finish the lines. Using the 60 degree allows for deeper lines but still keeps the flat tops. I think the use of a square cutter would be more of an english thing.

Yeah that's my problem. I'm rebuilding this nice W & C Scott hammer gun, thought the checkering was worn until I stripped the stock revealing nice 20 lpi square groove, flat top checkering. Repaired the crack and can just refinish, except for what some chimp with a checkering tool did to the forend. Thought you might have a source for square groove cutters, can't seem to find them at the usual sources. Might have to go the route you did with the Trojan, very nicely executed and not many could tell the difference. Besides square groove checkering kinda scares me, zero margin for error.

Sorry, W.C. Scott & Sons, shouldn't try typing after midnight.

There aren't any commercial square cutters unfortunately, they have to be bench made. Cutting proper flattop checkering is hair raising as you said, zero room for error. One slip and you're refinishing.

I don't think your forend can be saved unfortunately, doesn't appear to be enough wood to sand that mess out and start over. What a shame!

Best, Dan

Yeah, that forend might be toast to repair it correctly. It is so buggard up that getting a clean flat top job will be impossible. If it was an isolated pattern with full borders, you could maybe spot sand it down enough to do something with it, but the pattern goes all the way to the metal, so you can't. Personally, if you wanted to make it look better, I would just recut a fully pointed pattern on it. That would cover up all the mistakes, provided the bad lines don't steer you off course. Doing that would at least look better than what you have now, even if it is not correct.

And honestly, even though a square cutter is proper for that english style flat top checkering, if you us a 60 degree V cutter and do not go too deep. Not many will know the difference.

Thanks for the input gentlemen. I agree the forend is probably too far gone but I've used several methods to "grow" old wood to cover proud metal in the past and there's one I haven't tried yet that might work on this one. I'll keep you posted. I prefer to use the original wood if at all possible. Old english guns are usually stocked very close to the metal with no proud wood at all. Here's one in a little better condition, check out the contour of the transition from the forend to the forend iron to the receiver. How'd you like to have to restock this one Brian?

Those old "Bar in Wood" guns are neat for sure. I wouldn't want to stock one of them anytime soon.

I've had good luck using veneer to patch and then have the checkering recut over it. Kind of tricky to get the patch and undamaged checkering to match up sometimes but worth it.You might need to cut your own veneer to get some thick enough and of the correct wood to match.

I have also inlayed in new wood. I did this once on a gun that had a bolt through the action panels for un-needed reinforcement. I inlayed a pice of walnut into it the exact shape that I wanted my checkerd panel to be and them cut the panel with the border falling outside the inlay. Was not able to be seen after it was done. except for the fact that there was checkered panels where there normally wouldn't be. I think this is the best way to repair those pesky reinforcing bolts.

I've done the same in the past when replacing bordered checkering panels. Since the checkering pattern covers of much of the forend and goes all the way to the metal I was thinking of laminating a thin veneer to the barrel side of the forend to raise the surface enough to sand flat and re-checker. Ajusting the forend iron and latch inletting accordingly. Depending on how thick the veneer is I can either hide the glue line right at the edge or put the checkering border right on it. That's a great idea for dealing with those reinforcing cross bolts Brian. I have a Folsom 12ga that's hi 90's condition except for a crack in the head "repaired" with a cross bolt. Perhaps a checkered side panel "upgrade" is in it's future.

Well I got my new forend completed to match the new buttstock. From a different piece of wood as the buttstock, but a great match.

Though I liked the idea of keeping the original forend on the gun, it just did not suit the new woon on the back half. Even with new finish and checkering, it still looked old and out of place.

I can't wait to take it out hunting in a few weeks!

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nice job on the wood... charlie

Nice job Brian, it looks "right".