Scrambled Egg

[robinghewitt]

Should it be fixed? Can it be fixed? ::

The barrels look like Egg, right proofs, right damascene and have his name engraved, but there's no under rib which is unusual for him.

The stock looks like Egg with Eggy engraving and furniture, no problems there.

The locks are dubious, they are good quality, the shape's right and they fit the woodwork but the bridles are not his style and there are no sliding safeties. The plates have rusted and been filed, the "D Egg" engraving has been added recently. The pans have been replaced, probably a long time ago.

The breech plate is all wrong, not engraved, nothing lines up quite right, very definately not Egg. The lock fixing screws have had their holes moved back to clear the barrels and someone has cut into the cocks to clear.

I suspect the breech plate was changed to bodge on replacement locks. So can it be fixed????

 

Robin, CAN it be fixed, absolutely. SHOULD it be fixed, perhaps. If it were mine (and it should be :winking: hint hint) I would certainly do SOMETHING with it. I'm assuming that we are seeing the worst parts of it. What condition are the bores in?. If the rest of the piece is sound, a standing breech could be made and fitted, any boogered parts (like the cocks) could be welded and reshaped or replaced with parts from blackley or dyson all assuming that the stock is very good. If the stock isn't great, then to go to all the expense and trouble to fix and fit parts to it would be like putting a new engine in a car that is rusted out. In that case, you could salvage the barrels and the mounts and build a new gun, if the barrels are good. I doubt that I've told you anything you haven't already thought of. It CAN be fixed should you choose to do it and it looks as if it would be worth it IMO. Depends I suppose, on what your willing to spend and what you want to have when your done. However, if you choose not to, and would like to part with it, I would be intersted in it for the barrels and any other useable parts

Cody

BTW, love the title of this thread :haha: :haha: :winking:

 

[Slowpoke]

What a train wreck.... send it to me and I'll fix it. By "fix" I mean repair it and keep it for myself.



SP

 

[Erzulis boat]

What a pity.

This is just me, but once the arm is molested, it is forever tainted. The components as individuals are fantastic, sans the DE inscribed on the lock.

The arm might have too many missing components and previous modifications to restore it with any dignity.

It in fact would not constitute a "restoration" as the original configuration is unknown.

It makes me ill, but lack of foresight back then cannot be blamed on the person(s) who mutilated this arm.

If the D.E. inscribed on the lock was done to mislead, then bad JuJu exists on that thing (the lock).

As time goes by, all the old complete stuff will get cataloged and the market will be sewn up. The "diamonds in the rough" are getting rarer these days.

You could build an arm with most of the parts that would definitely be fantastic in it's own right. The furniture looks top notch. If I build with old parts, or construct a new arm, I will date it correctly and establish a paper trail. Who knows, maybe 500 years from now the arm that was rebuilt with documentation will also be held in high regard, I would not doubt it!

At one time, that double surely was a sweetheart.

This is just my opinion.

:imo:

 

[Mike Brooks]

Robin,
It can be fixed, but it's not something I'd personally feel comfortable doing. I'd get in touch with Mike Ehnger and see if he's interested in the job.
It's a worthy project and needs to be done.
Don't let the fact the barrel doesn't have an under rib bother you. I had a Durrs Egg single barrel 14ga. with straight rifling and a 1750 dated spanish barrel. The stock was a 1/2 stock with the typical Durrs Egg checkering. It had a wooden trigger guard identicle to a brown bess inlet into the stock just as any other trigger guard would have been.
Mr Egg was by no means stuck in a rut! :haha:
Unfortunatly I sold it before I had a camera...... :cry:

 

[robinghewitt]

The stock is fine and dandy apart from under the locks and under the breech plate where it's been hacked.

I don't think the breech plate and the cock cut outs can be fixed without replacing most everything

 

[robinghewitt]

It can be fixed, but it's not something I'd personally feel comfortable doing.

Hi Mike

But if I fixed it, might I persuade you to apply Eggy scratchings to the breech plate so it didn't stand out like a sore thumb? :master:

You're probably quite safe because I am about 5 years behind with my fixing and making stuff :thumbsup:

best regards

Squire Robin

 

[Mike Brooks]

Is that the same gun? That breech tang looks great to me! I can get that breech engraved for you pretty reasonable by several excellent engravers I have in mind. Let me know what you want to do.

