CArving design help?

[Bigmon]

I have my Kibler Colonial about ready for carving.  I want to keep as correct as possible to the era / style of the gun, and simple in keeping with my carving abilities.
I do not have access to all the LR books everyone keeps referanceing, but I do have the internet.
I would appreciate knowing where I can find some examples on-line, or photos of appropriate carving.
I know that this gun is not of any specific gun, yet I believe it is of the pre-rev period, and Virginia, or Southern area? I do not want to go over board, yet I don't want it plain either.
For instance, would the moulding be just a back cut line, or a con-cave fancier type.  I have done both before with some success.  My biggest problems are at the tang.
Thanks for any help in advance

[smylee grouch]

Your fore stock and lower but stock molding could be as simple as a incised cut line dressed up with a single cut checkering tool, this would look good and isn't that hard to do.

[kentuckyrifleman]

I'm sure a more knowledgeable user will be along shortly, but I would just look at the different makers' webites for examples of wood-patchox rifles with subdued styles and see what you like. Maybe some of Bivins' rifles?

[tiswell]

I am in the process of carving mine at this time. Although I have a few books, I looked at makers websites for inspiration. Jim Kibler, Clay Smith, Tim Williams, Mike Miller, Lowell Harrer's websites all have good images to reference.

                                                                                                                                              Good Luck, Bill

[RockLock92]

Jim Kibler’s main website has a gallery of pieces he’s built. Maybe take a gander over there and see if you can’t find some inspiration?

https://www.jimkibler.net/jims-custom-work.html

I personally think that the colonial kit looks  architecturally an awful lot like rifle #4

[Bigmon]

Thanks guys,  I am finding some ideas I like at various sights on-line.  I just don't want to get something out of the correct style / era for the gun. Thanks to all

[KILTED COWBOY]

I second rocklock's recco. I  also have a Kibler colonial on order and found his photos of his builds helpful in giving me some ideas.
Still not sure if I will have the talent to carve, so this first one may be a plain and simple one without much embellishments which I understand would still be correct for the period.
I think some folks on the frontier did not have a lot of craving and some probably had none.
Not an expert by any means but this forum has inspired me to do a lot of reading and learning.
If wrong I do not mind corrective criticism

[Scota4570]

Jim Kibler sells a carving practice kit.  IT includes a scrap stock, a tutorial book, and a nice butstock scroll pattern to copy.  I got some maple from the home center and did the pattern four times.  After I messed it up a couple of times I begin to understand the best order of operations.  I made photo copies of the pattern and transferred it with carbon paper.  I then did two rifles.  The practice kit is well worth the price.     

[Craig Wilcox]

If you use Jim's practice stock, you will have a big advantage:  If you don't like the carving, do as Mike Brooks says and rasp it all off, start again.  You are only carving about 1/16" deep, so you do have room for several tries.

[Mike Lyons]

The experts will have to answer your question about it being southern or Virginia area.  That doesn’t sound right to me for a Kibler colonial but others will know.  The Kibler carving kit would be my first choice if I were wanting to learn to carve the buttstock of a colonial.  They give classes on this stuff too. Taking a class is another option.  Some of the best advice I’ve received is to study proper design and to draw the design exactly like you want it before you make any cuts. After drawing the design on the stock,  you might want to look at it for a few days until you tweek it just right. 

[smart dog]

Hi,
Perhaps it is best to just ask Jim what school or styles inspired his rifle.  He used that architecture on some of his custom guns and it is very recognizable as his product.  My eye tells me it was influenced by English fowlers based on how the wrist pinches at the nose of the comb, the big lock area and round-faced lock, the way the forestock tapers upward from the trigger to the rear ramrod pipe.  The butt stock reminds me a little of some early George Schroyers.  I suppose any carving inspired by early Pennsylvanian or northern Virginia guns would look just fine. 

dave

[M. E. Pering]

My apologies for sounding simplistic in this post, but it really is simplistic.  My very first rifle I made I had never had any carving experience, so I thought I would try to practice it first.  I took a piece of maple I had cut off of the stock, and drew at the time what I thought was a simple design, and started carving.  Having never tried this before, I impressed myself with the results, but was not satisfied with them.  So I got another chunk, and did it again with a slightly different design, and it was quite a bit better, but not satisfactory for me.  Had I visualized it wrong?  No.  Was my design wrong?  No.  Was my carving poor?  Yes.  Then I got another slice of maple and started to draw...

It was then I tossed the practice blank to the side and drew my final design on the gunstock.  I then started to slowly start, taking away what would be the lowest areas first, not going to full depth with my first pass.  I figured it is better to creep up on it than to regret taking too much.  It took me a couple of weeks to do, but I did it, and it came out pretty good.  I still have that rifle hidden in a dark corner of my dungeon.

Our first attempts are never our best work.  Our second attempts are rarely much better.  But if we are going to get good at anything, we have to practice at least a little.  If I practice the violin for an hour a day, I should be acceptable in a couple of years.  Maybe in five years people would like to hear me scratch out a tune.  It is no different than carving, really.  Learn the wood in your stock... Learn how it's grain changes.  Learn to make razor-sharp chisels to handle that wood.  Then carve it.

Matt

[Craig Wilcox]

Matt, you are a GREAT educator!  I think you must have coined that phrase, "If at first you don't succeed, then try, try again."
Doctors and lawyers "practice" their trade - and we builders of longrifles can only do the same:  Practice!