Not done yet but pic

[wiscoaster]

....thought maybe your buddy who seems to know everything would be willing to show his work so we could see what we’re dealing with....

My buddy!?!? What kind of delusions are you working with?!?! Never have alluded to having any partner. I'm a completely solo act. I have no idea what you're missing, but apparently it's a pretty big miss.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Crow made a very attractive gun. I like it. If I could give him a 15 minute lesson on lock panels his stuff would be spot on.

 

[wiscoaster]

...YOU made it personal. Many times, just like now.

Yep, and only in response to someone else who make it personal first. Just like you did. Just like now. You added in a personal dig that had nothing to do with the thread topic, almost as an afterthought, just to get in a slam on someone else that you wanted to slam who also just happened to be in the same thread.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Wow, is your life that bad?

You really can’t quit can you? Truly sad, there are so many here that would have loved to help you.
But, I’m sure you’re right. We are all A holes.
Good luck Sir, in whatever you endeavor to do.

 

[Reno]

Mike Brooks tries his best to help everyone. Gone are the days where simply telling someone the truth is taken as good advice. The OP did need help and did need to be told about his work. It looked like he did have a decent finish going. I commend the OP for posting a pic of his work. That opens it up for comments. All Mike said is that he could use his class.
We all could. At my age and now fixed income. And thanks to Uncle Joe less of that income I can’t do it. Plus my physical limitations now, I sure could use it.
Mike is a master and we can all use his help and advice.
If you are that good of a builder then hang a shingle out and turn the OPEN FOR BUSINESS sign on.
Mike does.

 

[th1840]

This is going back a few years but I brought a rifle I had working on over Dave Wagner's house in Williamsburg for critique on my carving and he looked at it said not but can I help you n of course I said sure. He then grabbed a Nicholson rasp #51 I believe and wiped it clean and said now do something more simple you were over your head. He then proceeded to put in some incised lines with triangle file. I learned a lot from both Dave & Jon Laubach and took there suggestions because they were the pros and I feel we would be too full of ourselves if we don't take criticism from those who know better no matter how it's given. Nough said JMO

 

[BillyC]

That link was great and very entertaining. It was also much cheaper than doing it myself! The advantage of living vicariously through the deeds of others is a sure sign of wisdom.

The border carving where you stabbed in with a gouge is a great idea for those of us with limited ability. I don’t understand the need for pink underwear but I will see if it helps my carving.

This is going back a few years but I brought a rifle I had working on over Dave Wagner's house in Williamsburg for critique on my carving and he looked at it said not but can I help you n of course I said sure. He then grabbed a Nicholson rasp #51 I believe and wiped it clean and said now do something more simple you were over your head. He then proceeded to put in some incised lines with triangle file. I learned a lot from both Dave & Jon Laubach and took there suggestions because they were the pros and I feel we would be too full of ourselves if we don't take criticism from those who know better no matter how it's given. Nough said JMO

The point here is you asked him for his opinion.

 

[BillyC]

I posted this before but I’ll do it again. I was admiring a swivel breech flintlock at our club. My 12 year old grandson showed the man our SMR we assembled and the man proceeded to tell us everything that was wrong with it, including the fact that Jim Kibler located the rear sight in the wrong place. Do all of you Mike Brooks fanboys think that was OK? After all it was just “constructive criticism”. Nevermind that a 12 year old boy is no longer proud of what he and his grandfather accomplished. I don’t get hurt feelings, I call out rudeness when I see it and if you don’t like it block me, I’ve blocked a few already.

 

[Wirehair]

I've built a few rifles from a plank and several from a kit. At 73, my race is run. But, if I were a young man and serious about building longrifles, I'd sign up for one of Mike's classes.

 

[Brokennock]

Working on 8 pages.....
Crow#21957 might be thinking.

Gee, was my rifle really that bad?

I think even Crow knows this stopped being about his rifle a long time ago.

