Forestock Molding and escutcheons

[Benedict]

I am currently building a gun that is basically my own design but the main inspiration is the Virginia guns in particular those of Simon Lauck.  I am about to cut the forestock molding but realized that I was not sure how to handle the molding where it intersected the barrel key escutcheons.  Do the escutcheons just interupt the molding or does the molding stop with a decorative element on either side of the escutcheon?  Any thoughts and/or pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bruce

[LynnC]

On guns I've seen in books, if the molding intersects the escutions, the molding is carried right thru each one by filing in the molding.

Note - The molding hit each escution in the same place
 Looked good, can't remember which book

P Alexanders book maybe........Lynn

[B Shipman]

There's a lot of different ways to do it.  Sometimes the molding is incised and just runs into the inlay. Sometimes it's raised, but shallow and just blends in. Sometimes it's interrupted. The method is often regional, so you have to study the area. With your rifle, an incised line would be fine.

[Benedict]

There's a lot of different ways to do it.  Sometimes the molding is incised and just runs into the inlay. Sometimes it's raised, but shallow and just blends in. Sometimes it's interrupted. The method is often regional, so you have to study the area. With your rifle, an incised line would be fine.

I have seen lots of different ways to do it and realized that this was a regional style issue.  I was  planning to use a raised molding.  The problem with studying the area is that there are not many books on Virginia guns that have good  pictures (until Wallace gets his  published).  Whisker's book has pictures but the forestock is not clear on any of them.

Thanks,
Bruce

[Swampwalker]

Bruce;
I've looked at lots of Virginia guns, and on the majority, there are no upper key escuteons (sp), just  lower ones (the first one before the break in the forestock).  Doing it this way eliminates the problem of working around or carrying the mounlding through the inlay.
Just a though.
DB