need alittle help yall.

[hypo]

Alright so I'm building my first rifle in honor of my dad that passed 3 weeks ago and I'm gonna do it right wire inlay and everything well could anyone help me with some hex markings? Like the old time gun builders did starts lines all that if yall can post pictures or links.also this is my first build its a ky long rifle in 32 cal me and my dad talked about doin it together but he passed before we could yall got any tips for wood carving? Thank yall for any and all help.

 

[Rifleman1776]

You are asking a lot. :shocked2:
Methinks much time spent in the library and online will be of value to you.
Where do you live? You might have some local resources.
Unless you have previous experience, the wire inlay and carving tips cannot be explained in a few short posts.

 

[MSW]

if you don't already have a copy, you should buy The Gunsmith of Grenville County by Peter Alexander ... you can get it from Track of the Wolf, and it's forty bucks (or so) very well spent, in my opinion.

There is a good section on wire inlay, and this book will save you more than the purchase price in parts you didn't ruin and time you didn't waste waiting for their replacements.

Good luck with your build!

 

[Col. Batguano]

+1 on getting the book(s) first. :thumbsup:

Money spent on education is the best investment you'll ever make.

 

[hypo]

I ment carving tools sorry.and Louisiana.

 

[Birddog6]

WoodsCrafts has allot of dif carving tools. I like the FlexCraft brand. You need the sharpening block & rouge for the tools as well..

IMHO you need to LEARN to build, build say 4-5 rifles & learn to build a safe clean built rifle. Then learn to carve on scrap. Then learn to apply the carving to a rifle. Then ya practice the wire inlay on scrap. Then you learn to do it on a rifle.

Trying to do it all on the first one is not the way to start. I do appreciate Why you are doing it & etc. & But look at it as building a house. Never built one. Do I start with a mansion or do I start with a small one & Learn the in's & out's & progress to a good end result. Or do I start with the mansion & have it fall in on a poor foundation.

Now.......... that being said.... I have seen some Awesome first builds & just really impressive first ones. Probably 2 in ? 3or 4000. :shocked2: I am not saying you cannot do it, but in most cases they don't turn out like ya think they will. It may end up OK.... it is all up to your talent of learning the craft & Patience.

Keith Lisle

 

[Thomas S]

Trenton, Sorry about the passing of your dad. There are a lot of guys on here that can answer just about any quetions you have, so you've come to the right place. Take your time on the build as you honor the memory of your father. Good luck and I hope it turns out to be a flawless project.

 

[54ball]

Sorry for your loss...

IMHO, build this rifle for yourself. It's one thing to do a project you and your father discussed and always wanted to do, it's quite another to build a "in honor of" or tribute rifle. To me that puts too much emotional strain on the build, especially if things don't go as planned or turnout the way you want. I'm sure he would want you to have fun with it, so do.

While there are some meaning to some decorations found on longrifles, you specifically asked about hex marks on the barrel.

I only know of one "hex" mark, and that is a Cross or an X placed on the bottom flat of the barrel, under the rear sight. Some say that the stars and or dots you sometimes find on a longrifle's muzzle are hex marks.

The tail I've heard is that barrels that shot untrue were unbreeched and washed out in a fast moving stream. Then the hex mark was placed on the barrel to prevent the demons or evil spirits from reentering the barrel. I do not know if this was ever done to new barrels.

18th and early 19th Century maker John Phillip Beck would sign the underside of his barrels in Latin, "J Deo Beck". In English that means with God's help, Beck. The Latin phrase "INRI" is also found on the bottom of some of his barrels. This comes from from the sign on the cross the Romans placed over Christ's head, "Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum" or in English, "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews."

Personally I would not consider Becks hidden marks as "hex" marks. To me they are more of measure of respect by a pious maker.

North Carolina Gillespie rifles are found with Turkey tracks and pine bough decorations all over the barrels on some rifles.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I ment carving tools sorry.and Louisiana.

You are the first one ever to make a typing or wording error here. :shocked2: :wink:
I've done some carving. There are quite a few good brands of carving tools out there. Do some Googling and you will find vendors with their catalogs.
I strongly caution you to stay away from the El Cheapo carving sets. The prices are tempting but most have a similar flaw that can make them actually very dangerous to use. That is, most have very short tangs. The pressures often used to carve can cause the tang to break through the wood causing loss of control and serious injury. I got lucky one time and leared the hard way to stay away from them. I tossed a dozen tools I had inherited into the trash so no one else would ever have them.
Your story is touching. Good luck with the project.

 

[hypo]

Haha sorry about that I was pushing 30 hrs without sleep and thank yall for all the help.