Wel,l I will attempt to answer your questions Gentlemen,;
Smart Dog Dave, I acquired the baize from a pal in the trade, and do not know where he got it. He was also re-lining a case at the same time. Hide glue is worth its weight in gold for this type of work. (Put on the wood, let set, then iron on the baize) This was more than 35 years ago, so if I knew the original supplier, it has long gone.
Taylor,
the throat of cock rets on the fence, but touching the bridle as well.
JB, as and when, I'll take some photos of the shot chargers. They are expensive little beggars these days! They are double -ended, and some have the charge weight on the end-caps.
They have a spring down the spine as does a pocket knife. The spring pivots in the centre, and presses against both caps. Very simple but I think a real fiddle to make And make them look right.
Joe,
Re. the maker, Where the little dogs are lying on both locks, is where we would see a name usually, (as well as on the barrel) I wondered if the locks were just engraved over this area, if they were to remain nameless.
Your second question is a terrible embarrassment! I just looked again at the proofs, with glasses and my magnifying glass, and they appear to be post 1813 B-ham proofs.
So 1813 at soonest. I had looked at them before and took them for private , but they do appear to be as above. V small but all there.
Robby,
Under magnification the screws do look a bit buggered, but in hand they do not show too badly. I think if we consider that it has been used, cleaned, serviced and such for over 200 years, I do not see the damage as remarkable.
The photos do not show it well, but the hammers, (Frizzens) have been re-steeled twice at any rate. The first time, the hammers were worn down to the engraved line very nearly, then re-steeled, worn more or less to nothing again, and re-steeled a second time over this thin worn previous layer.
To put it into perspective, if We had a newly made flintlock, and used it enough to wear out three sets of hammers, I think we would also be seeing slip-marks and other signs of use as well, do you not think?....not everyone had finesse, and ham-fistedness in nothing new! :-)
Thanks all for looking.
Richard.
PS, charger top for JB;
