Author Topic: Kibler on the Blog  (Read 21444 times)

Offline cmac

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Kibler on the Blog
« on: June 11, 2014, 02:27:15 PM »
 Wow!!! What a beautiful piece! I love the carving! Outstanding work Jim.  http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/
« Last Edit: June 11, 2014, 02:28:31 PM by cmac »

Offline PPatch

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2014, 02:56:25 PM »
A Tour De Force indeed. The architecture pushes you along to witness each detail of the superb inletting and carving. A beautiful gunne Jim. Jan did a great job with the photography too.

Details please.

dp
Dave Parks   /   Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Offline elk killer

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2014, 03:00:17 PM »
i second the details..
very very nice piece
only flintlocks remain interesting..

Offline bama

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2014, 03:13:06 PM »
I have had the pleasure of knowing Jim for a number of years now. From the first time I met Jim I liked him, my thoughts were that here is a very talented young man that is honest and hard working and I also thought that he would be a standout builder. That was probably 10 or so years ago and my thoughts have been confirmed.

I have watched Jim mature as a builder, he is no longer the apprentice and hasn't been for a while. Jim is now a Master and one to be watched for he is going to set the standard for years to come.

Great job Jim
Jim Parker

"An Honest Man is worth his weight in Gold"

Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2014, 03:28:45 PM »
 How can it get any better?

    Tim C.

Offline Robby

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2014, 04:30:43 PM »
Design and execution are just beautiful!!! Some of the most flawless incise carving I have ever seen!!! Yeowee!!!!!
Robby
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Offline Robby

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2014, 04:30:58 PM »
Why, I was so excited, I double posted! I don't know how, but I did. ???
Robby
« Last Edit: June 11, 2014, 04:33:07 PM by Robby »
molon labe
We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. A. Lincoln

Offline C Wallingford

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2014, 07:04:33 PM »
Great job Jim. I would have to say you have raised the bar, again!

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2014, 07:07:42 PM »
Remarkable!  I love it all, but the way the caving along the wrist resembles good engraving - the cuts don't need to join to imply the design.  Very tasty stuff. 
D. Taylor Sapergia
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Art is not an object.  It is the excitement inspired by the object.

Offline wpalongrifle

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #9 on: June 11, 2014, 08:16:08 PM »
Great Carving!!! Very Nice.
mike karkalla
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North American Order of the Beaver
mkarkalla.blogspot.com

Offline Long Ears

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2014, 11:48:03 PM »
Fantastic Jim, I give up.  :'(

Offline Tom Currie

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2014, 01:54:47 AM »
Sort of a " school" all by himself. I am always amazed at the level of design and execution. 

Offline wattlebuster

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #12 on: June 12, 2014, 03:56:10 AM »
The mans work is amazing to say the least.  :o
Nothing beats the feel of a handmade southern iron mounted flintlock on a cold frosty morning

Offline J. Talbert

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #13 on: June 12, 2014, 05:56:56 PM »
Another fine piece Jim.  You've definitely carved out your own niche. 

Like em all!

Jeff
There are no solutions.  There are only trade-offs.”
Thomas Sowell

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #14 on: June 13, 2014, 12:39:59 AM »
PDC! (pretty !@*%&@ cool!)
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline Acer Saccharum

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #15 on: June 13, 2014, 04:49:05 AM »
That is quite a piece of work, poetry. Clean and pure design work. Love it.
Tom Curran's web site : http://monstermachineshop.net
Ramrod scrapers are all sold out.

Offline Jim Kibler

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #16 on: June 14, 2014, 04:14:25 PM »
Thanks everybody.  I was pretty happy with how this one turned out.  Doesn't happen all the time.  If you have any particular questions, just ask. 

Jim

Online davec2

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #17 on: June 14, 2014, 05:58:52 PM »
Jim,

I can't add any more accolades to what the others have written.  There are many, in fact most, original rifles that I appreciate greatly for what they are and for who made them, but they almost always leave my artistic eye, what I have of one, a little... flat...for want of a better term.  There are many elements of any given rifle that I like, but there are almost no rifles that I can look at and say, wow, there is a rifle that I like everything about, the architecture, the engraving, the carving...everything.  And, unfortunately for my own building attempts, I can't explain it.  It's a lot like to trying to explain to someone why you think a woman is pretty.  There are the obvious attributes, but the undefinable subtleties are often the most important.  While there are many builders who like to make bench copies of originals, I would like to make, insofar as my talent would allow, a bench copy of a Kibler...and this one is a great candidate....As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Perhaps I missed them, but I have seen no specifics on this rifle either here or on the Makers Blog...caliber, barrel length, lock type, how you finished the metal and wood, etc.  Can you fill us in on those details?

