I take a blank which I cut in the woods and sawed on my woodmizer
I draw the pattern on it which I always take from an original antique which I have studied
I start removing the extra wood and inletting parts. I do everything by hand in a traditional manner the way it was done in the 18th century.
Here is the longrifle in the square. I have the barrel inlet. The barrels are octagon and "swamped" or tapered and flared. Heaviest at the breech tapering down and then flaring back out at the muzzle. This makes the lines of the gun look good and you get the correct balance that is why they did it this way. This is a .54 that will made to shoot roundballs.
Here I have the buttplate inlet. How this is done determines the length of pull and cast off which is determine by the size and shape of the person who will be using the gun. I've got the lock inlet on this rifle also.
Ok here I have the gun fully shaped. When I shaped a gun 1st I make it square, then octagon, then 16 sided and finally round it all off. Here I am beginning to draw the carving on it which I will carve away the background so it will be raised in relief when it is finished.
Here is the carving which is a copy from an antique gun
Here I just engraved a sideplate it's glued to a block of wood which I put in the vice. All these parts I make by hand.
Here is a finished gun. It is about 1760 style from Virginia.
This gun has a charcoal blued barrel. I make a big fire outside my blacksmith shop and put the barrel right in there and let it cook at a black heat for an hour or so. This was one way they did it in the 18th century.
This gun has double set triggers and a sliding wood patchbox. I make a worm for the end of the ramrod that goes in the box with a spare flint and some tow for cleaning the gun. Some guns I make with a fancy brass patchbox which would be engraved.
Here is another gun which is my hunting rifle. I handforged the mounts for this buttplate, triggerguard, sideplate, ramrod pipes and made a poured pewter nosecap. I aged this gun to make it look old. I make most all the parts for these guns by hand the sights every nut, bolt and screw. This gun is a .54
I draw the pattern on it which I always take from an original antique which I have studied
I start removing the extra wood and inletting parts. I do everything by hand in a traditional manner the way it was done in the 18th century.
Here is the longrifle in the square. I have the barrel inlet. The barrels are octagon and "swamped" or tapered and flared. Heaviest at the breech tapering down and then flaring back out at the muzzle. This makes the lines of the gun look good and you get the correct balance that is why they did it this way. This is a .54 that will made to shoot roundballs.
Here I have the buttplate inlet. How this is done determines the length of pull and cast off which is determine by the size and shape of the person who will be using the gun. I've got the lock inlet on this rifle also.
Ok here I have the gun fully shaped. When I shaped a gun 1st I make it square, then octagon, then 16 sided and finally round it all off. Here I am beginning to draw the carving on it which I will carve away the background so it will be raised in relief when it is finished.
Here is the carving which is a copy from an antique gun
Here I just engraved a sideplate it's glued to a block of wood which I put in the vice. All these parts I make by hand.
Here is a finished gun. It is about 1760 style from Virginia.
This gun has a charcoal blued barrel. I make a big fire outside my blacksmith shop and put the barrel right in there and let it cook at a black heat for an hour or so. This was one way they did it in the 18th century.
This gun has double set triggers and a sliding wood patchbox. I make a worm for the end of the ramrod that goes in the box with a spare flint and some tow for cleaning the gun. Some guns I make with a fancy brass patchbox which would be engraved.
Here is another gun which is my hunting rifle. I handforged the mounts for this buttplate, triggerguard, sideplate, ramrod pipes and made a poured pewter nosecap. I aged this gun to make it look old. I make most all the parts for these guns by hand the sights every nut, bolt and screw. This gun is a .54
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