It is all about this fatal issue we Americans have with "like". If we like you and you make us warm and fuzzy,,,, you can do know wrong, if we don't like you it doesn't matter how right you are, how good your policies, how good you are at the subject at hand. I'll let folks draw their own parallels, but it plagues this country from this little forum to the workplace (whether it be retail, industry, or healthcare) all the way up to national politics.
It's stupid, dangerous at a certain level, and ridiculously childish,,, being displayed by guys who want to be associated with and compared to real By G Mountainy Men



Pathetic

 

[Brokennock]

I posted this before but I’ll do it again. I was admiring a swivel breech flintlock at our club. My 12 year old grandson showed the man our SMR we assembled and the man proceeded to tell us everything that was wrong with it, including the fact that Jim Kibler located the rear sight in the wrong place. Do all of you Mike Brooks fanboys think that was OK? After all it was just “constructive criticism”. Nevermind that a 12 year old boy is no longer proud of what he and his grandfather accomplished. I don’t get hurt feelings, I call out rudeness when I see it and if you don’t like it block me, I’ve blocked a few already.

That's sucks.
But how do you really compare that to Mike saying the lock panels need work.
That's it, that is all,,,,, the lock panels. He didn't trash the whole gun. He made no other comment about the gun until just recently,,,, in which he reinforced that his only criticism is the lock panels.
Far different than picking apart the whole gun,,,, and big difference between criticizing the work of a grown man who willingly placed that work on a public forum,,,, and criticizing the work of a 12 year old boy and his grandfather.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Billy, you ran into one of those guys who doesn't know squat but still wants to appear be the grand poohbah of knowledge to anyone he runs across, they are out there.

Unlike the guy you ran into, Mike knows his stuff.

I ran into such a guy when I was just starting out in bow building. I was at a large tournament; I had made a few bows but wasn't proficient at it yet. This sawed-off older guy came by with a really nice bamboo backed osage bow. When I saw his bow I said" that is a beautiful bamboo backed bow you have there". He turned around, his face got as red as a beet, his eyes bulged out and he sneered through his teeth " THAT IS TONKIN CANE, IT IS NOT BAMBOO!", he did an abrupt about face and stomped off angerly, what a jerk.

He was one of those guys, Tonkin cane doesn't grow in a large enough diameter to make a bow backing out of, Mr. know it all Jerk was too stupid to know this. Someone sold him regular old bamboo and told him it was Tonkin cane. This ruse was rampant back in the day, I bought into it before I knew better, the Tonkin cane I bought was actually flame hardened Mosa, when I questioned the seller about this he broke contact with me, he fleeced a lot of people.

 

[Brokennock]

When you folks need major surgery, or immediate and talented trauma care,,,, do you want the abrupt, to the point, no b.s. best surgeon the hospital has,,,, or will you settle for second best, or even worst (every hospital has a few and they still might be pretty good, just not the best) surgeon on staff because number 2 or number 5 is nicer?

We had a surgeon at the second to last hospital I worked at who was incredibly talented, amazing even, she was the one in her surgical field I would want working in a family member (in fact she operated on my mom eventually),,,,, but she was an absolute bitch (sorry if that offends but facts are facts). Informative to patients and families, but blunt,,, and very, very, rough on staff. But she was rough on staff mostly because she wanted what was best for her patients. Could she have gone about it better? Heck Yes! But she was still one of the best surgeons in the hospital.

I'm thinking many of you will risk the infection, or the arthroscopic or laproscopic surgery becoming heavily invasive.

So? Good advice, accurate criticism poorly delivered (maybe, this might depend on perspective),,,, or participation trophy and everyone gets a that-a-boy?

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I posted this before but I’ll do it again. I was admiring a swivel breech flintlock at our club. My 12 year old grandson showed the man our SMR we assembled and the man proceeded to tell us everything that was wrong with it, including the fact that Jim Kibler located the rear sight in the wrong place. Do all of you Mike Brooks fanboys think that was OK? After all it was just “constructive criticism”. Nevermind that a 12 year old boy is no longer proud of what he and his grandfather accomplished. I don’t get hurt feelings, I call out rudeness when I see it and if you don’t like it block me, I’ve blocked a few already.

