Greetings and Salutations!
Great discussions on the drone thing. On all parts. Just keep it civil is my only request. Beyond that, not much else seems to be going on, except that radical psycho 15 year old female who shot up another Christian School and killed a few folks, and then self terminated.
That took the drone story off the front page rather quickly didn’t it? Like how convenient for The Leviathan that just as people started realizing that the stories coming out of the current (mal)Administration was making zero fucking sense.
And started asking questions
That “all of a sudden” a ‘new wind-up toy comes out and whacks a bunch of kids at a Christian Church.
The head of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, (a member of the tribe BTW) stated that “They (Homeland) didn’t have the authority to shoot down these drones!”
Uhhhh… say whut?
If the Department of Homeland Security lacks the authority to defend the Homeland then what the fuck are we paying you assholes for??? Why does this bloated, worthless and ineffectual bureaucracy even exist except to line their own pockets at taxpayer expense, and be a “jobs/works program” for those who’re too stupid and incapable of working for anyone other than a Federal or State Government???? DEI hires galore!
I mean why the Hell do you think DMVs nation wide suck so badly? They’re NOT hiring the best people for the job… nope.. a blind, mentally deficient 1/2 Native American gets hired OVER EVERYONE… especially the ‘normie’ White College Graduate. Nope… they’re hiring the worthless, weak and mentally challenged.
Remember when they started advertising for BLIND Air Traffic Controllers? The fucking mind boggles, and then boggles again! Same for the TSA… I’ve related my own personal experience with the TSA Hires… One example is HERE.
Either way…
So besides the whole bullshit-MK/Ultra Wind-Up Toy and the now-slooowly vanishing Drone Story? Well, I got other things to deal with/work on.
Genuinely IMPORTANT things
Namely the crack in the Enfield’s stock:
Nothing too dramatic.
For an 85 year old rifle with its original major wooden stock parts, the condition of the stock(s) are great. However:
That one -might- have potential in the future to be querulous.
A close up shows that it’s pretty long, and yeah, it goes down about 3/4 of an inch, as I measured it with a shim gauge… I put a .05 gauge down and into it, and then measured the depth that it went in.
Now, one of you Awesome Deplorables in the Studio Viewing Audience (namely one of you Clowns in the Comments) told me how to fix this as it was ‘traditionally done’ by the Brits, i.e. utilizing a brass pin. I went online and maaaan
The prices were insane for some of the repair parts, and those that weren’t? Well I don’t need 25/40 of the brass pins. I also couldn’t find a thin enough brass screw that could go the 2in or so across that made me happy. I’m being particularly anal retentive on this one regarding the faithfulness to the repairs, so there is that too…hence why I wasn’t too hot to duracoat it. So I did a deep dive on “What was in a British Enfield Armorers Repair Kit to repair stocks?” or something to that line of thought…
Sarco had them for $3 a throw.
It’s 2 1/2 inch by 3/32in Brass pin with screw thread on it.
It’s designed to be put into a drilled hole and then screwed into the hole, pulling the two sides of the wood together. It also reinforces it, so it won’t crack further. Mind you before you screw in the brass pin, you put epoxy in to fill the crack, as well as firm it all up. My plan is to do the drill hole here:
I marked it with a sharpie, which practically disappears on the wood as it’s got too many stains and dings already. The circle is where I plan on tapping it, and then, put the hole through like this:
So I’ll transverse the stock, and then, once the pin is fully inserted, I’ll take a Dremel and cut it off at the wood. Then I’ll point-grind the ends of the pin into the wood a wee bit and leave it at that. To insure the filler maintains its color, I actually have some furniture repair ‘stuff’ that I got like forever ago in my past life to get rid of scratches and gouges that the spawn had inflicted on the furniture back then. It has some liquid that is designed to be mixed into the epoxy/glue, and that as they say should be that.
Even just leaving the pin in alone with a minute amount of filler, it should be fine.
“Sound as a Pound Eh Wot?”