And Thanks...for building the rifle in the first place and for sharing it with all of us.

Dave C
"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline Mike Gahagan

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #18 on: June 15, 2014, 03:59:29 AM »
Pure perfection...Another great one Jim!!

Offline Jim Kibler

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #19 on: June 15, 2014, 04:33:07 PM »
Thanks again guys.  It's always a goal to create a gun that works well together as a whole, but sometimes it works out better than others.  A few specifics about the rifle... 

-  54 caliber
-  43" barrel based on the "Woodsrunner" profile (1.1" breech, waist diameter .750")
-  Lock is a Chambers round faced English
-  largely contemporary in design, though most elemets have a historical basis
-  Primarily scraped and burnished finish
-  Stained with iron nitrate (aquafortis), selective darkening with bone black, finished with Tried and True oil varnish
-  Don't recall about the metal, but it was probably rusted a bit, then this was scrubbed off and darkened with some brass darkening solution.

Dave,

If you would like to make a copy of a gun sometime, I would take it as a compliment.  With this approach, it can be a good thing.   

I know I was a little brief about things, but just ask if you are interested in anymore specifics. 

Jim


Online davec2

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #20 on: June 15, 2014, 10:25:45 PM »
Jim,

I have a blank maple stock that I have already inlet a swamped, .50 caliber, 42 inch Rice barrel into.  The breech is only 1.0 inches but the waist is very close to .750".  I think it might work but I know enough to know that subtle differences will effect the overall rifle.  I am not savvy enough to know if the extra inch of barrel length and 0.1 inches of breech width will compromise the lines of my attempt at a copy. ?

And, to save me comparing pictures and catalogs, are the trigger and brass parts commercially available (i.e. trigger guard, butt plate, RR pipes, etc.) ?

Thanks

Dave C
« Last Edit: June 15, 2014, 10:27:28 PM by davec2 »
"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline Jim Kibler

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #21 on: June 16, 2014, 12:45:35 AM »
Hey Dave.  The butplate and trigger guard came from Reaves Goehring.  I did re-shape each of them little, though.  The butplate is #34 and the guard is #40.  All the other brass parts I made from sheet.  If it were me, I would use a barrel with a little bigger breech than 1".  The barrel I used came from Ed Rayl.  There would probably be a considerable wait for one.  The closest commercial barrel would be a Rice, Reading profile barrel.  These are offered with breeches of 1 1/16" or 1 1/8".  Either of these sizes would be okay.  I'm not sure when they will come around in their production schedule again.  One key in getting a stock shape similar to this is the web thickness.  I basically keep the web at the entry pipe and muzzle about 1/8".  In order for the ramrod drill to not enter (or come very close to entering) the barrel channel with a groove positioned like this, I bow the stock just a touch while drilling.  I can explain a bit more about this later if you would like.   Hope this helps.  Any more questions, just ask!


Online davec2

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #22 on: June 16, 2014, 05:07:21 AM »
Jim,

Thanks for the additional information.  I happen to have one of Reaves's #40 trigger guards and One of the Chamber's locks.  Im poking around now for a better barrel.  I will contact you again when I start in on this.  I try to keep the web at 1/8 inch or even a little less ( ~0.100) but I had not ever bowed the stock to drill the ram rod hole.  I may need to talk to you about that a little more when I get that far.

Thanks again.

Dave C
"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline KLMoors

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #23 on: June 16, 2014, 10:01:31 PM »
Amazing work Jim. That is a real signature piece.

Offline J. Talbert

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Re: Kibler on the Blog
« Reply #24 on: June 17, 2014, 06:02:23 AM »
Jim,
I'm currently working on a gun using the scraping and burnishing finishing method.  I've never used this method without some amount of sanding and grain raising.
Can you elaborate on the steps of your process?

Thanks,
Jeff
There are no solutions.  There are only trade-offs.”
Thomas Sowell