Painted Stock Trade Rifles?

[tenngun]

I do not know that this happened nor am I arguing that it did, but would point out that Indians made heavy use of paints, body, clothing,weapons, and tools all are know to have been painted. Does this mean they painted own guns? I don’t know if a painted fusil is known as owned, and I can’t point to a painting that shows it, could it have happened? I wouldn’t kick a man with a painted gun out of my camp or ask them cover their gun.

 

[rich pierce]

Look up the Benjamin West pairing of the Death of General Wolfe and look at the trade gun the Indian sitting to the left is cradling. https://goo.gl/images/tZHNZT

 

[tenngun]

Is that painting or carving, sure could be a painted design

 

[Capt. Jas.]

I never did understand Clay Smith's blue....

Prussian Blue pigment alone is much darker than his paint. A deep, electric blue. Add linseed oil to make the paint, and it will only get darker.

This is Prussian Blue:

If I remember correctly Chris, he used a paint color that popped up commonly on surviving trim work in the burg after the layers were peeled back.

 

[rich pierce]

Is that painting or carving, sure could be a painted design

It’s paint. Look up “Bumford Trade Gun” and you will see something similar.
http://www.flintriflesmith.com/Antiques/bumford_tradegun.htm

Spence can likely re-provide period references about painted trade guns.

 

[jon math]

Thanks all!!
My best guess is this thing I have was produced during the American Bicentennial when everyone and their brother was a want-a-be Minute Man. It has no description that covers what it is aside from smoothbore long gun. It is neither a military musket, or civilian fowler or an Indian trade gun but has some minor traits of all those types. The brass looks like stuff that comes out of India, the metal is from the Japanese Browning factory, the wood is harder than maple, about as white, has an awful odor when you sand or machine it and would not take Minwax brand stains. I started with a nice oak color and that more or less just wiped off even after significant dwell time. I tried ebony color thinking the black might absorb better than the brown but that came off with no color change. I finally took a blow torch to it to cook it a bit and even that barely changed its color. If someone told me it was made of palm tree wood I'd not argue with them. I will try the alcohol based dyes before I take to painting.

 

[Cruzatte]

Now I'm really curious as to what you have. I hope you'll post before and after pix when you get the chance.

 

[tenngun]

Have you tried Aqua Fortis? An acid might get in and color well afterwords :idunno:

 

[54ball]

Chris,
That shade of blue seems to be a pretty common color for implements of the period.
American artillery and possibly wagons at least through the War of 1812 was that light shade of blue.

 

[54ball]

One neat thing to consider about the West Painting......

This was one of the first if not the first " official" memorial paintings done in realism. Previous paintings were done in the classical Greco-Roman style. You know.....Togas and winged cherubs. If I remember correctly, King George hated it.

Unlike a lot of paintings from the period ; even good ones, that gun gun is rendered very well. Not only is it rendered well but the detail is so good you can plainly see what type of gun it is. This painting was done from life with posed models.

The portrait was done in England. So.......

That tells us that these guns were painted in England.

 

[RAEDWALD]

Whilst the quality art world used a few expensive blue pigments the more common trade painters had a variety of cheaper copper carbonate based blue pigments with variable colour and fastness tending to turn greenish in time. I doubt if a gunstock paint was anything other than a good trade blue which is going to be less 'blue' than the very expensive art blues. More a blue coloured white with tinges of yellow/green in it. Still an attractive colour for a colour starved general world.

 

[jrmflintlock]

Yes, please share some photos!! If you are unable to post photos, PM and I will post some for you if you email them to me!

 

[Electric Miner]

Oh, Lord! My wife has done seen the blue rifle and loves it...

 

[azmntman]

:shake:

 

[Coot]

Get her one. It will help to justify so many things in the future - trips to the range, more BP, new lead pot, etc, etc. :wink: