Author Topic: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!  (Read 14099 times)

Offline Dr. Tim-Boone

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #25 on: December 19, 2015, 02:18:27 PM »
Very nice work and a fine piece of American Art!!  Great feel to the look. And I love that she is such a skinny lady!!
De Oppresso Liber
Marietta, GA

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Offline Bill Ladd

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #26 on: December 19, 2015, 03:58:50 PM »
That's great! Thanks for sharing it.

JCurtiss

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #27 on: December 19, 2015, 04:14:25 PM »
Beautiful craftsmanship!   

Offline BOB HILL

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #28 on: December 19, 2015, 04:44:16 PM »
Such a graceful style and beautifully exicuted. Thanks for sharing.........Bob
South Carolina Lowcountry

Offline GANGGREEN

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #29 on: December 19, 2015, 07:27:37 PM »
I love the incise carving too.  I've been too chicken to try any real relief carving on any of my rifles and maybe I'll try this one one.  Very, very nice.

Offline t.caster

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #30 on: December 19, 2015, 07:38:01 PM »
Very well done version. Enjoyable to look at. Thanks for posting it.
Tom C.

Hemo

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #31 on: December 19, 2015, 07:49:08 PM »
Thanks to all for your responses!
Yes, I did see that nasty orange spot inside the muzzle and took care of it. No harm done!
Here are a couple of more pics:



There was no engraving at all on the original gun, though there was a little decorative file work. I felt obligated to sign and date the gun, though. The end of the ramrod is tipped with a handmade sheet steel cone, the seam closed by brazing, and tapped to 10-32.
[

The nose of the Chambers Golden Age lock is tipped slightly down in relation to the barrel, proper for a Lehigh gun. Touchhole was coned internally with Tom Snyder's coning tool. No vent liner.

Patchbox interior, showing handmade steel spring. (On about the fifth attempt, I got it right.)

]

Again, thanks for your feedback! Special thanks to Jim Kibler and Mark Silver, my mentors at the Bowling Green gunmaking seminars, and to Eric Von Ashwege who talked to me at length about Lehigh guns and demonstrated the Violin varnish technique at Dixon's this year.

Gregg


Offline Kermit

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #32 on: December 19, 2015, 08:19:50 PM »
Love incise carving and OTR barrels. OTRs can make very light guns.
"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly." Mae West

Boompa

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #33 on: December 19, 2015, 08:28:33 PM »
great looking gun.   

Offline Arcturus

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #34 on: December 19, 2015, 08:34:21 PM »
Beautiful job.  I usually prefer relief carving to incised, but here it is perfect and your execution is wonderful.  Great rifle and one to be proud of!
Jerry

Thawk

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #35 on: December 21, 2015, 09:44:42 PM »
I love it.  Very nice.

Offline smylee grouch

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #36 on: December 21, 2015, 09:58:33 PM »
You have a very nice gun and your engraved signature and date look to be very well done too.

Hemo

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #37 on: December 21, 2015, 09:58:56 PM »
Thanks again, all, for your additional responses!
In looking at my original post, I see a number of the pictures are now missing, as I compiled them in a different photobucket album last night. If anyone would like to see the album, here is the link:
http://s1242.photobucket.com/user/hemorad/library/2015%20J%20Rupp%20Lehigh%20valley%20rifle%20by%20GGBJ


Gregg

Offline E.vonAschwege

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #38 on: December 21, 2015, 10:17:52 PM »
Nice work Greg!  As others have said, you did a very nice job capturing the look and feel of a Lehigh rifle.  Nice slim lock panels, and the octagon to round barrel also helps with the sleek look.  I'm glad the red varnish tutorial was helpful - I'd say next time don't hesitate to let it build a bit on the surface to give an even deeper appearance (of course, also being careful to keep it out of the carving - always tricky with incised work)  Thanks for sharing!
-Eric

Former Gunsmith, Colonial Williamsburg www.vonaschwegeflintlocks.com

Offline KC

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #39 on: December 21, 2015, 10:40:36 PM »
Very well done, I like the finish. I also like the slimness of the stock. It seems like many leave a little too much wood and they end up looking kind of bulky. Definitely not the case here. Remember to post how it shoots.
K.C. Clem
Bradenton, FL

Offline Curtis

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #40 on: December 21, 2015, 11:24:00 PM »
Greg, the rifle tuned out great, very nice job with the carving, inletting and the architecture as well!
Glad to see it finished!


Curtis
Curtis Allinson
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Sometimes, late at night when I am alone in the inner sanctum of my workshop and no one else can see, I sand things using only my fingers for backing

Hemo

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #41 on: December 22, 2015, 12:07:34 AM »
Thanks, all!
Eric, I agree maybe the Madder lake pigment didn't build up quite as much as your stuff using Tru-Oil, but it did impart a rather subtle purplish red tone which was deeper than aquafortis alone.  Thanks for your advice!
Curtis, thanks for taking a look. You did a great job on the WKU gunmaker's seminar website. I happen to have some old 35mm prints of the workshop some 30 years ago showing John Bivins, Lynton McKenzie, Gary Brumfield, a very young Hershel House and a very young Mark Silver (and a fairly young Terry Leeper) which might be of interest on your site. Not sure how they could be transferred digitally. I'd planned to bring these to the WKU workshop this year, but sadly,  I think I may have to work that week and may not make it. Anyway, they're out there if you an use them!

Best to all,

Gregg

Offline Ed Wenger

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #42 on: December 23, 2015, 05:30:29 AM »
Excellent rifle, Gregg!  Love the box and carving...  Thanks for posting!



      Ed
Ed Wenger

Fred Hembree

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Re: New Lehigh featherweight .50 finished!
« Reply #43 on: December 23, 2015, 06:10:19 AM »
It's a great looking rifle!