Inlay and decoration in the pre flintlock era

[TobJohn]

The Swedish Royal Armouries have a collection of wheellock petronels. They provide a great example of late 1500s decoration, as well as how guns can be damaged. A great insight from having multiple, is that they show how fragile petronel style stocks can be.

Notice that despite the metal reinforcement on the stock, the stocks break off inline with the grain. I had been wondering if petronels only used wood with a suitable grain, but this provides a great example of how even on extremely expensive guns, they used wood with a straight grain.

An additional interesting detail is how the trigger guard goes through the eye of the bolt that holds the metal reinforcing to the wood stock.

For the decoration itself, the guns use multicolored inlay to show hunting scenes.

Also the same as the puffers’ style of lions, made by an artist who had never seen a lion:

 

[TobJohn]

The Musée de l'Armée, in Paris, has a duckfoot wheellock pistol, that provides a great example of differing artistic standards:
https://basedescollections.musee-ar...&queryId=031bd30d-748c-4db7-9fb2-9553f1e50722

There are carved inlays between the locks and barrels, which have very uneven and messy square carvings. The gun is clearly an expensive piece, with extensive inlay throughout the stock, so it is interesting that there is such a varied attention to detail.

 

[PhDBrewer]

Impressive!

What fires the center barrel?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Likely inter-connecting touch holes, lock into #1, #1 into #2, #2 into #3, etc. A chain fire, albeit really fast!

 

[PhDBrewer]

That was the only option as there appears to be only 2 triggers. Most "duckbill" pistols fired all barrels at the same time. Thanks!

 

[TobJohn]

Likely inter-connecting touch holes, lock into #1, #1 into #2, #2 into #3, etc. A chain fire, albeit really fast!

that sounds right:
(google translate)

 

[TobJohn]

Huge grind stones were still in use in the 19th century, and with a good workman, a barrel could be taken down very close to finish specs.
The workman let the barrel rotate in his hands at a slow rate whilst pressed against the stone, and that way could do a very accurate job of swamping or tapering a barrel evenly.
19th C stones I have seen illustrated were a lot wider than in the above, John.

I did not give this the attention it deserved when I first saw the comment. After seeing more examples of 16th-18th century barrels, and how all of them have some form of swamping or tapering, along with the shape forging them makes, I had been wondering how barrel makers shaped them. I had thought hand filing every one would cause the master or apprentice to eventually off themselves from tedium, so the grindstone makes a lot of sense.

 

[TobJohn]

The Musee D'Art D'Histoire, in Geneva, has a great arms collection. They have an early puffer pistol that shows an iridescent blued lockplate:
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Despite starting this thread, I actually prefer the less decorated guns, so this style of puffer really hits the sweet spot of being a weapon of war, while also a piece of art. Graz has dozens in this style too. Its obviously not plain, but truly plain puffers seem to be close to non existent, with Graz having a few that are mostly plain, and even these are not utilitarian.
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After my short arms tour of England, I am amending my previous opinion. Puffer pistols are so much bulkier in person, with a lot of surface area, so the characteristic extensive decoration actually looks a lot less busy in real life. Some of them are still too much for my taste, but the style works a lot better than I had thought.

 

[TobJohn]

One form was charcoal, a deep and nearly black blue at times John.
Fire bluing is lighter and brilliant, even painful to look at in sunlight, But Was used on barrels.

I’m going through the last of my England photos and I found this example from the Royal Armouries, explaining 15th and 16th century bluing:

(pay no attention to the dork in the reflection)

I have a bunch of photos I took of their very early wheellock pistol, which I still need to post.

 

[TobJohn]

View attachment 204342
Found the image! As can be seen in this thread, photographing books isn’t my strong suit.

The image is from The Renaissance At War, by Thomas F. Arnold.

I’ve watched some YouTube videos on forging swords and armor because there is far more content of that than anything about forging muzzleloaders. Large belt sanders seem to be a popular tool for polishing and shaping.

Given that these huge grinding stones were historically used, would it actually be close enough to historically accurate to use a large belt sander when forging a wheellock or matchlock? Obviously it’s a power tool, but would it have the same effect on the metal, or is there a major difference between what grinding stones and belt sanders do, particularly on the finished aesthetic of the metal?

 

[cyten]

Here's an interesting one with nice bone inlay

 

[TobJohn]

Here's an interesting one with nice bone inlay
View attachment 230190

Is that a pure crossbow with a gun barrel for the projectiles? That’s very funky.

 

[cyten]

Is that a pure crossbow with a gun barrel for the the projectiles? That’s very funky.

The description even says it's rifled. For what purpose, i'm unsure.

 

[TobJohn]

The description even says it's rifled. For what purpose, i'm unsure.

Maybe recycling a worn out barrel, for undersized crossbow bullets (I think that’s the term, even with crossbows?) or bolts? Seem excessive though.

Do you have a link to the original?

 

[SOLANCO]

I did not give this the attention it deserved when I first saw the comment. After seeing more examples of 16th-18th century barrels, and how all of them have some form of swamping or tapering, along with the shape forging them makes, I had been wondering how barrel makers shaped them. I had thought hand filing every one would cause the master or apprentice to eventually off themselves from tedium, so the grindstone makes a lot of sense.

Martin Meylin's shop was built in 1719 and is still standing in Lancaster county, PA. It is not near any source of water that could power machinery. Many credit him as the inventor of the long rifle. Can not help but wonder how he brought barrels to their finished shape.

 

[TobJohn]

Martin Meylin's shop was built in 1719 and is still standing in Lancaster county, PA. It is not near any source of water that could power machinery. Many credit him as the inventor of the long rifle. Can not help but wonder how he brought barrels to their finished shape.

Probably some very dedicated and very unhappy apprentices lol

 

[SOLANCO]

Probably some very dedicated and very unhappy apprentices lol

Belatedly, I realized Meylin's works are only a mile or two from Mill Creek where the Eshelman's had a mill. He could have easily borrowed or bartered or rented time on their wheels.

 

[cyten]

Maybe recycling a worn out barrel, for undersized crossbow bullets (I think that’s the term, even with crossbows?) or bolts? Seem excessive though.

Do you have a link to the original?

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/32218586_a-fine-and-rare-german-barrelled-sporting-crossbow

 

[TobJohn]

In a couple threads, we have mentioned the absurd amount of time and skill used in original firearm and accessory decoration, at a level that is completely unreasonable today.

The Met armorer calls this "Lunatic work", while discussing armor from the same period. I thought it was very fitting.

 

[hectorintca]

After my short arms tour of England, I am amending my previous opinion. Puffer pistols are so much bulkier in person, with a lot of surface area, so the characteristic extensive decoration actually looks a lot less busy in real life. Some of them are still too much for my taste, but the style works a lot better than I had thought.

Hmmm... "After your short arms tour of England," ... I'm surprised someone in this group hasn't run with it.