My newest build.....heavily aged

[conquerordie]

Hello All,

     I have for your viewing and critique my latest build from a plank. It is a NE long fowler based off of NE15 in Grinslade's book. I also took aspects from the Roger Lewis fowler.  Some specs: Barrel is made by Dan Fruth and is 55'' long and 20 gauge. 1 1/8'' at the breech and 3/4'' at the muzzle.  It makes for a very nice pointing gun. It is a beautiful barrel.  Barrel and ramrod channel by Mark Wheland. The stock is American walnut and was also supplied by Dan.  The lock is Dutch that I built from a TRS kit, slightly modified.  The triggerguard is a French fusil guard that has been modified.  The buttplate, sideplate, and thimbles we are made by me from scrap sheet brass from a ca. 1790 British trade kettle.  So I incorporated actual 18th century brass into the build. The gun weighs in at just under 9 pounds, I was shooting for 8 like the original. 
     As you'll see, it's heavily aged.  I built this fowler to represent a gun from ca 1770 that has been hanging around a house in Massachusettes since its creation.  I wanted a gun that when I look at it hanging on my wall, my mind's eye will see a gun that was used in the Battles of Lexington and Concord.  April 19th 1775 is my favorite day in history, and one that I feel is not remembered enough by Americans.  Feel free to comment, critique, or ask questions.  Thanks for looking,
Greg

[PPatch]

Greg; Love that butt shape, you took it all the way. Looks like a great deal of thought and work went into your fowler, the architecture flows throughout and inletting tops. Good job!

The white sheet is throwing the camera sensor off, a blue or middle gray background would likely work better.

dave

[n stephenson]

Very Cool!!! I really like this piece.   Thanks for posting. Nate

[yip]

Conquerordie need more info on the maker of your barrel. please reply..........yip

[conquerordie]

Dave,
These pics do look worse now that I see them on the screen.  Here's a couple just out on the grass.  The colors on the stock are much more visible.  Yip I'll get Dan's info and send it to you when I get home.





Greg

[WadePatton]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.  I cannot critique the style but do much like your finish work. 

And yes, white is a background only for expert photogs, but not us amateurs. 

[Chowmi]

Greg,
That's a nice fowler, I really like the curve of the bottom of the butt-stock. I dearly want to build a fowler of similar genre, representative of a gun my ancestors from Mass. might have carried during the rev war.

I'm about as far from an expert on fowlers as you can get, and not a great builder, but I will add a few comments since you asked. I happen to be looking over my current build with an eye towards graceful lines, so some of your build caught my eye.
I think you did a nice job on that lock.  The shape is pleasing to the eye with the curve on the bottom. I think the moulding around the lock panel could match the lock better. The nose moulding seems angular and contrived. I'm away from home and can't reference my copy of Grinslade's book, so if that is copied from an original, disregard.
I also think the moulding at the bottom of the lock where the lock plate curves up could/should follow the lock plate and maintain a consistent width. On yours it seems to widen as the lock plate narrows.
I also think that the sideplate could be more graceful. The curves at the tail are segmented instead of flowing. Similar thing around the rear lock bolt.

I happen to be smoothing out the background from my carving and moulding lines on my current build, so have given a lot of thought to that. I think you could feather out the background further and smoother around your forestock, and lock moulding.

If anything I have said is contrary to what is found on original fowlers, it is due to my lack of knowledge, so disregard.

I really like the gun you built and hope to build one someday, so these points are nit picky and happen to be what is on my mind right now.

Cheers,
Norm.

[Dan Fruth]

Greg.....You did a great job capturing the look of a 200+ year old piece....And I looked at #15 in Grinslade and looks like you spent time studying the original.....Kudos my friend....Dan

[smart dog]

Hi Greg,
I thought that gun was just hauled out of the barn or attic.  Nice job.

dave

[rich pierce]

Cool gun, looks realistic. How does that big Dutch lock work?  I've got the kit, have not assembled it yet.

[Tim Crosby]

 Great Gun, Great Look, Great Job, Believable! I have always liked the look, Love it.

  Tim C.

PS: 55" barrel, WOW!

[Joe S.]

Very nice,like the aged look you gave it,looks like it came off wall above Paws fireplace.

