Gun Building Class with Ian Pratt and Ken Gahagan

[Ian Pratt]

Ken Gahagan and I will be teaching the Gunmakers' Workshop at Canter's Cave this upcoming January. Starting with a barrel inlet in a blank and a selection of parts, Ken and I will help you design and build your very own flintlock gun. In addition to assisting you with "hands on" work, Ken and I each have several demonstrations planned covering parts fabrication, forging and a variety of gun making tools and techniques.
   
This year we will be focusing on early pieces based on the concept of a "composite gun". These were very interesting pieces that were typically made using salvaged or recycled parts from earlier guns. Here are two of them made by Ken Gahagan - the first one is a copy of an original in the Dewitt at Colonial Williamsburg, also shown in the book "Of Sorts for Provincials"by Jim Mullins : 
     







This is one I made using a barrel cut at the breech and a mix of parts -  based more on the idea of a composite gun than on an existing original :






We currently have a couple openings for new students in the week 1 class . Beginners are welcome - a little gun building (or kit assembly) experience is helpful, but is not required. Also, due to a cancellation we have one spot available in the week 2 class ( students should have some prior gun building experience for the week 2 session).

More information is available on the Southern Ohio Artisan Workshops website  -  http://www.southernohioartisanworkshops.com/gunmakers.html

A few shots from previous classes  - 

 

[rich pierce]

Mercy, that's tempting.

[SingleMalt]

Mercy, that's tempting.

It sure is.

[oldtravler61]

  Second that...Maybe if I'm extra nice...the boss will let me...Oldtravler

[Ian Pratt]

Hey, you guys oughta carpool

[Robert Wolfe]

I sent an email to Maryellen about signing up. What (if any) is the difference between week 1 and week 2?

[Ian Pratt]

The main difference this year is that the week 2 session might be a bit much for beginners. This doesn't mean week 1 is strictly a beginners only class - in week 1 we have people who have never built a gun and are starting from square one, and also people who have built a few and are looking to learn new techniques.
       

[Ian Pratt]

Update - Week 2 has filled. Week 1 (Jan 13 -19, 2018) has 2 spots available.

Since the first post I have talked with a few guys who were concerned about planning and getting parts for their their potential projects. Ken and I are happy to help with this. Here is a copy of an email we'd sent with some general info -

This January the project for those starting on a new gun will be a colonial era flintlock "composite gun". These guns were often built with parts saved from earlier guns. We are not necessarily copying one particular piece, and it can be a lot of fun planning your project to create something new that would still fit the style. Ken and I are happy to assist with the planning stages. We have several patterns for this kind of gun and we can give guidance for parts selection.

There will be a lot of options for this build to make it suit your needs and preferences. Many guns of this type were smoothbore guns, but you have the option to build it as a rifle. We will be building our guns using mostly hand tools, starting with a barrel inlet in a stock blank and a selection of parts.   

Apart from giving hands on instruction, Ken and I will also do several demonstrations throughout the week. Also usually one evening mid week we all head over to Larry Zorne's "Mold and Gun Shop" just a few miles away. This is where the molds for all of the RE Davis and M&G locks are made. Always an interesting visit.   

Some basic info  - everybody in the class stays at Canter's Cave for the week and our meals are prepared for us. Canter's Cave is a busy place for most of the year, but in January there is not much else going on up there and the place is pretty quiet. It's in a secluded location to begin with, so there are minimal distractions. Working hours are very flexible. On the Saturday and Sunday right after the last day of week 1, there is an 18th century trade fair in the multipurpose building on the grounds. Some of the week 1 guys stay an extra night so they can attend.
 
The cost advertised on the website is the total cost of the class as far as deposit, class / instructor fees plus meals and lodging.  The cost of your gun parts and tools is not included. The cost of parts would be $600 at a minimum and generally averages a bit higher than that.

The price of stock wood is the biggest variable. We encourage beginners to stick with a good quality yet less expensive piece for their first build (can help you there if needed) and also encourage a simplified project - the goal here is not to have you build a lower grade gun, it's to make sure we can teach you as many of the fundamentals as we possibly can in the week we'd be working together. So on this simpler project, the focus is on achieving great architecture and function through proper construction techniques. The more non essentials we can eliminate, the more critical points can be finished in class.

Another possible cost is barrel inletting unless you opt to do this yourself. In this class we stock a gun from a blank. The barrel must be inlet and ramrod hole drilled beforehand, and there are several places we recommend that offer this service. By the time you pay shipping this will typically cost a bit over $100. To most this is well worth the price. You get a perfect inlet and as a beginner you'd avoid days of work. 



If anybody has questions you can ask right here or send me a PM. More info on the Southern Ohio Artisan Workshops website at http://www.southernohioartisanworkshops.com/gunmakers.html