Best tools for a muzzleloader kit
With the continuation of our Investarms Flintlock Video series, we've recieved a lot of questions about what tools we reccommend for building your kit. Whether you are building a CVA, Traditions, Thompson Center, Lyman, Pedersoli or Investarms muzzleloader kit, here are the tools we think you should invest in.
First, you'll want to outfit your workspace with a vise. The vise is a very important tool to doing any work on a muzzleloader and muzzleloader kit. You'll see many folks online using a "Tipton Gun Vice", but I think that vice is better for maintenance, not building. While the vice I'm using in the videos is a bit older, it's a near match to this Woodriver universal Vise available from WoodCraft.
Source: Woodcraft
If you want something with a little more adjustment, several friends of mine like to use this pattern makers vise https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-patternmakers-or-gunstock-carving-vise
Via Woodcraft
Other tools I use for kit
Safety Gear
Rubber Gloves
Eye Protection
One Large rough flat file
One course half-round file
One 4 ½” long fine half round file
One dovetail file for fitting the barrel lug and sights.
A pair of pliers
Exacto or another thin-bladed knife
File Card - https://www.woodcraft.com/products/file-card-and-brush
Knife - https://www.woodcraft.com/products/pfeil-swiss-made-chip-carving-knife-1
Checkering tools - https://www.woodcraft.com/products/leader-set-le18-gunline
Chisels
When it comes to chisels, you'll need a varitey. I reccommend a V Chisel, a couple gouges, a straight and a skew chisel for your muzzleloader kit. At a very base level, you could get all of these chisels as a palm chisel, popular among muzzleloader builders. I reccommend the PFEIL Swissmade brand, they are top of the line, but I use several Woodcraft and Ramelson brand chisels as well, which are a bit more budget-friendly.
You can purchase chisels in a set or individually from many woodworking supply shops.
My chisels are set up like the following:
Palm
Skew V Chisel
2 small gouges
Normal wood carving Chisels
Flat
I find that I use the palm chisels the most, especially on the kit muzzleloaders, but a normal carving chisel is handly for the initial dryfitting.
Old Chisel Makers of Good Quality
E.A Berg. Eskil Tuna. Even though they have a plastic handle. - Sweden
Herring Bro's - England
Moulson Bro's - England
Ward - Scotland
Titan - Australia
Pexto - USA
Mathieson - Scotland
C.E Jennings -USA
Tuck - USA
Crown - England
Any old bi metal Japanese Nomi chisels are top of the heap.
List continued
2 flathead screwdrivers, one ⅛” , one 3/16 ”
Sandpaper
180 Grit
240 Grit
400 Grit
“Scotch Brite” pad
Oil for threads
Non-marring mallet
Wood handled ball-peen hammer
Heat gun
Finishing Compounds
Brass Black
Brownell’s Oxpho-Blue
Browning Solution
3-4 Cheap plastic containers (recycle yogurt or condiment containers)
Cotton swabs
Wood Stain (Your choice of color)
Paintbrushes
Finish Oil
Linseed, Danish, or Tung
Shop Rags for clean up
Other tool manufacturers and providers
Patrick Leach - http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html
Brownells - https://www.brownells.com/
The Canadian company is Chipping Away - https://www.chippingaway.com/
All in all, this may not be EVERY tool you need for your muzzleloader kit, but it will be more than enough to get you started. This list has served me well on 4 complete muzzleloader kits so far.