So More Later
Big Country
Post pics of the stock repair….should be interesting. Saving old wood is a holy calling.
Oh thats a given Dan…
Part of the reason I LOVED doing the SMLE and paosting was that I’m so OVER politics, race and the like.
Not quitting mind you, but I am a wee bit worn.
I already talked to a few folks, and besides ScouterGreg so kindly offering up his Spanish 183 Mauser, and my .45 hydrodip project, I’m going to be doing another Lee Enfield possibly in a week or two as I have someone who wants me to do one for them for some financial consideration (i.e. cost of parts, effort and beer) and I get another fun Distraction-Poast.
I’m with ya BCE, after the election I am SO burned out on politics.
Then there is the Biden Joe administration’s stupidity provoking the Russians and this drone “mystery” which I’m starting to think is .gov testing new drones but the lying bastards won’t just come out and SAY “we are testing new drones, just ignore them” !
I really enjoyed you rebuilding that Enfield and am looking forward to the next few you said you are doing. If I can find an M1 Garand to buy, I might arrange with you to drive down to your AO and pay to have you restore it.
I think most of the country is burned out to but, now is that hard part of keeping the GOP’s feet to the fire
Been following your posts on the restoration program on the Lee Enfield with great interest, you are doing a really good job on it. The SMLE #1 Mk 3 holds a special place in my collection, it was the rifle that I started target shooting with back in the early 1980’s (down here in Oz we call them Smellys). I have two Enfields, a #4 from Longbranch Canada with US stamps on from 1942 and then later NZ stamps from later in the war; and a #1 Mk3 from Lithgow made in 1945. The latter rifle was never issued and was in mint condition, in the 1980’s the Australian Army cleaned out all of these rifles from storage and then sold them mainly to the US (as they were an evil military rifle they could only be sold to Army personnel in Australia and I acquired it second hand but still unfired). You might still be able to find some in the US, they are all 1945 manufacture.
I have a ’41 Lithgow like new, the wood is ’42 SLAZ (Slazenger tennis rackets). I got it about 20 yrs ago, appeared unfired. Beautiful grey parkerizing and red/orange wood. Has a like new original web sling and 1907 Sanderson bayonet with it now. The only Lithgow bayonet I found was in good shape and several hundred dollars, mine is nicer.
I had about 6-7 Enfields; No. 4 Savage, No.1 Mk3 .22 Ishapore trainer conversion , No. 5, etc. I had a 1900 RIC carbine, missing some parts, a gunsmith friend made it into a civilian sporter from that era, beautiful.
I’m down to 3 now, a S. African Navy Faz. No.4 with target sights , my Lithgow and a beater No. 4 sporter truck gun.
Lee valley tools makes a crack filler for high use wood objects, usually chairs and tables. Was a blessing when kits were little and rocked the wood chairs
My go to epoxy for crack repair has always been Brownells ACRAGLASS.
https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/gun-tools/stock-bedding/acraglas-2-gun-bedding-kits/
The mixed consistency is nice and runny so it flows into cracks nicely. Plus you get release agent for metal parts and dye to darken the mix.
I have an original Krag rifle the had a crack in the wrist of the stock that I discovered after I bought it. The crack orientation was horizontal across the stock. Someone had made a “repair” under the trigger guard tang with a shiny chrome wood screw. Because of the angle of the crack, I was able to drill a 1/8″ hole down the center of the crack which helped a lot getting the epoxy to fill the entire crack. Then it was a simple matter to re-assemble the trigger guard and a action to clamp the crack together. Crack pretty much disappeared. That rifle was a real find. At that gun show (1990-ish) I had my choice of three rifles. I chose this one because the bore is perfect.
BTW, the consistency of ACRAGLAS GEL is much easier to work with for a bedding job.
Good to know, and I might look into it… LOTS of folks on the Enfield boards rave about Acraglass…
This is the way. Mark Novak does a great job showing how to do this on his youtube
i believe “cyoanurate” glue may work. ? or research wood working glues. kiss. no disrespect intended.
