doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Side By Side Butt Stock Bending

That self-centering vise is a marvel!
There is a very good vidio on stock bending, chokes etc. available from the American Custom Gunmakers Guild showing Bill Nittler at work. It comes with a set of mechanical drawings for the stock bending jig shown at work.
David, did you know Nittler?

Here's the page-scroll down to Specialized Gunsmithing Techniques of William J. Nittler
http://www.acgg.org/pub.html

Bill Nittler's setting fixture was a nice one, but his hot oil "system" consisted of heating oil in a pan and pouring it over the hand.....I would think that a better system for handling oil might be made out of a fry-o-later mounted above the setting fixture....french fries are cooked at about the same temperature needed to bend walnut.....all you would need to find is a recirculating pump that could handle 375° fluid....I'm sure that there's an "off the shelf" pump out there....I still believe that infra red (radiant) heat projected to an oiled surface (to add conduction to the mix) is a superior method.....

David T.-

Will you be 'crossing your chisels' at the Southern SxS event this weekend in Sanford NC? KBM

Builder, "eightbore" is not the guy who built a stock bender, sorry. I have bent a few over the range using steam, but only as an experiment to see if it could be done, not to modify an expensive gun. The neatest rig I have seen is Alfred Gallifant's setup in polished oak with heat, automatic recirculating oil pump, and probably a six disc CD changer. I saw it when it was new and unused and I figured it was a three year project. Years later, it has probably taken on the patina of use. My crossover stocks can't be bent in any jig that I'm aware of.

Sorry. I guess you are just on my mind. I also apologize about stealing this thread but it interests me. I will be quiet now!

Best,
Milt

Here is the post on shotgunworld from Mike Orlen.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?p=727422&highlight=#727422

I agree with Mike Orlen, Bill Nittlers setup worked, but transfering the used oil back into the hot tank seems a bit silly. I would also rather have the gun mounted horizontally like the more common jigs, and not on its side like Bill had it. Nonetheless, it works, and well at that.

CMWill and Mike Orlen,

I have such fixture, made it a number of years ago after watching the Nittler video,...I'ts a fantastic method I use a customized boiler with a fryer thermocouple to control the temperature I bend 20 or more stock a year this way it's amazing how much the wood will move, through bolts or top tang screw stocks,withiout affecting the finish,the oil needs to be changed after a few jobs as it gets darker.
I'm doing a stock tonight and will post pictures tomorrow

Regards

CJ

Here is the whole process from start to finish with the Nittler fixture, about two hours in total, bending the stock in three directions


[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491134&c=500&z=1"][/url]
Measuring the stock revealed a weird twist,...I thought I would share this, cast off at heel 5/8" but only 1/4" at the toe and just over 2 1/4" drop as seen on my "patented" fixture the owner said he ordered this AYA round action directly from Spain and gave them his dimensions, they're faily standard...this is what he got, he said he didn't shoot it well...I wonder why

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491135&c=500&z=1"][/url]

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491136&c=500&z=1"][/url]

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491137&c=500&z=1"][/url]

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491138&c=500&z=1"][/url]

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491140&c=500&z=1"][/url]

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491141&c=500&z=1"][/url]

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491142&c=500&z=1"][/url]

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491143&c=500&z=1"][/url]

I needed to get the comb up 3/8" for him, that brought the heel up about 1/2" and got the cast off to a straight 3/8" all in one go,... this should help him out a bit

Bill Nittler said in the movie that he got the idea from Harry Lawrence at Purdeys...maybe DT can elaborate

Best

CJ

[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=491144&c=500&z=1"][/url]

(Sorry but my PM function has never worked)
Great pics C.J.-could I please add them to the 'Repairs and Restorations' PictureTrail?
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=15127852