Taking photos of your gun while building

[flatsguide]

I’m starting to use my phones camera for taking photos of my rifle during the build to refine details. Unless you are copying a pistol, gun or rifle you are pretty much free to let your artistic side determine what your project will finally look like. I have a bunch of English gun books that I’m using for reference for my English rifle build, right now I’m shaping the side lock panel; these same books show panels that seem to have only one standardized rule and it is there is not much wood between the the lower bottom of the lock and the bottom of the wood panel the rest of the panel profile is up to the builders skill or mood that day. Regarding the panel on my English rifle, I first drew a panel that I thought l would like but when I traced the outline on the stock I was not happy with it. Then I just freehand sketched the outline and carved the excess away and it looked pretty good and I took a photo of it. Looking at the photo later that night, I was not at all pleased with the look of the side lock/panel layout. The photo showed “errors” that I had completely missed while working on the rifle.
The artistic negative space did not look good and some lines looked bad, things I totally missed just looking at it. It seems that looking at o photograph allows one to “stand back” and see your work from a different perspective. This is the photo and it shows too much wood or too much negative space causing a poor balance above the lock for my taste although it looked ok at the time I was working on it. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Cheers Richard

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Alacran, when I do panels, I create the lock panel first.  Keep the borders as narrow as you dare, top and bottom, extending them out at the rear particularly, and at the front end.  Cut out a piece of cereal box or card stock like Bristol (sign) board bigger than the panel, punch holes for the lock screws, remove the lock from its mortise, and lay the card overyour panel.  Press down with your thumb along the edges, creating a mark on the card, along the edges of the panel.  Now remove the card and the screws, and with a pencil draw in the creases you created.  Cut out the panel outline with scissors or an X-Acto knife,  then lay the card on the opposite side of the stock, replacing the lock screws to orientate it correctly.  Now draw around the card with your pencil, transferring the lock panel to the offside.  Bearing in mind that your pencil will be outside the panel, cut away all the wood outside the drawing, including the pencil line, and you have a pretty much exact off-side panel to the lock panel.  Also bear in mind, that perfect symmetry is not necessarily critical.  That's how I do it, anyway.

[Ron Scott]

Taylor, is correct in stating that perfect symmetry is not required . Of the seven European flintlocks I own, not one has right and left panels that match. In one case the front of the panels are off 3/16 of an inch, yet it not obvious unless you are intentionally checking for that detail. Keep the panels as small as possible and design the perimeter of the panel to compliment the lock on one side and the plate on the other.

[smart dog]

Hi Flatsguide,
Rather than have a step in the line going from the top of the breech to the front of the side plate panel, try drawing a smooth swooping curve as below and see if it looks right:







Bring the wood down on the top closer to the rear lock bolt and thin the top of the taper to the rear.

dave

[flehto]

Actually I find the "in process" pics more interesting than the finished gun pics. Here's a few.....Fred

[flatsguide]

Taylor, cutting the pattern shown below is how I started. After profiling the the stock to that pattern I did not like it so I eyeballed it and cut it to the shape seen in the photo in my first post. After seeing that photo I did not like it either. That was the point of my post, for me, somehow seeing a photo of my work shows errors in design and or execution that I do not always see when I’m working on a project.



Ron, good advice and you are quite correct about making the panel harmonize with the side plate. Although I don’t have the guns to hold and examine ( nor your experience) I looked at many photos of English guns and the side plate is nowhere's close to the lock side panel.

Dave, I see the curve you mention and that is a pretty common treatment on a lot of guns that I saw (photos) but once that cut is made and you do not like it your committed. I really like that brass side plate and the checkering...well done!

Flehto, me too! You going to have a nice gun that will be easy on the eye when done.

Thanks guys for the advice and thoughts.
Cheers Richard