How ya gonna get the oil outta the wood in the crack?
I’ve got some East Tennessee Walnut laying around from my Sawmill if’n you’re interested in making a new one. Special price for you, Biggie.
On my MK4 no.1 it had that pin crossways in the wrist, but they didn’t cut it flush. They left about an 1/8th inch hanging out and then hammered it down so it appeared to be an brass rivet if you get my meaning. Through and through, on both sides of the rifle. Good luck! Hope your Gretchen is doing well.
My brother-in-law taught me the trick of mixing sawdust with epoxy to maintain a seamless looking fill on a project I did with some homemade wooden grips for a pistol a while back. It worked well.
Check the diameter to see if the shank is 3/32 or the outside of the threads are. 3/32 is a #40 drill bit for a slip fit. (it’s a standard aircraft rivet size) I’d start with a #45 and step up if needed. You’re gonna want some meat left for the threads to bite into, but not so tight it splits when you thead the pin in. As said above, you can leave a bit sticking out, go to pretty much any aircraft maintenance shop at the local airfield and round the ends over with a couple 4703 rivet sets & a few taps from a small ball peen. Any A&P mechanic worth a shit would be happy to help ya out.
Added: Measure the shank between the threads and go with that diameter bit or one size smaller. Any hardware store should have the bits you’ll need.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14199773/mystery-drone-sightings-new-jersey-government-contract-revealed.html
Have y’all noticed the one bit about the dog not barking in the night?
Not one peep about how a 15 YO gets a hold of a firearm.
Last I looked, you can’t buy one at that age and any adult giving you something beyond a .22 bolt action should be held liable if this proves to be the case.
Samantha / Natalie Rupnow apparently stole the pistol from her father (either the gun and the ammo was unlocked or she knew how to open the safe).
I get your intention to stay authentic, but it would be real hard for me to not repair that with a bowtie inlay.
https://kmtools.com/blogs/news/butterfly-keys
My game is woodworking, not gunsmithing. Different instincts.
I bet you could get a nice, medical-grade orthopedic pin, made of some exotic, biocompatible alloy, or, perhaps, ceramic, for only 100 times the cost of the pin you purchased. Then, you could get a tiny vial of bone growth factor, for maybe 2,000 times the cost of wood glue. Of course, this might appropriate if your stock were made from someone’s femur, rather than wood.
Consult an orthopedist before operating at home.
Or take thee to thy local Hazard Fraught Tool’s location, buy a brazing rod- instant brass pin stock. I do dig the threaded armorers repair pin, but don’t drill the hole the same size as the minor diameter, it must be bigger than that, at least .010 over. Drill, hypo some glue or epoxy in the crack, clamp it tight to close the split, install buttered up pin with back side protrusion. 24hrs later cut the pin 1/32′ from stock and peen thee ends, taking care to buck the opposite side on an anvil or steel of some sort when peening, file it smooth and drive ye on Moss Trooper.
Delta Mike
BCE;
look at pics of SMLE stocks, you might find some repairs to see what they did. Don’t be fuk’g up the stock with countersinks, etc. The brass pins were usually just filed flush with a mill bastard file and left as is, nothing fancy but functional. Go deep enough it doesn’t split out the belly of the stock (closer to the barrel channel).
Degrease the crack with carb cleaner, clamp the stock while drilling, insert glue and re-clamp while inserting pin. Wipe off excess glue, let dry. Then file off the excess pin. Done.
You will also see where they made a saw cut ACROSS the grain, filled it with glue and inserted a thin 3/16″sheet of plywood, then filed it flush. I have several handguards and buttstocks with this form of repair. Some were made like this when new. My Finnish M39 has the same plywood under the buttplate for re-enforcement.
That mayorkas character has a head like a skint-back crank.
Whoa whoa whoa-lets cool it with the antisemitisms!
You are missing the point here.
