[Jeff Higgins]

I tried one of my shorter nipples today and it lined up perfectly flat. I think I'm good to go.

I got the ramrod thimbles soldered to the under rib today, the under rib cut to length, and a few parts polished. I'm really surprised at how porous these castings are - they just won't completely "clean up". Which raises the question - just how well finished were originals? The barrel, for example - I have draw filed all eight flats, and it looks a good deal better than it did, covered in fly cutting machine marks. But how much effort did Sam and Jake put into polishing these things? I'm guessing not a lot. I really don't want this thing to be "too nice", as many modern examples often prove to be. I want it to be as authentic as possible, which means I'll have to show restraint and not over polish things.