Shushana Restoration

[Felix the Cat]

Hi Folks..

On the Bench today... A Turkish Shushana musket!

This was given to me in a terrible state. It looked like it had been hanging over a coal fireplace for several generations, and was covered with a crusty black coating. The stock was in several pieces and is missing some barrel bands...

As you can see it has a Miquelet lock although it is probably not that old. The Ottoman/Turks used matchlocks far longer than most folk and then took a shine to Miquelet locks for some reason in the early 19thC. These originated in Spain in the 16th C and spread east...

I managed to get all the parts separated and gave the lock my usual "boil in washing soda" treatment which cleaned it up nicely. It turned out to be covered in silver, and still works, although it is a beast to cock and the trigger almost needs to be hit with a mallet to fire..

The whole of the top of the stock was covered with a black crust, which I have just gently removed to reveal..

I have also pinned the stock togeter and it is now at least in one piece. It is missing barrel bands and the butt is short by about six inches. I think I will probably just repair these with "obvious" replacements which will show to future observers which bits are original and which replacement. I don't think I'm good enough to reproduce the age and original decoration.. It would have been a real looker in it's day!

At least I have saved it from the trash, which was where it was heading!

 

[springfield art]

Hi Folks..

On the Bench today... A Turkish Shushana musket!

This was given to me in a terrible state. It looked like it had been hanging over a coal fireplace for several generations, and was covered with a crusty black coating. The stock was in several pieces and is missing some barrel bands...

View attachment 218545

As you can see it has a Miquelet lock although it is probably not that old. The Ottoman/Turks used matchlocks far longer than most folk and then took a shine to Miquelet locks for some reason in the early 19thC. These originated in Spain in the 16th C and spread east...

I managed to get all the parts separated and gave the lock my usual "boil in washing soda" treatment which cleaned it up nicely. It turned out to be covered in silver, and still works, although it is a beast to cock and the trigger almost needs to be hit with a mallet to fire..

The whole of the top of the stock was covered with a black crust, which I have just gently removed to reveal..

View attachment 218546

I have also pinned the stock togeter and it is now at least in one piece. It is missing barrel bands and the butt is short by about six inches. I think I will probably just repair these with "obvious" replacements which will show to future observers which bits are original and which replacement. I don't think I'm good enough to reproduce the age and original decoration.. It would have been a real looker in it's day!

View attachment 218547

At least I have saved it from the trash, which was where it was heading!

Nice shop!

 

[2 shots]

Nice shop!

too clean

 

[springfield art]

Wait! Did it have a load in the barrel?

 

[Felix the Cat]

Wait! Did it have a load in the barrel?

...of course!

 

[Sam squanch]

Think that is a boyliya, from around Bulgaria. From what I’ve read on this forum, they are kind of scarce.

 

[deerstalkert]

that is one great looking piece! how cool!!!
i can't look at it too long or i will develop another addiction!

 

[Felix the Cat]

Think that is a boyliya, from around Bulgaria. From what I’ve read on this forum, they are kind of scarce.

I think you could very well be correct.. Bulgaria and Turkey are next door to each other on the Black Sea and were both part of the Ottoman empire at the time. My gun certainly has "rozetki" inlays..

What I am curious about is how the butt stock was attached, as there is no signs of any screw holes etc..

 

[cyten]

Wow I don’t know how I missed this thread earlier! As Sam Squanch mentioned, this is a Bulgarian Boyliya. The most famous place they were produced was a town called Sliven. Sometimes they are referred to as paragon or paragun which is due to the fabric that is covering the butt, very cool to see this example still has it!

 

[Felix the Cat]

Wow I don’t know how I missed this thread earlier! As Sam Squanch mentioned, this is a Bulgarian Boyliya. The most famous place they were produced was a town called Sliven. Sometimes they are referred to as paragon or paragun which is due to the fabric that is covering the butt, very cool to see this example still has it!

Hi.. thanks for the response!

These are not in my normal scope for restoration! I am trying to decide how much/little to do to it! I need to stop the deterioration and this requires some cleaning as the crud is not doing the surface any favours.. The rozetki are in a fairly delicate state with a fair bit of corrosion and missing bits.

I took the stock to a local fabric conservitor who advised against any wet cleaning and to gently remove any surface soiling and carefully re-sew the detached cordwork.

My main issue is what to do with the butt stock? It looks like there is a missing section as the back end of the stock is unmarked and clean and the overall length seems too short (although I know many middle east guns do have very short stocks...!) Do you have any clues as to what a complete Boyliya stock looks like? It looks like there has been a top strap of somesort along the top edge of the buttstock going under the fabric cover.

The forend wood is also pretty destroyed towards the muzzle and the forward barrel bands are missing.. I may put in replacement wood, but it will be difficult to match it up!

Edited to add... do you think there is something missing from the head of the cock screw? Should it have "wings" on it? (if you pardon the expression!)

 

[cyten]

Interesting that the buttstock doesn’t have any holes or anything, I don’t believe the rear sections were held in by glue alone. Almost every example I’ve seen had 2 or 3 large nails in the butt, which I assumed were holding the two sections together

You can see how narrow the channel of the nail is on that missing third one.
There is a great thread about the restoration of one of these by a Bulgarian smith here: Bulgarian rifle boyliya - Ethnographic Arms & Armour

And as for the so called wings, yes this lock is missing them, if the locking ring were large enough to be turned by hand then it would have them.

I am out of town and away from the computer otherwise I would post some more detailed photos.