I wish you would block me too.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Here is how a plain lock panel is supposed to look. (1st pic) The second is how a lock molding and panel should look. Crow is somewhere in the middle and not clearly seeing how they should be. I hope this helps and doesn't freak anybody out.

 

[sturmkatze]

BTW, I have tried to help people here quite a bit but everyone freaks out when I try to help. This is a very unusual group of people. They want to do things their way, right or wrong.

@Comfortably_Numb Ignore them. Literally. A lot of these guys want to be praised for putting together multiple kits or whatever. “Hey fellers, ahm’s is a member of the club too.”

Mike, how much are your classes?

 

[sturmkatze]

Your post defies logic. I came here to learn something not tell everyone how great I am or tell others how stupid they are for doing something I disagree with. And tell them what they built is junk.

If I have offended you because I called out your hero then you are welcome to block me. In fact I suggest it.

I already hit ignore on you. Easy to do. What you don’t get is he’s telling you why he knows these things and, he freely shares his knowledge. You just want someone to blow hot air up your skirt. Here’s your participation trophy. Put it on the shelf and go get your helmet before you go out.

You didn’t call out anyone. Your posts have showed your ignorance of gun builders and those who know about things.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

@Comfortably_Numb Ignore them. Literally. A lot of these guys want to be praised for putting together multiple kits or whatever. “Hey fellers, ahm’s is a member of the club too.”

Mike, how much are your classes?

I think the NMLRA charges $100 a day. I don't have another class scheduled until next year at this time, right after the CLA show. We'll be going Sunday through Friday. I'll be teaching a building from a plank class as well as a relief carving class. I'll take up to ten students if they will hire another teacher to help. Otherwise, I can only handle 5 to 7. We work from 8AM to around 4PM. Then I do lectures with cool slide shows in the evenings. We aren't doing a Kibler kit class next year.
I'm no longer teaching out of my own shop, my wife doesn't like strangers around the house.

 

[sturmkatze]

I posted this before but I’ll do it again. I was admiring a swivel breech flintlock at our club. My 12 year old grandson showed the man our SMR we assembled and the man proceeded to tell us everything that was wrong with it, including the fact that Jim Kibler located the rear sight in the wrong place. Do all of you Mike Brooks fanboys think that was OK? After all it was just “constructive criticism”. Nevermind that a 12 year old boy is no longer proud of what he and his grandfather accomplished. I don’t get hurt feelings, I call out rudeness when I see it and if you don’t like it block me, I’ve blocked a few already.

In the world, your feelings will get hurt. Sometimes people aren’t gentle. However, is it better to let you think you did a good job when it ain’t?

@Jim Kibler makes nice stuff. His rifles are great and his kits allow people to try their hand and it will come out decent because he does all the hard work. But putting together a kit doesn’t make you a smith. It’s a start for you. I’d love to take @Comfortably_Numb ‘s class just to really learn tools.

One of the things that I detest about this list is the snark. Also, how people pile on guys and attack them. How they have contempt for things they don’t agree with. So what. I came back to this to read Dave Persons Brown Bess stuff. I like reading a Mike Brooks, even though we don’t always agree on stuff, I know he knows what he talks about.

When I see bozos say that they don’t know who any of the great rifle builders of today are, I tend to stop reading their posts. Good lords, do some research. I know, for many it’s “wurdz, ah don’t like me wurdz”.

Just read more than you talk. All this boasting is disgusting. All this snark and knowing it all.

Last, it takes cajones to post a photo of your work. When you do, and get comments, sift through them for the criticisms and learn. Maybe those won’t be right, but that’s where you’ll learn. Not from sycophants telling you that it’s great. Learn and get better.

I’m sure my fan club of haters will have the Marsh voodoo doll out and commence to jabbin’ pins in it. So what. I don’t go to that great cultural Mecca of Arkansas anyway.

 

[Secesh]

A handful of folks here ought to have a short nip. I don’t hold to consuming spirits but I figure the Lord allows dispensation for medicinal use.