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OkieShutr
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Dovetail filler
Jan 27th, 2025 at 5:36pm
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Bought a used Hepburn to use for rimfire BPCR. It had an open dovetail where the front sight had been removed and I decided to fill it to spruce up the gun a little. I had a piece of ebony laying in the toolbox and decided that would work well. I cut off a small piece and hand filed a near perfect fitting dovetail that I was able to lightly tap into the slot. I masked off the barrel for protection and proceeded to file and sand to match the barrel contour. I left it just a bit proud (tape thickness) so there was no chance of scratching the barrel. I added a little oil and stopped there. I think it worked out really well.
Now if I can figure out how to add pics.
Sorry about the pic size. Looks like I need to do more polishing with it zoomed in like this.
« Last Edit: Jan 27th, 2025 at 7:03pm by OkieShutr »  
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westerner
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #1 - Jan 27th, 2025 at 6:08pm
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Welcome to the forum. Yes we'd like to see a picture of your filler. 

Me being lazy like I am, used a Winchester filler. In a Winchester barrel, on a Sharps rifle with a Walker sight and OA Bremer style checkering. What a mess, but it's my mess and I can live with it.   

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craigster
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #2 - Jan 27th, 2025 at 6:37pm
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I'm impressed with your mess. It looks quite nice, actually.
  
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GT
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #3 - Jan 27th, 2025 at 7:03pm
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Nice mess Wes, purty.

Being a metal guy, hating wood and all, I like the sounds of ebony as a filler, good idea.   Welcome to the forum.

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"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk"  T. A. Edison
"The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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marlinguy
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #4 - Jan 28th, 2025 at 11:00am
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I just buy Marbles fillers at Brownells. Last bag of 10 fillers were about $20 with my discount, but haven't checked prices recently?
  

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burntwater
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #5 - Jan 28th, 2025 at 4:29pm
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I like the idea of using an ebony insert. Best quality ebony is extremely dense and stabile and almost machines like high density plastic. But finding the true uniformly black Gaboon ebony is difficult. Almost all the ebony I’ve seen or worked with over the past thirty plus years has pronounced grain structure ( not good ) and brown or crème colored streaks. Gaboon Ebony trees only have black heartwood and are protected by the Lacey Act. This law shut down Gibson Guitars years ago until they could prove their inventory of Rosewood pre-dated the law. 

Some counterfeiting is also done where streaky samples are actually color blended with black shoe polish and buffing. Years ago I ran into an stash (barrel full ) of black Gaboon Ebony cut-off scraps of finest color that was used to lay a custom Holley & Ebony floor in Liberace’s  home to look like a piano keyboard. 

Talk too much Rick
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #6 - Jan 28th, 2025 at 5:20pm
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I would think horn would work as well as ebony and the blocks I have are dense and solid black.
  

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OkieShutr
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #7 - Jan 28th, 2025 at 10:16pm
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The piece of ebony I have came from an aircraft company I used to work for. Rockwell International used to put some in their cockpit trim on the Turbo-Commander.
  
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westerner
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #8 - Jan 29th, 2025 at 11:53am
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Resize.
  

A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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belongtotom
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Re: Dovetail filler
Reply #9 - Feb 2nd, 2025 at 8:12pm
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A good supply of ebony,ivory and music wire can be found  localy 
just put and ad. in your local Buy and Sell paper ,that you are looking for a parlor piano .The piano can be had for free !
To get the one you want  ,check the ivory on the keys 
it has to be made up of three pieces . the keys that have only two piaces are made of plastic 
I have had mine for a few years and and am amazed at the number of times I go get a piece
  
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