Author Topic: Another Kibler Colonial..... Some final comments on Jim's kit.....  (Read 23276 times)

Offline Adrie luke

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 302
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Side plate........:(
« Reply #75 on: July 15, 2020, 09:49:43 AM »
Dave

That looks very neat, and it gives me a move to practice more.

Adrie

Offline smart dog

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 6814
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Side plate........:(
« Reply #76 on: July 15, 2020, 01:01:39 PM »
Hi Dave,
I think that looks really good and it works well with the engraved screw head.  Nicely done and creative!

dave
"The main accomplishment of modern economics is to make astrology look good."

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

  • Member 3
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 12524
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Side plate........:(
« Reply #77 on: July 15, 2020, 06:45:02 PM »
Excellent design work and execution Dave.  No need to replace that side plate.  Engraving is complimentary to the rest of your work.
D. Taylor Sapergia
www.sapergia.blogspot.com

Art is not an object.  It is the excitement inspired by the object.

Offline davec2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
    • The Lucky Bag
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Gold Touchmark, etc........
« Reply #78 on: July 17, 2020, 02:37:14 AM »
Taylor.....thanks for the vote of confidence.....I'll see if the design grows on me

Meanwhile, I did get the gold touch mark installed in the breech plug and started the layout for the rest of the engraving on it......




Did as much as I'm going to do on the rear ram rod pipe.  Just a little nick and dot border and a touch of scroll work.....



I put two rows of nick and dot on both sides of the muzzle cap.....may add something else.....not sure yet.



Did put my name and date on the top of the barrel.....I may inlay this in gold....haven't done that in a while.....


"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline Brian Jordan

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 548
  • Pennsylvania
Like always, your work is amazing!!
Elizabeth, PA

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms"...Thomas Jefferson

Let's Go Brandon!

Offline smallpatch

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4035
  • Dane Lund
Ok Dave,
You’re making the rest of us look like SLACKERS!
In His grip,

Dane

Offline davec2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
    • The Lucky Bag
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Breech Plug Engraving Complete........
« Reply #81 on: July 17, 2020, 09:15:25 PM »
Engraving is not the problem.....trying to develop and eye for WHAT to engrave is a huge problem.  I finished the breech plug any way......



"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline J. Talbert

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2272
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Breech Plug Engraving Complete........
« Reply #82 on: July 17, 2020, 10:00:08 PM »
Dave,
Your name and date are so precise they appear as though done by machine.
You’re not really a robot are you?  ;)

Jeff
There are no solutions.  There are only trade-offs.”
Thomas Sowell

Offline davec2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
    • The Lucky Bag
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Breech Plug Engraving Complete........
« Reply #83 on: July 17, 2020, 10:27:09 PM »
J. Talbert......not yet.....but if I have a few more parts replaced I might end up that way... ;)
"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline J. Talbert

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2272
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Breech Plug Engraving Complete........
« Reply #84 on: July 17, 2020, 10:29:35 PM »
J. Talbert......not yet.....but if I have a few more parts replaced I might end up that way... ;)

I hear that...

Jeff
There are no solutions.  There are only trade-offs.”
Thomas Sowell

Offline davec2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
    • The Lucky Bag
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Trigger Guard Engraving Complete........
« Reply #85 on: July 18, 2020, 10:46:05 PM »
Not much more engraving to go now.  Started the trigger guard about 2 hours ago.  I stuck with the same floral motif I used on the screw heads as the primary decoration.  I think this is all I will do on it......






"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline JTR

  • member 2
  • Hero Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 4202
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Trigger Guard Engraving Complete........
« Reply #86 on: July 19, 2020, 02:15:41 AM »
You do a very nice job!
John
John Robbins

Offline Not English

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 586
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Trigger Guard Engraving Complete........
« Reply #87 on: July 19, 2020, 04:55:06 AM »
Dave, I am in awe! I learned to make guns  and basic engraving with Bruce Lepage. Unfortunately my engraving skills are much more basic than yours and Bruce's. I do have a question though. I've always drawn my designs directly on the metal. Am I correct in assuming that you're designs are scribed on metal that has been coated with Dykem? It makes a lot more sense than drawing directly on the metal.

