How do you know when you're done?

[Onojutta]

They say an artist is never satisfied with his work... Do you have this problem with your gun builds? How do you know when you are finished and it's time for that final coat of finish? Are you ever thoroughly satisfied with your work or do you always see things you wished you would have done differently?

 

[rich pierce]

OI am sure that for the truly professional builder, it's easy to know when the job is done because they work to a certain standard and hit it regularly. For those of us who fool around at it, one answer is that you're done when they take it away from you. Another is that you're done when you realize you're making things worse the more you do.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I think any builder is going to learn more the longer he works at building guns, and the longer he lives. Every crafts man has a sense when something doesn't " Look right" or " feel right" to something they made. And, conversely, I think they all have an innate sense of when something is right that they have made.

I learned about the " Golden Mean" and how it was used in building guns long after I had designed my own guns and stocks for other guns. When I learned that, much of what was gnawing at me about earlier efforts instantly went away, as I had learned, finally, What WAS WRONG with those earlier efforts. The same thing happened after I build my first Knife. It just was not right. I actually rebuilt it twice, and now have some more work to do on the blade because it was not tempered properly. I am still happy with the last work I did on the handle more than 35 years ago, but the blade has suffered a chipped off point, that needs to be redone, and I want to redo a small part of it to "fit " properly the rest of the design.

I have kept that first knife because it instantly reminds me of all the mistakes I made making it, as well as the corrections I have made since. If and when I complete these last two projects, it will be as complete as I can get it, and I may just begin making a new blade, slightly different, but a whole lot nicer than this one. This knife has no frills. The next one will have something- but I haven't decided what.

 

[Capt. Fred]

Well, I ain't no artist, but I can sure draw flies. Har har har.

Seriously, I don't ever feel completly satisfied with anything I have ever built. I learn something everytime no matter what the project. Something that I would change next time or use a different process to achieve. But Rich has hit it on the head that you need to be able to be happy when it is as good as you can get it at that time in your life.

I am friends with many of the folks I have built houses for over the years. I can go into a house I worked on 20 years ago and the first thing my eye goes to are the screw ups. A crooked chimney line or one bad scarf joint out of twenty in a timber frame. It doesn't mean I don't think they are beautiful houses, for they are. But I am very aware that they are not perfect. For me that means I try a to learn a little bit each time.

What I'm trying to say is that I am never 100% satisfied but I have learned to be satified enough.

 

[renovato]

I always see things I wish I had done differently. I know it's time to finish when I've undone and/or hidden as many of my screwups as I can. When I can't hide anymore, I start applying finishes and hope they'll hide the rest! :rotf:

I still have a long way to go, but don't have the time or money to build the guns I want to build to improve my skills.

 

[DIRTYDAVE]

Well I guess I know I'm done when someone offers me a trade or buys it from me.Its hard to just leave one alone.

 

[Coltsmoke]

You build a gun in steps or stages, when you have done all you can do to improve that stage or step you move on to the next step. When you get to the last step and improve it or get it to the best of your ability, you are done. But, what do I know, just my thoughts.