decorated firearms

[lew wetzel]

as i sit here and look through one of my books"decorated firearms 1540-1870 by wallice gusler and james lavin.i am amazed at the level of skill it took to create these masterpieces....like the pair of flintlock pistols stocked in ivory with sculptured pommel in the shape of laured heads...or the sets of wender pistols...and of course the double barreled tube lock gun...i
  the reason i am bringing this up is i am buiulding my jeager rifle and really want to highly decorate this one..so i have been searching for inspiration and i have had this book for a while but never really looked at it till now...i have seen that level of quality on this site by a few of our peers.......i am not trying to out-do acers jeager...that is a tough act to follow..and he inspired me to start building mine since i have all the parts....what i am trying to say is i have been truly inspired to create a magnifisant work of art and hope the end result will stand the test of time as many of the pieces that have inspied me !!!!

[Tony Clark]

If your looking for more "jaeger" inspiration, are you familiar with the book Steinschloss-Jagerbuchsen ? I am not sure if Jim Chambers still has some available or not. Of the hundreds of firearms books I have studied, that perhaps was one which I found to be the most fascinating. Regards, TC

[Acer Saccharum]

Lew, the Steinscloss book is so worth having, because you get shots up close of details not normally found in other publications. The rear ramrod pipe, views of tang carving etc, in full color.

An older pub is: Dutch Firearms
another: Arms of the Hermitage

Thanks for not trying to out-do my jaeger, I would be very deflated indeed if you upstaged me.

[lew wetzel]

tom,the last time i had to reformat my computer after a nasty virius i lost the file you sent me...hessink!!! something like that....it had over 100 images of originals.lots of jeagers...
  i am starting this build with a blank and using a 62cal,35in long barrel..straight oct.all the furniture is from r.e davis...i want to do alot of wireinlay and maybe do some vines and leaves all over the complete stock with some carving and engraving....kind of like what i did to my hawk....but alot more of it....
  you dont have to worry about getting upstaged!!!!i have alot of guns yet to build to get where your at....but i think you will be surprised at the end result of this one and maybe even alittle impressed.....lol

[Acer Saccharum]

Lew, a little competition makes one work harder; I know it does for me.

I'm interested in seeing what you're going to build. Bring it on!

 

Tom

[lew wetzel]

well now,with an invitation like that  i am going to have to really bring it!!!!yes competition is good!!and does make one work harder and now you have made me hungry to achieve master-builder status and i am gunning for you acer,no pun intended.......
  no seriously,this one is going to be my canvas....and im going to  bring it big time!!!! 

[Jim Chambers]

We still have the books available.

[Tony Clark]

We still have the books available.

Jim, I never got a chance to thank you for making that book and its translation easily available to all of us. That book is one I can keep going back to again & again and never seem to tire of studying everything in it. Thank You! Regards, TC

[Z. Buck]

all i can say is , buy the book, it is amazing even for use as an inspiration for american rifles if you are into them, you can really see where certain styles came from, steinschloss jeagerbuschen is just an amazing book to look at, but if you need to go anywhere within a week of sitting down with it you had better set an alarm hours can be lost in that book in what seems like minutes

[James Rogers]

I am eagerly awaiting the fowling piece version!!!!

Jim, any word on it's availability time?

[lew wetzel]

i thought about that book,but all my money is tied up in bills and kids.plus i owe a buddy some money and have to pay him before i buy any more stuff.i have all the parts for this build and i have alot of books now to use a references.plus tom is so kind as to send me a copy of "hessinki"my computer gobbled it up last time it crashed and i didnt have it backed up on disk..
 plus who needs the book when ya got this for inspiration!!!

[M Tornichio]

The pictures are wonderful. I also recomend the english translation. It makes the book all the more interesting. Especially the beginning which has the descriptions for all the different processes for manufacturing a rifle back them. from barrel forging to flint knapping.
Marc

[Tony Clark]

The pictures are wonderful. I also recomend the english translation. It makes the book all the more interesting. Especially the beginning which has the descriptions for all the different processes for manufacturing a rifle back them. from barrel forging to flint knapping.
Marc

Yes, The quality of this book can't be overstated. I thought the half forged Damascus barrel in the beginning of the book was about the best example I have ever seen in regards to simply explaining that process. Many of these old guns show a degree of skill & level of commitment that is very rarely seen today in contemporary work. One contemporary maker who could do it, & do it well, was also illustrated in the book. Gotta love the pictures of Ron Ehlert with him at his workbench. Did you see the photo showing the breech end of the barrel and lock set which are all chiseled & relieved that he did? What a treasure! He truly was in a class by himself. If a person is going to look at contemporary work for "inspiration" he was one of the very few people whose work was able to rival the old masters, yet remain traditional.  Regards, TC

[Acer Saccharum]

I had written Ron about five years ago, and asked him if there were any good books out for the jaeger. He said, no, but one is going to come out within the year. And what a book, indeed. I was very saddened to have Ron pass, yet am happy (and inspired) to have seen some of his splendid work.

Tom

[Tony Clark]

I had written Ron about five years ago, and asked him if there were any good books out for the jaeger. He said, no, but one is going to come out within the year. And what a book, indeed. I was very saddened to have Ron pass, yet am happy (and inspired) to have seen some of his splendid work.

Tom

I wonder what ever happened to that barrel and lock he created that are pictured in the book. Wonder if they were ever stocked? If so I sure would like to see it. I was always amazed at his work, it was like he was on a different level. Everything was so clean...and "perfect". Great sense of humor to, loved how he wrote in German on the muzzle of his brass barreled Jaeger (also pictured in the book) "for black powder only"! Regards, TC

[lew wetzel]

i have come up with a jeager that i am closely following the shape and design of...and i am still exploring different decorating ideas...but i really like the shape of this one!!!!