A decorated early 17th century fowler

[smart dog]

Hi Folks,
I wanted to share these photos with you of my latest project.  It is a very early fowler of English or northern European origin.  The lock is a type one English lock most of which were simply converted snaphaunces.  The decorative art is from northern France so the fantasy history could be a French gun made in 1610-1620 brought to England and converted to an English lock.  That's my story and I am sticking to it.  My real reason for the gun was to learn and practice 16th and 17th century decorative motifs and methods.  I am preparing myself for a really ambitious project.  I originally built the gun as a simple English lock fowler, but could not resist reworking it to train myself in the decorative arts of that period.  It was used quite a bit and I left some of the bumps and dents.  The barrel is a 44" Colerain 12 Guage octagon-round tube cut back to 41 inches.  The lock was assembled from TRS castings.  The stock is cherry stained to simulate apple wood from northern France.  There are 46 inlays of bone, mother-of-pearl, copper, and brass.  All are engraved.  I did some things well and others not so well but I learned a lot and had an immense amount of fun.  My wife remarked many times that I came home from work in a surly mood, but after only 10 minutes in the shop working on the gun I was smiling, whistling, and singing.  It keeps me sane.  I hope you enjoy the photos.

dave

[54Bucks]

 That's impressive work! The engraving alone  made me whistle!  I can't imagine what really ambitious project you are preparing for.

[Nate McKenzie]

Boy. You don't see them like that very often. Beautiful doesn't do it justice.

[Old Ford2]

Great work!
You are very accomplished and meticulus.
Thank you for shareing.
Old Ford

[JTR]

Ah haa, so here's the gun that goes with the engraving!
Way to go Dave, Most impressive! Thats a fine looking gun from the front sight all the way back!
John

[Rolf]

Work of art!!! The inlay work and engravings are fantastic. Thanks for posting the pictures. I like the dragonfly sight.

Best regards
Rolf

[Captchee]

 nicly done

[Swampwalker]

Really nice work!  Love your wire inlay work, very clean.  I bet that lock took endless futzing around with to get it to that condition.  Did you make it up from scratch, or from castings?  I hope you'll bring it to Dixons or the CLA show so we can see it up close!

[Ed Wenger]

Dave,

That's exceptional work.  I know nothing about this type of fowler, but your craftsmanship is excellent.  I especially like the inlays and wire work.  Very well done!

       Ed

[Blacksmoke]

Dave:  Let me guess - this is not from a pe-carve or a kit!!??       Very nice work!!  You are to be congratulated!!   I would love to see it in person!      Hugh Toenjes

[Swampwalker]

Ah, I just re-read your description and see that the lock is from castings.  How does the safety (I assume it's a safety) work on this, does it pivot, or slide? 

[J. Talbert]

Dave,
I don't know a thing about the style, but what a fine piece of work regardless...
Not bad for a not-so-ambitious project.

Jeff

[jmdavis]

Beautiful work and especially the engraving.

[Tom Currie]

Very cool work Dave, Tell us about your ambitous project.

[smart dog]

Thanks everyone,
I am glad you enjoyed the photos.  I appreciate the compliments.  I am an amateur but I do the best I can.  I mostly build old guns because I like the decorative arts of the time periods involved and I learn a lot. 

Swampwalker, there is no safety.  What you are referring to is the lateral sear.  At full cock the lug protrudes through the lockplate and catches the tail of the cock.  When the trigger is pulled, the lug recedes and the cock is released.  There is a halfcock notch on the tumbler inside the lock.  The mechanism is based on the snaphaunce invented in the mid 1500s.  They are not very well designed locks.  It is almost impossible to tune the sear mechanism to produce a light trigger pull and also be safe.  These guns have a heavy pull and wear on the mechanism has to be addressed or they will eventually become unsafe.  The true flintlock (French) was a very big improvement over these earlier mechanisms.

dave

[Swampwalker]

I see what you're saying - very interesting!  So is the vase-shaped piece in front of the cock just a stop?

[smart dog]

Hi Swampwalker,
Exactly!  It is called the buffer. If you look at the cock, it has no shoulder to hit the lockplate and stop it.  The gun shoots well and is pretty reliable but the snaphaunce and early English lock designs had some severe design weaknesses.  Thanks for your interest.

dave

[M Tornichio]

 I really like your engraving.
nice job!

[smart dog]

Thanks again everyone,
Swampwalker, I would love to bring the gun to the CLA show or Dixon's but I live too far away and I cannot afford the trip from Alaska.  For those who asked about my more ambitious project, all I will say is that I am an admirer of Hieronymous Borstorffer. 

Thanks for your interest in my work,

dave   

[Glenn]

WOW ... What a masterpiece.  My compliments to you.  Absolutely beautiful weapon.   

***************************************

"I learned a lot and had an immense amount of fun.  My wife remarked many times that I came home from work in a surly mood, but after only 10 minutes in the shop working on the gun I was smiling, whistling, and singing.  It keeps me sane."

***************************************

This is exactly one of the main reasons I am about to take this hobby on ... (LOL) ... 

[Hawken62_flint]

OK, I am sick with envy over your engraving and your inlay work.  Why was I born with no artistic talent and so many others have unbelievable skills?  Great piece of "art".  Thanks for sharing.

[omark]

OK, I am sick with envy over your engraving and your inlay work.  Why was I born with no artistic talent and so many others have unbelievable skills?  Great piece of "art".  Thanks for sharing.

i wonder that about myself.   i build something very nice, look on this forum and toss mine in the trash.  oh well     mark

[smart dog]

Hi Omark and Poorboy,
Thank you for the comments.  Hopefully this will reassure you.  I have a good friend who is an outstanding jewelry artist. He is so good that a gallery in NY City did a retrospective on his work. When Steve was in art school his teachers always emphasized that students should learn craft first and then the art will come. His teachers had students copying the works of others so they could develop a broad range of knowledge about techniques, styles, and design.  Steve eventually learned that artistic talent was largely nothing more than having a library in your brain of all the works of others that you studied and then going forward and rearranging the furniture (if you will) to create your own unique art.  Occasionally, something really new pops in but that is actually quite rare.

dave

[dannybb55]

Your lock is a good argument for a dog catch. Have you ever seen the gun found at the Occaneechee village a few years ago? I will have to find the pics. The Occaneechee traded for it in VA near the Dan River. A very early trade gun but very similar to yours......but rougher.
                                         Nice work.
                                            Danny

[Dennis Glazener]

Your lock is a good argument for a dog catch. Have you ever seen the gun found at the Occaneechee village a few years ago? I will have to find the pics. The Occaneechee traded for it in VA near the Dan River. A very early trade gun but very similar to yours......but rougher.
                                         Nice work.
                                            Danny

Danny,
Forgive me from straying off subject but I am interested very in information about the Occaneechee Village gun. I am from Mecklenburg County VA and back in the early 50's before Buggs Island lake covered it up, Occaneechee Island was located near where I lived. It was right at the confluence of the Dan and Staunton River. I was told that there was an Indian village on that island. Is that where the gun was found?

Supposedly my Great Grandfather many times removed was a military commander at Jamestown. Legend has it that his head was chopped off by the Occaneechee, seems like the Indians were paying him back for some similar incident he had with an Indian chief in an earlier encounter. His name was William Powell. Its possible that the rifle may have come from one of the military units he served with.
Dennis