MIDNIGHT LACE PROJECT PROGRESS

[David Price]

I have a couple more coats of finish to go to  finish this swivel breech but stock , but there is enough done to get the idea as to how it is going to look.    As you know this was a test to see if  this combination of cherry stained black with ivory and silver wire would look as good as I thought.  I still can't make up my mind if I like it or not.  One thing is clear, carving this particular piece of wood was difficult, and the quality of the carving shows it.  If all cherry is like this piece I will not try it again.  I think that the  design would look better if the leafs were solid instead of outlined with wire.  There are a few solid leafs there but they are not engraved yet.  They don't look like much until they are engraved.

I can't spend any more time playing with this piece now, so there won't be any more pictures until I get back to it.  I have two little forty cal. A weight  rifles to build  next, one for myself and one for a very nice young lady that runs out shoots .

[b bogart]

Oh my Dave. If you are that disappointed send it to me and I'll hide it in my gun cabinet ( until time to shoot it). Just trying to help a brother out!
The always thoughtful,
Bruce

[Larry Pletcher]

Hi David,
I'm always a fan of your work.  The .40 you mentioned sounds like a gun I'd like to hear more about too.   Will it be a swivel or a single barrel?  Anyway I'm glad to see pics of anything to do.
Regards,
Larry

[David Price]

Larry,

The forty cal. rifles  that I started to build today have a 38 inch A weight barrel.  Not a swivel breech.  One is for myself to replace a 42 inch A weight rifle that I have been shooting for years, but now I find a bit too heavy for me.  When you get older you loose some of your strength, and I find myself working too hard while aiming.

The other rifle will be a gift for a nice young lady that runs our shoot, and teaches Muzzle Loading with me and some others for the State of N.H. Out door women program.  Her name is Julie Cate, she is totally unselfish and is always helping every one and is particularly nice to my grandchildren.  I would be proud to have her for my daughter.  She is also the N.H. State Champion  for women.  On occasion she has beat me with my own rifle.

These two rifles will be identical.  I will post them when they are finished.

[volatpluvia]

I have built three cherry guns.  Mine were wild cherry from a fence row.  I found there is a hared grain layer and then a soft grain layer, etc.  This makes it mighty hard to get a nice clean edge while inletting.  I do not know how one would have tried to do any fine carving on it.  The grain was just too coarse.  I have seen finer grained cherry and that is what you probably have.  But I still think it would have the hard layer/soft layer problem.
I like the look of finished cherry, but not stained that dark.
volatpluvia

[Seven]

Dave,  If you decide to stay with Cherry for the stock wood, instead of all relief carving maybe you could go the way of incised carving and wire inlay.  Sort of similar to Verner (63 in RCA) or Shuler (#64 in RCA).   -Chad

[M Tornichio]

David,
I like the end result. It is intresting to see the silver wire on the black cherry. I like dark rifles myself. I don't have the courrage to try to carve cherry yet on a rifle.
thanks for sharing.
Marc

[clint e]

That looks cool,a little to fancy for me though.