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Author Topic: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress  (Read 11385 times)

Offline smart dog

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Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« on: January 04, 2011, 11:02:43 PM »
Hi Folks,
I am decorating an early 17th century (~1620) style fowling gun with early Baroque decoration using bone, mother of pearl, and copper.  The design is my own but the style is from northern France.  It is an allegorical scene of good defeating evil, a common motif for the time.  The wire inlay is brass.  The rest of the gun is also being decorated and I will post pictures later when I am finished.  It is fun and very challenging.  Hope I don't screw it up.

dave

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paxtonboy

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2011, 11:19:10 PM »
..........Sorry, hard to type with my chin on the keyboad.   WOW...Gorgeous... 
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Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2011, 11:27:17 PM »
WoW!
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Offline Model19

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2011, 11:40:05 PM »
Double wow!  Nice work!!  Holy smokes that's awesome.
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Offline KLMoors

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2011, 11:40:49 PM »
Yikes! Very cool stuff. Keep posting pics.
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greybeard

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2011, 11:53:23 PM »
Unbelievable!!!!
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Offline Scott Bumpus

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2011, 12:10:09 AM »
Fit for a king.  Nice work, keep the pics coming please.
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Dave Waters

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2011, 12:37:51 AM »
Really nice and inspiring. Thanks for posting.
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Offline James Rogers

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2011, 12:53:09 AM »
Clean work Dave!

Did you get some inspiration from the Dolep fowling piece that belonged to the Earl of Dunmore?
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Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2011, 01:52:04 AM »
 OMG Dave! Holy cow!

 Tim C.
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hoochiejohn

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2011, 02:00:27 AM »
BEAUTIFUL work Dave ;D ;D
    Masterfully done...truly impressive and awe-inspiring!! Thank you for the pics!
                                                       Denny
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Offline volatpluvia

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #11 on: January 05, 2011, 02:19:46 AM »
Now Dave,
I like the simplicity of your design.  It is lovely.  Some of the work done back then was so dense as to not be attractive to my eye. 
Question: since your flintlock was not fully developed at that time, is this gonne a matchlock?  The stock dimensions do not look right for a wheellock.  If it is a matchlock or snaphance then I am doubley proud of you.
volatpluvia
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Offline A.Merrill

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #12 on: January 05, 2011, 03:10:48 AM »
    JUST BEAUTIFUL WORK. The work of a true Master. Few will reach the ability to do such work.   CONGRATULATIONS     AL
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Offline B. Hey

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #13 on: January 05, 2011, 03:37:18 AM »
Very nice work, Dave. I doubt that you will in any manner "screw it up" ... that is of course unless you allow me to work on it :-) .. Great work .. Thanks for sharing. Bill Hey
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Offline smart dog

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #14 on: January 05, 2011, 06:23:33 AM »
Hi Friends,
Thanks everyone.  I am glad you enjoy the photo and I will post more when I am done.  I hope it gets some of you thinking about new and different projects.  It certainly is a novel adventure for me.  In the words of our esteemed friend from Norway, Rolf, it is a "practice" piece.  I am trying to learn the skills needed for beautifully decorated wheellocks and matchlocks.   I made many mistakes!!!  Unfortunately I don't know of a Wallace Gusler, Bill Shipman , or other talented ALR member representing the 16th and 17th century to help me figure out what to do.  I really am going it alone here.  Anyway, I am "doing it" and whatever I am "doing" seems to be coming out OK.   

Bill Hey, I am scared of screwing up all the time.

James, my inspiration is the LeBourgeoy family of Liseux France.  I love their work and when I post pictures of the whole gun and you look at the Pierre LeBourgeoy gun in the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art or Gusler and Lavin's book on decorated firearms, you will see the inspiration.

Volatpluvia, I agree with your taste.  The lock is a type 1 English lock, however, Brian Goodwin says most of those were converted snaphaunces.  Therefore, the gun is a snaphaunce made in northern France or Belgium that was bought and converted to an English lock by a wealthy Englishman.  That is my story and I am sticking to it.

dave
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Offline Rolf

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #15 on: January 05, 2011, 10:05:53 AM »
Beautifu!!!! Very impressiv work Dave. How are the bone and perl inlays attached to the stock?

Best regards
Rolf
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Offline Majorjoel

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #16 on: January 05, 2011, 01:27:09 PM »
A wonderful work of art in the making! Very inspirational Dave! I was wondering what your thoughts are about working with mother of pearl? To me it seems to be a very fragile material. How thick are the mop inlays you have made? Do they chip away easily when you engrave them? Thank you for taking the time to explain to me these great mysteries? I have some mop material that I was considering using for inlays in a longrifle. I find it kind of scarey to wander off the usual path. 
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Joel Hall

Offline Curtis

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2011, 04:26:08 PM »
Dave,

Now that is just simply inspirational.  Thank you so much for sharing your work, and please continue to do so.
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Offline Acer Saccharum

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #18 on: January 06, 2011, 01:13:26 AM »
Great work, Dave. I don't know how you do that stuff except by diving in, just like you're doing. Very inspirational. Keep the pics coming. I also like your converted snaphaunce idea.

Thanks a bunch,

Tom
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Rasch Chronicles

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #19 on: January 06, 2011, 04:22:31 AM »
Dave,

Really incredible and inspiring. Thank you for posting, and I look forward to seeing many more pictures!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Albert A Rasch In Afghanistan
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Offline smart dog

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #20 on: January 06, 2011, 05:02:48 AM »
Hi,
Thanks again everyone.  This project is a real challenge.  There are 46 inlays of bone, mother of pearl, brass, and copper, and about 15' of brass wire.  Yet even then the decoration is relatively sparse compared to many ornate guns of the period.  Bone and mop are easy to shape with a jewelers saw and files but are the devil to inlet and engrave.  They are very brittle and you cannot tap them into a tight inlet with a mallet.  The inlay must snap in with finger pressure only.  I glue them in with water resistant wood glue.  The period makers used hide glue.  Bone fractures and splinters when engraved and mop pulverizes into dust.  You cannot engrave them like metal.  You have to work the line and design in gradually, almost like grinding it in rather than cutting it.  Even then the line will look a little ragged on the edges under magnification.  I understand completely why so much bone, antler, and mop engraving on the originals looked crude.  It simply is not an easy medium to work with.  I have no problem inletting simple and solid shapes of bone or mop, like hunter's stars.  However, intricate shapes like the knight on horseback are another matter.  I am in total awe of the craftsman who did that work in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly when many stocks had >100 engraved inlays.  Those were the days when materials were dear but labor cheap, unlike today when materials are cheap but labor dear.


dave
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Offline smart dog

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #21 on: January 06, 2011, 05:43:58 AM »
Hi Joel,
I am sorry that I forgot to answer your question about thickness of the inlays.  They average about 3/32".

dave
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Online JTR

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #22 on: January 06, 2011, 06:11:28 AM »
Wow Dave, Very nice!!
You'll be an expert at it by the time you're finished!

Looking forward to more pictures.
John

PS, I can already hear the gears churning in Rolfs' head!! ;D
« Last Edit: January 06, 2011, 06:13:20 AM by JTR »
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John Robbins

Rasch Chronicles

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Re: Some bone, shell, and metal inlay and engraving work in progress
« Reply #23 on: January 06, 2011, 06:17:50 AM »
"Those were the days when materials were dear but labor cheap, unlike today when materials are cheap but labor dear."

Truer words have not been spoken in quite some time!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Albert A Rasch In Afghanistan
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