My First Rifle carving...

[D.Summers]

Why, I reckon you should be!!

 

[PathfinderNC]

Sweet!

 

[Col. Batguano]

One of the hardest things to do in carving is to get symmetrical features that are intended to be symmetrical, ACTUALLY turn out to BE symmetrical. But in that vein, raised carving is much easier than incised. It's easier to take materiel away to even things out than to change the shape of a trench. Engraving is even harder. Your "world" while you are working on it consists of a 1" x 1" area. No more.

Are you planning on taking the height down to around 1/32" for most of it? I bet I spent close to an hour on each one of the tendrils on my last gun getting the modeling acceptable, and even when I "moved on" to another one or another area, I still found myself coming back to the one I thought I had "finished" over and over again.

One of the ways to highlight the features (later, when you get there and have your background plain (or is it plane?) done, is to take your Exact-O knife and undercut the features. Your stain will tend to pool in there, (highlighting the base and outline) and the varnish will fill it up making it invisible. You can highlight the tops using steel wool over it (after staining) to make the tops appear higher too.

Out of curiosity, what does / did your "day job" consist of? Clearly it required a creative approach to things, and attention to detail.

 

[poker]

Great work Jerry! Don’t let anyone dictate your style.

 

[Jerry Samouce]

One of the hardest things to do in carving is to get symmetrical features that are intended to be symmetrical, ACTUALLY turn out to BE symmetrical. But in that vein, raised carving is much easier than incised. It's easier to take materiel away to even things out than to change the shape of a trench. Engraving is even harder. Your "world" while you are working on it consists of a 1" x 1" area. No more.

Are you planning on taking the height down to around 1/32" for most of it? I bet I spent close to an hour on each one of the tendrils on my last gun getting the modeling acceptable, and even when I "moved on" to another one or another area, I still found myself coming back to the one I thought I had "finished" over and over again.

One of the ways to highlight the features (later, when you get there and have your background plain (or is it plane?) done, is to take your Exact-O knife and undercut the features. Your stain will tend to pool in there, (highlighting the base and outline) and the varnish will fill it up making it invisible. You can highlight the tops using steel wool over it (after staining) to make the tops appear higher too.

Out of curiosity, what does / did your "day job" consist of? Clearly it required a creative approach to things, and attention to detail.

Wow...fantastic advice!
Thankyou...

Tell me more!

 

[dennyntx]

I am new to the whole reenactment thing as I have been doing it for only 1 year.
Being afraid to mess it up, the amazing gunsmith David Ricketts assembled on commission and delivered my first Flintlock Rifle to me a week ago.
It is a Jim Chambers Mark Silver 58cal Virginia Rifle and even non-zeroed with a bit of "Kentucky windage" it shoots like a dream!

Now, I also happen to have been working wood with chisels off and on for over 20 years and I am very confident in those skills.
So, I made my first design and posted it on my FB page. This first design was shot down (pun intended) by My local Rev War Mentors as way too fancy and thus inaccurate historically. So, I took their advise and simplified things to come to my second design.
I am moving toward reenacting one of my relatives who lived on the frontier of south western NC and served as a captain of NC Militia during Kings Mountain to Yorktown.
John Whiteside moved as a kid to the wilderness of NC with his blacksmith father William Whiteside and family… which means F&I War time too.

What I love most about Rev War reenactment is that it is the perfect excuse to fully explore and combine my strange assortment of art mediums: sometimes simultaneously...
Here is my wood work so far... (There are photo filters on the last to for better contrast)View attachment 61781View attachment 61783View attachment 61784View attachment 61785View attachment 61786View attachment 61787View attachment 61788

That is beautiful. Great job

 

[MSW]

i like it!

 

[Bill Rowe]

I am new to the whole reenactment thing as I have been doing it for only 1 year.
Being afraid to mess it up, the amazing gunsmith David Ricketts assembled on commission and delivered my first Flintlock Rifle to me a week ago.
It is a Jim Chambers Mark Silver 58cal Virginia Rifle and even non-zeroed with a bit of "Kentucky windage" it shoots like a dream!

Now, I also happen to have been working wood with chisels off and on for over 20 years and I am very confident in those skills.
So, I made my first design and posted it on my FB page. This first design was shot down (pun intended) by My local Rev War Mentors as way too fancy and thus inaccurate historically. So, I took their advise and simplified things to come to my second design.
I am moving toward reenacting one of my relatives who lived on the frontier of south western NC and served as a captain of NC Militia during Kings Mountain to Yorktown.
John Whiteside moved as a kid to the wilderness of NC with his blacksmith father William Whiteside and family… which means F&I War time too.

What I love most about Rev War reenactment is that it is the perfect excuse to fully explore and combine my strange assortment of art mediums: sometimes simultaneously...
Here is my wood work so far... (There are photo filters on the last to for better contrast)View attachment 61781View attachment 61783View attachment 61784View attachment 61785View attachment 61786View attachment 61787View attachment 61788

Fantastic work, A+++

 

[zerosprk]

Historically correct or not, your talent is amazing!

 

[forty_caliber]

Awesome work, MASTER CRAFTSMAN

.40

 

[Thunder14]

Very nice,true craftsmanship

 

[olskool]

my first response when i saw the carving was the best i think, it was wow!

 

[oreclan]

I am new to the whole reenactment thing as I have been doing it for only 1 year.
Being afraid to mess it up, the amazing gunsmith David Ricketts assembled on commission and delivered my first Flintlock Rifle to me a week ago.
It is a Jim Chambers Mark Silver 58cal Virginia Rifle and even non-zeroed with a bit of "Kentucky windage" it shoots like a dream!

Now, I also happen to have been working wood with chisels off and on for over 20 years and I am very confident in those skills.
So, I made my first design and posted it on my FB page. This first design was shot down (pun intended) by My local Rev War Mentors as way too fancy and thus inaccurate historically. So, I took their advise and simplified things to come to my second design.
I am moving toward reenacting one of my relatives who lived on the frontier of south western NC and served as a captain of NC Militia during Kings Mountain to Yorktown.
John Whiteside moved as a kid to the wilderness of NC with his blacksmith father William Whiteside and family… which means F&I War time too.

What I love most about Rev War reenactment is that it is the perfect excuse to fully explore and combine my strange assortment of art mediums: sometimes simultaneously...
Here is my wood work so far... (There are photo filters on the last to for better contrast)View attachment 61781View attachment 61783View attachment 61784View attachment 61785View attachment 61786View attachment 61787View attachment 61788

While this is excellent wood carving; it is not of the historical period nor location. It is too complex and too proud above the wood surface. Try looking at some reference books of Colonial and AWI period rifles. There are many good sources from which to choose.

 

[Marc Adamchek]

Beautiful work! And whose gun is it? Yours! So take any negative comments about its "fancy carving" and let them fall in the dirt.

 

[Curley 50 cal]

I wish I could shoot as well as you can carve!

 

[Jerry Samouce]

About halfway done with the patch box cover. It will need sanding and filing for clean up.
I am glad I ditched the feather idea for oak leaves...

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Craftsman. Well done.

 

[Jerry Samouce]

I AM TICKLED PINK!

 

[Jerry Samouce]

Done with the patchbox cover.

 

[Jerry Samouce]

Oooh yeah...