Lipstick on a Pig

[grey8833]

Well, here is a piece of my past - an Ultra High Kentucky Pistol, assembled from a kit > mostly using sand paper (circa 1972, I think). Well I decided my past needed an upgrade, so I took the barrel (fixed the gap at the breech plug with a brass washer) and the lock (fixed the v-spring so it would spark nicely)and added a whole bunch of lipstick. The Before, During and After should be fun.

Before: Before

During: During

After: After

Hope those links work. Project was a hoot.

Mike F

 

[F.G. Ford]

Mighty fine job, "YOU" should be down right proud!
See you can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear??

Old Ford

 

[mazo kid]

Hey, I had one of those kits a few years ago....put it together and sold it at the next rendezvous we went to. You really put a lot of effort into your re-make and it looks great. Nice work! :thumbsup:

 

[wulf]

It's not the lipstick,,it's the person who applies it that makes the real difference...
Wulf

 

[renovato]

That came out downright purdy! Did you carve a new stock, or was that nice wood hiding underneath the original finish? Nice work on the carvings and details.

 

[grey8833]

New stock, a Track blank with the barrel and ramrod done - was fun doing all the mortise work from scratch.

 

[ricklandes]

Nice resurrection!

Could not help but think of the Traditions Kentucky I build some years back...might have to try the same kinda idea...now the tough part of when to do it... :hmm:

 

[Blizzard of '93]

that's some fine work there. nice figure in the wood. I like the 'tint' of it.

 

[Rolfkt]

That was really impressiv. I saved the pictures on my computor for future reference. Hope you don't mind.


Rolf

 

[grey8833]

Don't mind in the least, be happy to answer any questions you have. Pictures showed a lot of results, but unlike the tutorials on this site, I didn't get into a lot of "how" - it was more like "gee, that worked! quick, take a picture".

Mike F

 

[billk]

Excellent transformation :thumbsup:
You did a great job inletting the lock. I will be starting on my first project in a few weeks. Can you tell me what tools you used to inlet the lock? The cavity looks very neat and clean.
Billk

 

[Goldhunter]

Wow, what a transformation! That's quite a fine looking pistola. :bow:

 

[Old40Rod]

Excellent work Mike! :hatsoff:

 

[Allan Gray]

Beautiful pistol!

I really like the carving and wire around the tang. To me, that's such a difficult area to come up with something that looks "right". Very nice work. :thumbsup:

 

[grey8833]

billk:

The mortise's were cut with gouges and those forsner bits (the ones that cut nice circular holes with flat bottoms). But mostly with the same gouges that I carve with. The trick is to drill a series of pilot holes to a standard depth using a regular drill with a depth collar on it - well inside the lines you draw, then use gouges (going from a #8 - a lot of curve for fast removal to #3 - fairly flat) cross grain to the stop cuts at the edges of the mortise. The stop cuts I do with more gouges driven straight in. Keep at it #8s to #3s to a 1/4 chisel (scraping) until all the drill marks go away. Bingo, you have a nice flat bottom mortise. (Well, a lot of careful work and "bingo" you have a good mortise). I also put my stop cuts just inside the mortise lines and scrape the finish mortise to finished size with inletting black on the lock panel(and the lock panel has a taper filed into the edge). With careful work you should get a dead tight fit.

The forsner bits are used to then make the holes you need for the lock "guts" - that and more gouge work. Again, more inletting black to mark everything.

Side plate is a repeat of the lock, minus the "guts" and marked for depth to have 1/2 the side plate thickness exposed.

Mike F

 

[grey8833]

Mr. Gray:

Thanks, I spent a whole lot more time drawing that durn thing than I did carving it. I agree, that area is a pain to get a nice balanced carving into. If you notice, I chose an asymetrical design - actually easier to do than one that has to balance left to right.

Mike F

 

[billk]

Thank you Mike F

 

[flaming canvas]

Can I have a gilt out of the first litter?

 

[grey8833]

flaming canvas:

you have simply got to explain your handle and that avatar.

Mike F

 

[rkmeyer]

A very very nice job Mike F, Pix great, along with your workmanship.
Did you burn the tent just for your avatar?
Dusty