[oldtravler61]

  Greg no expert on fowlers either. That being said. Your gun I like very much. It shows a lot of character in the way you built it. Well done.  Oldtravler

[wattlebuster]

I like it. Got that warm look to it

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... GREAT JOB...... looks like it was there...... !!!

[BOB HILL]

Neat gun. Love the flowing lines. Looks believable.      Bob

[conquerordie]

Everyone,
Thank you for the comments and critiques.  To Answer some questions:
Rich- the lock works fine. A lot of tinkering to get it that way. TRS parts are known for that as you probably know. I have no proper size flints, they are on the way. My musket flints are too long.
Chowmi- thank you for the critique. Some of your concerns were do to my less than stellar photography. For instance, the lock panels re rounded in the front, not angular. But the ageing on the stock does make it appear that way because after the lock panel and moulding were carved, I pushed over all the sharp edges with the shank of a screwdriver. Kinda flattened it in a few places, giving it that look you described. The sideplate is a little wonky, but so is the original. Plus my lock is a little larger than the original so I had to slightly increase the size of it.
This might be a controversial comment, but I took the carving on the Roger Lewis fowler as a study. The carving is not exactly equal to the other side anywhere in this gun. So neither is mine. I free handed the carving to each side. They line up pretty good, but not perfect. So my moulding lines might wobble and the carving might not be dead equal all around the lockplate. To me, that's the draw to the originals. I wanted to get that correct look, which meant at times accepting a wobbly line or unequal moulding dimension.  That being said, I always have a desire to improve and will take yours and others advice on my next build.
I Apprecieate everyone's comments,
Greg

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Yeah, I like that. 

[Mike Brooks]

i like the overall appearance, gots a nice old timey look. but....there's always a but.... the lower line of the buttstock appears to have a "kink" in it.  the wrist line and the lower butt line don't flow properly.   also, the top of your buttplate needs to be much narrower.

[conquerordie]

Mike,
I don't mind the buts . Seriously,
The kink is due to the fact my triggerguard wouldn't bend the way I wanted, so I inletted it with a slight bend. So it's straighter than the lower curve of the stock. I dunno what that guard is made of, but Superman would have had a hard time bending it! Thank you for the input.
Greg

[Chowmi]

Chowmi- thank you for the critique. Some of your concerns were do to my less than stellar photography. For instance, the lock panels re rounded in the front, not angular. But the ageing on the stock does make it appear that way because after the lock panel and moulding were carved, I pushed over all the sharp edges with the shank of a screwdriver. Kinda flattened it in a few places, giving it that look you described. The sideplate is a little wonky, but so is the original. Plus my lock is a little larger than the original so I had to slightly increase the size of it.
Greg

Greg,
I just got home, and had been thinking about my comments since I left them.  It was perhaps unfair to comment without looking at the original first.
First thing I did after getting home was look at NE15 in Grinslade's book.  And, yup, of course, most of those things I commented on are in fact on the original.  Particularly the shape of the sideplate and the nose of the lock moulding.  I happily stand corrected.  That's a lesson learned for me. 

I hope I also got the message across that I really like your rendition of the gun.

Cheers,
Norm

[conquerordie]

Norm,
No worries, while you might not have understood why I made certain things the way I did until you saw the gun I used as an example, you still gave me sound advice. For that I thank you!
Greg

[KC]

I love that gun, it's a great stye. Well done.

[Mike Brooks]

The breech (back side)  of the barrel appears to sit quite a way from the wood. optical illusion? If not you need to get some bedding in behind there.

[conquerordie]

Mike and all,
I always say there's always room for bedding compound , but no, it's nicely up against wood. Not so much an optical illusion as my crappy pictures. I'm using a cellphone that's about 4 years old. Its the only camera I have, and photography is obviously not my strong point. Unfortunately I can not get a good pic that satisfies me. I'm glad people enjoy what they are seeing l though.
It's not perfect, but I'm more proud of this gun than any others because I feel I accomplished what I set out to do. Its a hard style to make, never worked on a gun sooooooo long, made the lock, all the furniture, forged a trigger, made use of scrapers more than normal, made a poor man's beading tool that I feels worked great, and tried so sorts of new things pertaining to ageing the gun. Again , I don't think it's showing in the pictures, but their bruising, scrapes, scratches, dings, carving rubbed back to almost nothing. I looked at a variety of originals, and study Mr. Kettenbergs awesome builds. Specifically his "Aresenal Rifle 1777". Love that gun.
Greg