Stock carving patterns?

[uglybluejeep]

I want to attempt to do some carving on a couple of old gunstocks before I try a 'good" gun. looking for some kind of pattern for the decorative carving seen on some of the fancier flintlock rifles. any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated. BTW I have read much in this forum, but this is my first post. I must say that most of the pics of rifles built by you gentleman are fantastic works of art. I am in awe. :bow:

 

[Rolfkt]

I recommend "The lancaster book of carving patterns" by Susanne Warren-Bicio. http://www.historicalarmsmaker.com/publications.html

Best regards

ROlf

 

[Capt. Fred]

The book ROLF suggests is a good one. You can also Google "flintlock rifle" or some such term and save any pics you find to a disc. You can also get a subscription at Track of The Wolf so you can look at guns in their archives. You can get hundreds of ideas from there. Just remember that many of the guns on Track's site are not historically correct. But you will get a ton of ideas as to what looks good or bad to your eye.

 

[J.D.]

The contemporary makers blog is a good resource too.
http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/

God bless

 

[Birddog6]

If you are wanting a broad view with Lots of rifles to look at & lots of dif carvings on originals, I don't think you will be the RCA Vol.1 & Vol. 2. You can take those 2 books & copy & enlarge the photos & look at them carvings in full size & learn quite allot from them. They cover hundreds of photos & to me, are the best all around books you could buy.

Keith Lisle

 

[Zonie]

One of the biggest difficulties and most important things in carving a nice pattern is the drawing part.

The smooth, decreasing radius and blending arcs are especially hard for some folks.

Before starting on the actual carving get some very soft lead pencils and a bunch of good erasers.

Draw the pattern and then look at it. Erase the parts that don't blend or look out of place or scale and redraw them.
Before accepting your drawing, stand back away from it and look again.
Often what looks good up close just won't seem to fit or be right when viewed from a distance.

The use of some "French Curves", plastic templates that have constantly changing curves are very handy when doing this drawing.
Most art stores and places like Staples office hardware stores will carry some of these.
If you've got the money, a Ellipse Template from a Drafting Supply store is an excellent thing to have. It will have many different "egg" shaped holes in it of different sizes and shapes and using these can make all the difference in how nicely the drawing will turn out.

If your using an Ellipse Template with many "angles" and holes for each angle try using the large 'egg' for about 1/4 of the curve. Then, using the same 'angle' move to a smaller hole.

By repeating this, using a smaller hole for each quarter of the curve you can make a decreasing elliptical spiral very similar to the originals.

If your like me, plan on doing a lot of erasing. :rotf:

 

[Birddog6]

I had one on the work bench for 6 mo one time getting Just the drawings right on the rifle. Do not let them go as "That is OK, I will fix it when I carve it"......

Get it right, look at it over & over & over... If you are not sure, it is not right....... Don't Carve It..... :shake: have others look at it & suggest, etc. Sometimes you look over the obvious & then ya carve it & WHAM........ it is looking ya right in the face & now ya have to fix it....... :shake: Take yer time.......

:thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

 

[dyemaker]

Ive seen drawings for sale from The Rifle Shoppe, DGW, TOTW, ...etc. They shouldnt be that hard to find. A book of carving or engraving patterns shouldnt be hard to find either.

 

[Zonie]

IMO, the Best books are those that show original guns like Rifles of Colonial America and similar books.

Most of the modern books that I've seen are aimed at modern guns and the carving and engraving patterns in them may be wonderful for a Ruger #1 but they wouldn't be at all appropriate for a pre 1860 gun.

I know the owner was very proud of his work on a late period percussion half stock and I know he put a lot of time into it, but, to me a large antlered deer head staring at me just looked out of place on the side of his sidelock rifles stock. :hmm:

 

[Birddog6]

Oh yes.... Couldn't agree more. Finding something to carve is not a issue, lots of that stuff everywhere.
Finding the Correct carving for that particular rifle, style, etc....... now that can really be an issue at times.
I have spent week after week after week drawing on them, only to walk in one morning & look at it & erase it all & start over, cause it just didn't feel right when I looked at it.

Now I am not a expert carver by any form of the imagination, but I will say the most common errors I see a newbie carver is:

1: Errors in the drawing, caused errors in the carvings. Choppy curves, lines, things don't flow, etc.

2: Carving doesn't go with the rifle style, era, etc.

3: The carvings on the rifle don't go with each other. (Mixed styles or techniques). Cheekpiece doesn't go with entrypipe, another part doesn't go with that, etc.

4: Carving is too deep. Depth doesn't always mean definition. Proper technique & application means definition.

5: The builder is carving on a rifle before he has learned to properly build a rifle. IMHO, most will need to build a min. of 5 rifles before they attempt to do any carving at all. If they don't they basically learn to do poorly executed carving on a poorly built rifle.

I will take a clean built no flaws plain rifle any day over a lavishly carved poorly built rifle. :thumbsup:

My point is to "Learn to build a GOOD rifle First ", then learn to carve & engrave & take baby steps in the latter two. It is just like a good house, the durability of it, quality & safety of it is in the foundation, not the stain & trim on it........... Build it correctly, then learn to trim it up.

Learning to carve on Old clunker gunstocks & scrap wood is the place to start, as originally posted. I see old buttstocks from shotguns at the gun shows all the time for $5. Great piece to learn on & really reasonable, usually hard & proper wood, just a good place to start, IMHO.

:thumbsup:

Keith Lisle