 

[Erzulis boat]

Wait a minute Squire Robin!

Now that you have installed the breech block, things have changed!

That double could be a champ pretty easy. Some fitting of the breechblock with the hooks, re-establishing engraving of the locks to follow the cutout for the sidelock screw, and some embellishment to balance it out.

The only thing that might be amiss is the D.E. on the lockplate. If they are not confirmed DE locks, then it might be possible to erase the offending mark.

You might have a diamond in the rough!

I had the impression of an extremely cobbled arm, but it looks pretty much in line. It will never be an un-molested double, but could be fantastic nonetheless. You should put it back into shooting order and keep it. I would.

Those flint doubles are magical!

:sorry:

 

[robinghewitt]

That breech tang looks great to me!

I'm obviously not explaining this very well.

The lock fixing screws have stripped and cracked the breech plate so I can't shoot it. If I'm going to attack the breech plate I should really like to move the screws forward to where they originally were and weld shut those ghastly indents in the cocks.

There isn't going to be hardly any metal left between the thread and the front of the breech plate, even if I use smaller screw heads and insist it goes full cock before the screws will come out

 

[Erzulis boat]

Ah, I am beginning to see your predicament.

The cocks may have to be removed to install the lock if the breech/tang assembly is really in that relation to the barrels. It might be better to concern yourself with the lock screw placement primarily, and the capability to remove the locks at full cock as a secondary issue.

Unless you plan on frequent disassembly, I would not fret the issue. You only have so much to deal with. I would not fault you for making due.

It would be nice to weld up the cocks and restore the engraving. You are stuck with what you have to a certain degree, but since all is not minty and perfect, a few compromises cannot hurt.

What I would like to see is an isolated shot of both the web of the breech, and of the locks backside. You might have enough meat to accomplish a safe assembly. Re-welding can be done easily by an accomplished weldor.

 

[Donny]

Tell me you bought it from overseas. Don't tell me an Englishman boogered it up. :hmm:

 

[JeffS]

Completely off topic...


Slowpoke, that is the best avatar ever!

 

[Slowpoke]

<snicker> thanks ....

 

[benvenuto]

DEAR LORD! :cry:
Thats almost as sad as that matchlock you found
hmmm... if you are a deft hand with a TIG welder (or know someone who is) then why not?

 

[WRussell]

Robin - would it be possible to weld up the breech block and drill and tap for each lock - with the screws relocated - rather than run a screw all the way through? The holes wouldn't have to be very deep, which would leave more strength in the breech area.

 

[WRussell]

Personally, the thought of repairing that piece makes me drool - somebody has already mucked it up, so I could only make it better.
:imo: :m2c:

 

[Erzulis boat]

You know what is crazy about this whole thing?

Whomever worked their magic back then, actually went to all the trouble to remove the cock(s) to cut the "notch" to allow disassembly without having to remove anything.

This was apparently not done just to assemble the arm enough to just sell it off, but rather to actually bring it into proper working order.

It leads me to believe, (with the fraction of information that I have) that this might have been done by a real gunsmith.

Strange. This is becoming quite a tale!

 

[robinghewitt]

The problem is that if I move the fixing bolts very far forwards they will be screwing in to the barrels rather than in to the breech plate (see the top picture).

Curiously someone has cut a semicircular indent into one of the barrels, as if he was going to extend the breech plate forward in a lump. He never changed the plate and he only cut one side.

I think the breeching is an old repair when someone changed the locks. Anyone got a better idea? I think this gun was patched up and used for many years beyond what should have been expected of it.

It was a very sick puppy when I got it. Peter Dyson resprung it and faced the steels, those are his screws holding on the cocks. I replaced the triggers, one of the tumblers, repaired a busted barrel lug, glued a side to side crack that was growing under the locks etc.

 

[robinghewitt]

What I would like to see is an isolated shot of both the web of the breech, and of the locks backside.

You had to wait for daylight :: :thumbsup: