AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: Curtis on November 12, 2021, 09:07:23 AM
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It has been a while since I have posted a build so I thought I would share the latest one. This rifle was a project I started in Jack Brooks class at NMLRA Gunsmithing Seminar three years ago, after which it spent a lot of time in the corner of the shop only to come out and get worked on between other builds. The rifle is a composite of elements I gleaned from several of my favorite Albright guns.
The barrel is a NOS Paris barrel in .45 cal. The triggers were handmade for the rifle and that process can been seen here: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=55027.0 (https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=55027.0) The trigger guard and butt-plate are Mike Brooks castings and were an absolute joy to work with. The remainder of the mountings were made in the shop by yours truly. The inlays are coin silver pounded out and cut to shape. The eagle cheek piece was made from a thin piece of sterling that I peened into a negative carved in scrap maple (repoussé?), then the backside of the eagle was filled with solder paste and the sterling was soldered to a .040 sheet of German silver. The star was then cut to shape with a jewelers saw and inlet. The rifle was finished in a quasi-aged mode but not abused. Anyway, enough rambling and here are some photos - questions and comments are welcome!
(https://i.ibb.co/Ky2VPQC/PB103137.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Jkvr1bX)
(https://i.ibb.co/mSCXjyk/PB103161.jpg) (https://ibb.co/SJXdjmb)
(https://i.ibb.co/VjXMZb9/PB103131.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0DPYS12)
(https://i.ibb.co/tMtzQh9/PB103135.jpg) (https://ibb.co/MD4fZhm)
(https://i.ibb.co/Wsm4xmF/PB103141.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4JhnmhM)
(https://i.ibb.co/PhpBFY7/PB103144.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gT1sm75)
(https://i.ibb.co/yWybqJY/PB103146.jpg) (https://ibb.co/865S9Vd)
(https://i.ibb.co/qr6nX1z/PB103147.jpg) (https://ibb.co/P6kY3CR)
(https://i.ibb.co/Fb1Fs91/PB103150.jpg) (https://ibb.co/MDHm8bH)
(https://i.ibb.co/rmH4F88/PB103152.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Y3hpPnn)
(https://i.ibb.co/Wfxbqff/PB103153.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pd0tGdd)
(https://i.ibb.co/3Mck5hk/PB103154.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gPJ6bg6)
(https://i.ibb.co/5LfsGF4/PB103155.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pd94byw)
(https://i.ibb.co/vwBP0WG/PB103159.jpg) (https://ibb.co/GxJ2zDL)
(https://i.ibb.co/ckFHzbc/PB103160.jpg) (https://ibb.co/PFhnBTZ)
(https://i.ibb.co/WvwFhWg/PB103166.jpg) (https://ibb.co/k2f07gQ)
(https://i.ibb.co/VvwF0M9/PB103167.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mHNnrhT)
(https://i.ibb.co/qnWk6Vx/PB103170.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LPJnKHv)
(https://i.ibb.co/Sd24pbk/PB103171.jpg) (https://ibb.co/VQdc8RF)
(https://i.ibb.co/N7ZFSmT/PB103172.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pnJ1yRh)
(https://i.ibb.co/Fb7mqbf/PB103175.jpg) (https://ibb.co/VWBJpWh)
(https://i.ibb.co/RgnmnS4/PB103176.jpg) (https://ibb.co/p1D8DPr)
(https://i.ibb.co/xh3NFD0/PB103177.jpg) (https://ibb.co/WnsLV6w)
(https://i.ibb.co/6PM7kYZ/PB103111.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Snj4zNx)
(https://i.ibb.co/0C7wBH8/PB103129.jpg) (https://ibb.co/N9v41cQ)
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Curtis
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Only thing to say is,, WOOW gorgeous,,
Thank you for sharing
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Superbly done. Neatly executed patch box design and installation, really like the return on the lid. There’s a lot of detail on this rifle gunne that would have been lost with fancy curl. Good choice going with less figure.
Thanks for being generous with the photos.
Regards,
Johnny
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Gotta be happy with that all day long.
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Beautiful work, love the carving and engraving. Thanks for posting the pictures.
Best regards
Rolf
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WOW..!!
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Hi Curtis, Having done a number of copies of H. Albright's work and having done some restoration on an original, I looked for a lot of details that are commonly missed. You have checked most all of the boxes, good job! The cheekpiece eagle (made by repose .20 thick silver) looks to be well done. Albright was a master at using a wide shader to do the long foliage elements. Getting the shader to cut a well defined consistent line down the center of a leaf is no easy task. You captured the graceful C scrolls and volutes that Albright was noted for. I like it very much. Ron
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Beautiful Curtis!! I love the shading in the carving and the eagle. Everything shows so well and creates the illusion of depth.
dave
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Well that is Inspirational! Congratulations indeed!
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Well done! Nice to see something a little different. Three years was worth the wait.
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Curtis
That rifle is a joy to look at.
You going to keep this one?
Fleener
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Dang nice rifle Curtis, very well done. I like it very much, sure wish you would bring to the Alabama show so I could roll it around. ;D
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Nifty , some might even say exceptional. The carving and engraving are great and the color is nice and warm. And of course the buttplate and trigger guard are perfect.😁
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That's is a swell rifle! Where did you hide the patchbox release? Love all the little details, thanks for sharing.
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I probably can't say anything that hasnt been already said but I like it. Nice crisp work with a real warm feeling.
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Curtis beautiful as always
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Cool rifle! Nothing run-of-the-mill about it. VERY distinctive.
Nice work Curtis.
Jeff
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I'm impressed at the balance you managed with such a variety of embellishments; it looks like there is little wasted space yet it doesn't look cluttered like most ottoman guns.
I'm jealous of how smooth and consistent that carving looks.
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Curtis - marvelous and the colour/contrasts - just wonderful.
I did notice the lands looked a little sharp.
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Really nicely made rifle Curtis. I got down to the toe plate images before I realized that the stock wasn't particularly curly...that says a lot for all the fine details that make this a splendid rifle. I'm curious too, about the patch box release....?
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Beautiful rifle 👍
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Wonderful Curtis! Probably a bad guess, but is the box release the top corner of the upper plate where it meets the buttplate?
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Absolutely delightful. What a treasure!
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Wow Curtis!! That is something special. Wonderful job!
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Really like your latest work. I can only see it on my Cell phone my Apple Laptop says it can't open it (the pics) because it's not secure. Not sure how to fix that yet. But from my little pics it sure looks great.
Most Excellent, Hank
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Outstanding. I like everything about it.
Bob
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Wow, thanks for all the nice comments guys! Your kind words are truly appreciated and I am deeply humbled!!
I forgot to mention earlier that the stock was stained with asphalt tar (like used to seal a basement wall) diluted in turpentine. The asphalt shows virtually every detail in the wood, whether you want it to or not! It really makes curl pop on a figured stock, and on this plain stock it gave the unique coloration I was shooting for. The finish was a couple of coats of LMF sealer, followed by many THIN coats of SB McWilliams Alkanet oil that I got from Ron Scott. I really like that stuff.
The stock wood was an incredibly hard plain maple blank that I picked up at Friendship about 12 years back for forty bucks.
Curtis
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Hi Curtis, Having done a number of copies of H. Albright's work and having done some restoration on an original, I looked for a lot of details that are commonly missed. You have checked most all of the boxes, good job! The cheekpiece eagle (made by repose .20 thick silver) looks to be well done. Albright was a master at using a wide shader to do the long foliage elements. Getting the shader to cut a well defined consistent line down the center of a leaf is no easy task. You captured the graceful C scrolls and volutes that Albright was noted for. I like it very much. Ron
Thanks Ron, that means a lot coming from you. Looking at the finished rifle I think I could have gotten a bit more aggressive with the engraving. The hardest thing for me to get a handle on was the wriggle engraving, believe it or not!
Here is a better pic of the eagle and the negative carved bird:
(https://i.ibb.co/BfRrNtz/OLYMPUS-DIGITAL-CAMERA.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Tw5bLkv)
(https://i.ibb.co/pwjNZrc/OLYMPUS-DIGITAL-CAMERA.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LRdB6hm)
Curtis
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Beautiful Curtis!! I love the shading in the carving and the eagle. Everything shows so well and creates the illusion of depth.
dave
Thanks Dave! The carving is really quite shallow, and I was hoping it would still pop.
Curtis
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Curtis
That rifle is a joy to look at.
You going to keep this one?
Fleener
Thanks Snapper! I think I will probably offer this one for sale after I sight it in. I really enjoy antique guns and by selling a couple of my guns here and there it gives me the funds to buy another antique to study etc.
Curtis
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That's is a swell rifle! Where did you hide the patchbox release? Love all the little details, thanks for sharing.
Ed and Taylor - Coopersdad got it right, the release is in the top corner of the upper plate where it meets the buttplate. Here is an original Albright patchbox and you can see where the wood has been worn over the years from by the sideplate.
(https://i.ibb.co/NsLCZhg/100-4325-LI.jpg) (https://ibb.co/G0Vpcwf)
(https://i.ibb.co/99jvZpx/100-4326-LI.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Z6CJ2fQ)
I relieved the wood under the corner about an inch or so, and the brass sideplate is it's own spring.
Curtis
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Really like your latest work. I can only see it on my Cell phone my Apple Laptop says it can't open it (the pics) because it's not secure. Not sure how to fix that yet. But from my little pics it sure looks great.
Most Excellent, Hank
Glad you like it Hank, I will send you the pics in an email and hopefully you can view them there.
Curtis
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Wow, like the rest said! A lot of very nice details that all work well together.
A very likeable rifle for sure!
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Great rifle Curtis. Outstanding work.
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H. Albright is my favorite gunsmith and you did perfectly in building a rifle that looks like something he would have done, great job. Al
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Superbly done, you really captured the Henry Albright style and quality
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Great looking piece, Curtis!! Love the side plate! Best,
Ed
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Sorry guys, deer season started Saturday here in Missouri and have been hunting and processing deer the past couple of days.
Henry Albright is one of my favorite gun makers as well, and I am glad to hear that I have done his style some justice!
Ed, that was an Alrbright side plate style I really like, I combined features from a couple I had photos from and kinda winged it.
Thanks everyone,
Curtis
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Hi Curtis, Here are a couple of photos of the eagle and patchbox of a Henry Albright I worked on in 2013. The eagle was made from .020 thick silver. I like you made my form from wood, but I wonder it Albright used something else. The patchbox photo shows the use of the shader,
All the best Ron
(https://i.ibb.co/L6bjL1b/080450.jpg) (https://ibb.co/K7R4MWR)
(https://i.ibb.co/j39qMQv/080636.jpg) (https://ibb.co/DwPmCvD)
maths question paper typing software (https://usefulwebtool.com/math-keyboard)
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Beautiful rifle, Outstanding design and workmanship.
Tim
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Thanks Tim, and also thanks for the excellent photos and the info, Ron!!
Curtis
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really like that, Curtis. You've done a marvelous job on it; everything is pert near perfect!
And it does look like it came off Albright's workbench. I always wonder who would be the buyer of something like this, back in the day. Someone who truly has a love for fire arms.
Thanks for show it, and for mentioning the finish technique.
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EXCELLANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Beautiful craftsmanship. Really nice work. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Ken