1. The drone issues are about giving the FAA more power over drones and who can have them. IF these were any kind of threat why would bad guys be fully complying with FAA rules for flight and night Nav lights? Why not just have NO lights so no one can actually see you if you are up to no good? Unless this OP is being run by the CIA’s Watergate group again?
2. The DHS statement is about them having OPEN ENDED power to shoot anyone who they say is a threat?
3. Funny how .GOV comes out and says you cant shoot at these drones? Maybe because they are .GOV’s and their private contractors property?
4. NORTHCOM and the military has the FULL authority to shoot anything they want if asked by POTUS or Sec Def. Yet they say they are aware of the drones and have no issues with them and haven’t been told to do anything by .GOV. What does that say about all this?
5. So just what is the Govt trying to distract us from or start shit by this hyped bullshit?
I think they are preloading peoples mind to think “The evil Rooskies did it”.
They’ve gotten away with every single false flag so far, why stop?
This is 1939 all over again, they have their boogie man and aren’t going to quit until it’s over, in their favor. Hitler sued for peace after Dunkirk, he was ignored for years, they wanted to destroy him, not reach a treaty. Germany was a threat to English superiority in Europe. They had the highest standard of living in the late 1930’s, the the UK/USA were still in the depths of the Depression. Can’t put up with that shit for long. And now Russia is showing us up.
This time around, Uncle Sam won’t walk out of the ring, they are going to destroy us like we did to Dresden and Tokyo.
Do trannies get the 3-name treatment after they shoot up a school, or is that only reserved for incel male school shooters?
The real question here: have we fallen that far that we will just take it in stride when a school shooter is named Sally Frank Smith?
I need an updated Bingo card…
Simple solution for the wood crack. After employment in the computer industry for 20 years, after no more need for ol pop’s; bright young talent and all. So I went into cabinet making. Shabby Chic at the time. Water proof TiteBond wood glue should work well after spraying a de-greaser into the crack. You may want to use a couple hose clamps to close it up. And, we always, screwed and glued the wood joints, so the long screw thang would be good too.
Silverfox.
Hi BCE,
Love the SMLE work you have done.
They are a great rifle, I have my Great Grandfather’s SMLE, it’s a Lithgow Mark 3 from 1917. Family history is that he bought it back from WW1, not sure about that as he was a Vickers machine gunner in one of the Machine Gun battalions during WW1.
It is possible that it may have been ‘liberated’ from somewhere, but either way, it sits in my gun safe now and I take it out at least yearly for a shoot to remind me of my Pop.
I’d be happy to attach a photo but don’t seem to be able to do so? It has an original sling as well.
Dear BCE, long time reader, don’t understand everything you post (old bag 63 female here). My husband was just diagnosed with oral cancer. Could you please send me the protocol your wife was on when she had her diagnosis? I greatly appreciate what you do here, and pray for you all.
I had throat cancer surgery one year ago yesterday at Huntsman Cancer Hospital in SLC, UT. I am 70, now cancer free and doing well. I went from a sore throat to almost closed off in 3 months, it grew fast.
Look up the Joe Tippens Cancer protocol, I followed it for 5 weeks prior to surgery, they removed one cancerous tonsil and 30 lymph nodes, the lymph nodes were all negative for cancer. I have been following the protocol every other month since. Best of luck to you.
https://www.2ndsmartestguyintheworld.com/p/breaking-news-stage-4-cancer-patients
DM Sent w/ALL the info. Prayers Blessings and Luck to your Husband
REF DRONES
One of the Colidges up in that area had more tech savvy folks than sense and decided to send some of THEIR drones up for a little look see and, according to the Bride (who is just as insane as me, but LOOKS saner) dropped THIS nugget over lunch yesterday. Seems that all of them cloud of drones have NO actual Heat Signature.
Let THAT percolate for a minute.
Kindly post link to where you found that fancy brass threaded pin in the picture or send by other means, that looks interesting and I’d like to file that away for future reference if ever needed.
2 1/2 inch by 3/32in Brass pin with screw thread on it. This is what I’m talking about, thank you and good luck with closing up and securing that crack.