Leather covered SxS butt pad in progress

Londonshooter

Londonshooter

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Thought I would give this a try. Let's call it my first try. This is for my 20 gauge E. Arizaga sidelock. Might ending up being a prototype but I'm okay with that. The leather is drying now. Later I will dye it. Still have to drill holes in the rubber pad for the screws and hope my plugs fit snugly once everything esle is put together with glue.IMG_0988.jpgIMG_0989.jpgIMG_0987.jpgIMG_0989.jpgw and will dye it later. Next is to drill the screw holes in the rubber pad and hope that my plugs will fit snugly. If this one becomes a prototype then I'm okay with that.
 
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Looking great!
Did you use a Silvers pad, or maybe the CSMC version as the base pad?
I sorta want to try my hand at this some time......but I never seem to have much craft project energy remaining by the end of the day.....
Anyways I always wondered how they get the neat crimped-looking line where the pad meets the stock?

What are you using for a step-by-step guide/reference manual?
I had read that there is a good one by DavidTrevallion out there.....
But on DoubleGunShop it seems (from a few quick searches) that the go-to reference is by this other guy, but I dunno? :
“have the complete C.J.Opacak 'Leather covered pads
how to photo history' “

........😆
 
I'm mostly following the technique shown by Rich Cole in his YouTube video. He probably wishes he was CJO. Glueing it up right now so it may be done (or aborted) later today. Pad was the black kickeze that I already had on the gun. Looked like crap on that fine shotgun
 
ParksPipes said:
Looking great!
Did you use a Silvers pad, or maybe the CSMC version as the base pad?
I sorta want to try my hand at this some time......but I never seem to have much craft project energy remaining by the end of the day.....
Anyways I always wondered how they get the neat crimped-looking line where the pad meets the stock?

What are you using for a step-by-step guide/reference manual?
I had read that there is a good one by DavidTrevallion out there.....
But on DoubleGunShop it seems (from a few quick searches) that the go-to reference is by this other guy, but I dunno? :
“have the complete C.J.Opacak 'Leather covered pads
how to photo history' “

........😆
Click to expand...

CJO doesn't talk much about how he does them. Or does anything. Trade secrets and all that. I was just telling him earlier this week he needs to find an apprentice before he takes all his hard won know-how to the grave. But he sure does nice ones! I have one of his on one of my Diamond Quality Dalys and it is something!
 
Thanks for the comments. No, Falconflyer, I used cow leather.
So it is a lot easier to have no folds or puckers when the leather is wet. Not a super job but overall pretty happy. I should have ground down the pad more, especially at the heel. Gonna go with it though.
 
Falconflyer said:
That's looking good! Pigskin I presume?

I've done a few of them myself and the results are truly satisfying!
Click to expand...
It has to be thin and I didn't know where to find pigskin. I had been checking out the thrift stores looking at purses (it was ok, I wore my fluffy slippers) and ended up getting a split -grain leather cowhide jacket.
Yeah, satisfying.
 
Londonshooter said:
It has to be thin and I didn't know where to find pigskin. I had been checking out the thrift stores looking at purses (it was ok, I wore my fluffy slippers) and ended up getting a split -grain leather cowhide jacket.
Yeah, satisfying.
Click to expand...

Split grain will stretch more than full grain.
 
Nice job!
I can see how the kickeez resisted sanding and shaping a bit.
Back in the spring I picked up a couple pads from csmc, had to get them drop-shipped to a hotel I was staying at in the States. The pad material is more dense and I bet would shape well.
I use a lot of home depot green painters tape when sanding down one thing to another.
A brownells pad-grinding jig came up at an auction earlier this year, it sold for cheap I think, and I can imagine how that would be useful too, for grinding the pad on a large table sander to the general butt stock contour.
It would keep the profile perpendicular.
Once you got close and were working it by hand you’d certainly want to be careful as you got closer to the stock!

But it’s all just day dreaming for me John, you’re the one who actually does it and tries this stuff out.
Nice job!
 
I never grind pads on the gun, just mount them and mark the contour with a sharp awle and rub a bit of chalk dust into the line to make it stand out. I built my own pad grinding jig that is adjustable to get the correct angle for the toe so that I can grind the pad down on the oscillating belt table sander and reduce the size acordingly to accommodate the width of the leather.

I purchased my pig skin in Las Vegas after not being able to find it locally a few years ago and I still have enough left for a couple more projects. A little while back I acquired a Rizzini Aurum Small in 410 with a wooden removable butt on it, this may be my next leather recoil pad project if I ever get around to it. I won’t grind down the wooden butt and instead I’ll use a recycled rubber pad that I get from a gunsmith friend, he usually has a couple of cardboard boxes of them to choose from. That way I can put the wooden pad back on if I get a mind to change it back.
 
Back in the late 60's (Uptown Sporting Goods, Calgary) we did a few copying some high grade guns a very rich German owned.. but only the back of the pad. Tapered the top of the pad a little and ran the thin leather up a bit... and ground the sides to fit the stock... it was a smooth transition to your shoulder and the pad fit the stock perfectly.
 
guntech said:
Back in the late 60's (Uptown Sporting Goods, Calgary) we did a few copying some high grade guns a very rich German owned.. but only the back of the pad. Tapered the top of the pad a little and ran the thin leather up a bit... and ground the sides to fit the stock... it was a smooth transition to your shoulder and the pad fit the stock perfectly.
Click to expand...
Trying to picture this. The leather was a facing on the rear of the pad?
If anyone has photos of their pads to share, please do.
 
Londonshooter said:
Trying to picture this. The leather was a facing on the rear of the pad?
If anyone has photos of their pads to share, please do.
Click to expand...
Yes leather on the back of the pad and a bit up and over the top... Ground the top contour a bit rounder before glueing the thin leather on... and ground the pad to fit the the stock first. The idea of the leather was so the pad slid up to your shoulder with less friction, not catching on the rubber. Lazy rich men had that done to extremely expensive shotguns. Throwing the shotgun outwards first and pulling it back into your shoulder is a lot cheaper than this alteration.
 
Here are some examples of leather covered pads I have completed. Over the years I have covered thirty or so, mostly on high grade side by sides. The pad with the third open hole is a Perazzi and that is the access hole to remove the stock.
 

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