Twigg lock engraving???

[Justin Urbantas]

So, I am almost finished a blunderbuss I've been building with a Davis Twigg lock. I am looking for examples you folks might have of this lock engraved. I'd  like to see what engraving patterns you used. I'm not great yet, but I'd like to spruce it up a bit. Thanks guys.

[hen]

Great British Gunmakers 1740-1790 by Neal and Back contains many examples of Twigg firearms, superbly photographed. Note also the significant differences between Twigg flint cocks and the one on the reproduction Twigg lock.

[smart dog]

Hi,
You really need to see examples in Great British Gunmakers.  Twigg usually did not have his locks engraved very much. He had his name in script or block letters under the pan and in front of the cock, and often just a few decorative notches in the top of the plate behind the pan.  The engraving on the lock below is appropriate for a Twigg lock.



Although the locks were not elaborately engraved, the barrel tangs, rear ramrod thimble, butt plate, and trigger guard were more extensively engraved. That said, Twigg appeared to be more restrained than many of his contemporaries.  The photo below shows engraving similar to that found on the standing breeches of guns by Twigg:



The photo below shows an English rose motif often seen on the trigger guards of guns by Twigg.



dave

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Justin:  you really must invest in John Schipper's book "Historical Firearms Engraving".  Totally inspiring.

[Carl Young]

Here is a Davis Twigg lock on a rifle by Ken Moors http://klmoorsflintlocks.blogspot.com/ that I really admire. -Carl

[Justin Urbantas]

Thanks guys. I like the pictures you shared. Now I need to figure out how to get a copy of Great British Gunmakers.  I did get Shipper's book when it was on sale for $100, Taylor. It is pretty amazing. There is a lot there to digest. The pictures are fantastically detailed.  There was only one Twigg lock engraved in it though. It's a little intimidating how much engraving he does on a gun. I'll start basic and work my way there. I love English guns, but they look much harder to engrave than simple American guns.

[smart dog]

Hi Justin,
Examples in Schipper's book tend to be more ornate than actually found on most British guns.  Of course, there are always rare exceptions and profusely engraved British guns are known but not typical.   John's engraving instructions are wonderfully helpful but I borrow designs from his book very sparingly.  Also, based on my examinations of original British guns from that period (photos, museum specimens, and originals in the hand), there are several distinct differences in style.  Schipper often uses rounded volutes in a Germanic way with simple round ends.  Volutes on British guns usually end in fingered leaves or are divided in ways suggesting separate lobes or leaves.  Schipper and most modern engravers shade with very fine parallel and cross hatched lines.  Deeper relief is suggested by more lines.  On British guns deeper relief is suggested by much deeper lines not necessarily more lines. Moreover, it appears to me that they made much more use of round bottomed gravers to cut deep shading than you see on modern interpretations. Finally, the engraving in Schipper's book is mostly higher in quality than you usually find on original guns.

dave         

[Justin Urbantas]

Does the Great British gunmakers book only cover guns built before 1740? That is quite a bit earlier than any guns we build here. Is the engraving in it applicable to later guns?

[hen]

Justin--note my earlier post where I referred to 'Great British Gunmakers 1740-1790'. Neal and back also produced an ealier period book, covering, amongst others, William Baile.

[smart dog]

Hi,
Neal and Back's "Great British Gunmakers" series includes 3 books. "GBG 1740-1790: the History of John Twigg and the Packington Guns", "GBG 1740-1790: Messrs Griffin and Tow, and W. Bailes", and "GBG 1540-1740".  The lock on your gun, with its roller frizzen, is from the 1770-1790 era. The first book I mentioned is probably the best resource for you.  I tend to focus on British guns from the 1740-1770 period so the second book by Neal and Back I listed is my best resource, although the Twigg book is also helpful.  As I move back in time to the era of Dolep, Reynold, Truelock, and Barnes, the last book I listed is my best resource.  Neal and Back also wrote 2 books on the Manton family of gunsmiths, another on Forsyth and the percussion revolution, and finally a book on British gun cases and trade labels.  All together, those books comprise perhaps the most comprehensive survey of British gun making during 1540-1840. If you add John Burgoyne's book on Queen Anne pistols, Norman Dixon's on Georgian pistols, and Atkinson's on British dueling pistols, you will have a pretty comprehensive library on British firearms.  The emphasis is on sporting guns and books by other authors like Bailey, Blackmore, and Goldstein cover British military firearms.

dave     

[KLMoors]

Here is a Davis Twigg lock on a rifle by Ken Moors http://klmoorsflintlocks.blogspot.com/ that I really admire. -Carl

Thanks Carl!

Justin, I got my British Gunmaker's book from Abe Books.  The book I got was in a bookstore in Germany and it took a few weeks to arrive.  I think I paid $100 - 150 or something like that.  This was several years ago. 

[Justin Urbantas]

Oh that makes more sense. The one I saw for sale was the 1540-1740 book. I don't think I can even find a lock thats that early.

[Bob Roller]

There was another smaller,round tail Twigg lock that I made in the early 1960's.
I had to stop making it because the frizzen mould was redone and the foot of the
frizzen where the pivot screw goes thru was reduced to the point of being useless.
I made 14 of the Davis Twiggs a few years ago and I think the last one went to South
Africa. The plate and cock for the smaller Twigg may be available from Jerry Devuadreuil
in Wooster Ohio but there will have to be another frizzen found that can be used.

Bob Roller