Dave

Offline Daryl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14970
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Trigger Guard Engraving Complete........
« Reply #88 on: July 19, 2020, 06:00:04 AM »
Davec2 - awe is only the start.  jaw-droppingly beautiful work.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline flatsguide

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 724
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Trigger Guard Engraving Complete........
« Reply #89 on: July 19, 2020, 07:32:43 AM »
Really trick how you got those round dimples in the eye of the flower to work out even.
Cheers Richard

Offline davec2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
    • The Lucky Bag
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Trigger Guard Engraving Complete........
« Reply #90 on: July 19, 2020, 07:46:23 PM »
Thank you all for the kind words. Jim Kibler's kit is beautiful just as it comes from his shop without the need for any further embellishment.  But it also provides a wonderful canvas, if you will, upon which to execute any level of carving, engraving, and inlay work that one might desire.  I am, to a large extent, operating in the blind in my attempts at decoration due mostly to my lack of detailed knowledge about the American Longrifle and suffering from a complete dearth of being able to examine original guns out here on the West (i.e. Left) Coast.  Of course, on the other side of that, I think most if not all of the original long rifle makers did what I am doing.....They carved and engraved to suit their own taste emulating a design feature here or there that may have caught their eye as they looked at the work of other contemporary gunsmiths.  So at times, when I am not particularly pleased with my own design decisions or executions, I am somewhat comforted by the thought that a lot of the 18th century makers we admire from the past probably felt the same way about their early work and were dedicated enough to their craft to continue to strive to improve.

Flatsguide.....to that last point, the symmetry of the flower center on the trigger guard was a complete accident... :o .......but I'd rather be lucky than good anytime !

Not English.....I told a friend of mine recently that, at a time in my life when my eyesight has started to falter with age, I have decided to take up the hobby of engraving !!  As a consequence I need all the help I can get to see what I am doing.  As you noted, I do use Dykem on most parts and then very, very lightly scribe whatever design I intend to engrave.  I don't have the self discipline to make detailed drawings on paper as some excellent engravers do, so the scribed design does two things for me.  First it allows me to roughly see what the design will look like on the part.  Second, it gives me a very clear contrast to follow when I start to cut.  The technique does have the drawback of leaving very faint scribe marks on the surface if you change the design.  If very lightly done to begin with though, they usually do not take much effort to polish out.
"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline davec2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
    • The Lucky Bag
I don't number my guns but I do ID them with an appropriate memento of gratitude and a date on the underside of the barrel......although I should really add Jim's name as well on this one..... ;)   (Actually, I thought about this too late but the inscription should really read "David ornantur me per gratiam Dei"......."David embellished me by the grace of God")  Sorry Jim...I usually build from scratch.  I'm not used to the kit building thing yet !

« Last Edit: July 21, 2020, 09:16:11 AM by davec2 »
"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline Craig Wilcox

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2440
David, super happy to see you practice on YOUR parts before I send you mine!  Go ahead and practice your gold inlaying also...

You have a great touch with a graver.  I am still trying to make a straight line.
Craig Wilcox
We are all elated when Dame Fortune smiles at us, but remember that she is always closely followed by her daughter, Miss Fortune.

Offline davec2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
    • The Lucky Bag
Getting close to starting the staining & finishing of the wood.  These next two pictures are of one of Jim's rifles that I copied most of the carving from.  I also want to mimic the color of this rifle as best I can.  I have had some information exchange by PM with Jim about how he did this and the plan now is to start with a dilute Ferric Nitrate solution, heat blushed and then stained again with TransTint Honey Amber.  The figure on this stock is no where near as tight as the one Jim built, but however that comes out will be OK.  The unfortunate part of having a kit this well made is that the only place I have to check out the staining technique on this piece of wood is at the bottom of the barrel channel as there is no "scrap" wood to work with.  In addition, I have never used TransTint dyes, so this may turn out to be a real $#@* shoot.  Wish me luck.....




"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline Mike Brooks

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13167
    • Mike Brooks Gunmaker
The carving and wood color are outstanding.
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline Daryl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14970
I just find this colour combination delightful - jewel-like.
Too bad it isn't a permanent "thing".



Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline Daryl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14970
The carving and wood color are outstanding.

Absolutely.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline EC121

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1565
I just find this colour combination delightful - jewel-like.
Too bad it isn't a permanent "thing".




I thought the same thing.  A bit like one of those Faberge eggs.
Brice Stultz

Offline Craig Wilcox

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2440
I'm with Daryl on the Dykem.  Such a brilliant shade of blue is almost guaranteed to brighten your day.  Need to find a way to make it permanent.
Craig Wilcox
We are all elated when Dame Fortune smiles at us, but remember that she is always closely followed by her daughter, Miss Fortune.

Offline davec2

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2802
    • The Lucky Bag
Re: Another Kibler Colonial..... Staining experiments ........No Luck Yet
« Reply #99 on: July 24, 2020, 07:37:36 AM »
As noted previously, I have nowhere to experiment except in the barrel channel.....tried a BUNCH of things and so far, no luck.  I'm running out of blank area in the barrel channel.... ??? :o :-\




"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780