Author Topic: Finished New England fowler  (Read 3648 times)

Offline rich pierce

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Finished New England fowler
« on: September 27, 2020, 07:03:59 PM »
This is a bespoke piece. Barrel is Longhammock .58 octagon to round and the lock is a Chambers round faced English lock. The stock is cherry. The guard is a modified fusil guard from TOW. I made the buttplate, sideplate, trigger, and thimbles. The gun is very light and handy. It’s mostly based on NE 11 and NE 13 in Grinslade’s book on American fowlers.




































Andover, Vermont

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2020, 07:23:48 PM »
Nifty!
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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 heinz

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2020, 07:34:30 PM »
Very nicely done
kind regards, heinz

Offline Mike Lyons

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2020, 07:52:50 PM »
You made the Cherry look great.  I like the shape of the buttstock a lot.  Beautiful gun.

Offline Daryl

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2020, 07:54:38 PM »
Very nice indeed, Rich. Well done.
Daryl

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Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2020, 07:55:16 PM »
Great looking smoothie Rich.  I see a lot of French influence...le pied de vache shape of the butt.  But I also see that you have enough drop at the comb that the butt is not going to kick your cheek in.  Nicely made gun.
D. Taylor Sapergia
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Art is not an object.  It is the excitement inspired by the object.

Offline Eric Smith

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2020, 09:34:28 PM »
Very nice, Rich. I like the shape of the buttstock and I think the sideplate is very tasteful. Not to much engraving, but effective.
Eric Smith

Offline Keb

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2020, 11:42:48 PM »
Nice.

Offline TommyG

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2020, 11:43:39 PM »
Wonderful gun!  Great work fabricating the buttplate and thimbles.  I love your nick and dot borders, and of course the warm finish as well.

Offline smart dog

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2020, 01:08:09 AM »
Hi Rich,
Well done!  That looks so credible as colonial production.  A few dings and scratches and it could sit in a museum with originals and look right at home.

dave
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Online P.Bigham

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2020, 01:28:57 AM »
Like that one a lot. 
" not all who wander are lost"

Offline t.caster

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2020, 01:32:29 AM »
That's some fine work there Rich! I like all your handmade parts and that's a nifty looking piece of cherry!
Tom C.

Offline Dave B

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2020, 05:53:02 AM »
This is very cool Rich, Nicely done. I like the step detail in the butt plate return. You cut that in then filed away the surounding ground to leave the area proud or did you pound the detail in from the back side like the silver smiths do the chiseled repoussé work. How thick was your brass at the start? It's just beggng to be taken out birding.
Dave Blaisdell

Offline rich pierce

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #13 on: September 28, 2020, 06:34:04 AM »
Dave, I raised that area a little by peening the back side, then cut the raised area in. I outlined it with a square graver, then edged it with a flat graver, the filed and riffled it into shape. It’s a little funky but I don’t try for “best English quality” on a colonial gun like this. I feel like that raised area on the buttplate sets it apart a bit.  Over the past couple years I’ve enjoyed focusing on builds where I have to fabricate some of the parts to make a one-off.
Andover, Vermont

Offline Curtis

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #14 on: September 28, 2020, 06:54:26 AM »
I like it Rich, nicely executed!


Curtis
Curtis Allinson
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Sometimes, late at night when I am alone in the inner sanctum of my workshop and no one else can see, I sand things using only my fingers for backing

Offline Joe Stein

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #15 on: September 28, 2020, 07:38:52 AM »
Very nice work, Rich. You have taken on some challenging pieces lately, and turned out really nice guns. First the Fainot, now this.
-Joe Stein

Offline BOB HILL

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #16 on: September 28, 2020, 03:35:13 PM »
Fine looking fowling piece there, Rich.
Bob
South Carolina Lowcountry

Offline Dave Marsh

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #17 on: September 28, 2020, 03:39:11 PM »
Absolutely beautiful Rich.  Love the cherry.
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~ Benjamin Franklin

Offline oldtravler61

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #18 on: September 28, 2020, 05:01:11 PM »
  Rich nicely done..as everyone has stated..I'm not a fan of cherry stocked guns. But this one is outstanding to me...One of the nicest ones I have seen...Well done..!!

Offline wolf

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #19 on: September 28, 2020, 10:39:15 PM »
very nice! Rich how did you stain the wood?
I have never "harvested" a critter but I have killed quite a few,,,,,,,,,,,

Offline rich pierce

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #20 on: September 29, 2020, 01:48:30 AM »
I stain cherry with lye. I haven’t found anything else that looks good. I bought 5 different spirit stains and they did not look good. LMF, Dangler, etc. did not look good on this piece of wood.


I’ve tried iron-saturated AQF. It turns cherry black. If you ever need black wood, try cherry with AQF. looks great. I use it on horn spout plugs sometimes.
Andover, Vermont

Offline Not English

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #21 on: September 29, 2020, 03:39:08 AM »
Rich,

Have you ever tried fuming the cherry with ammonia? I saw one years ago that I really liked, but can't remember the exact color. What do you do  with the lye? That's a new one to me.

Thanks,
Dsave

Offline rich pierce

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #22 on: September 29, 2020, 04:00:30 AM »
I do think I remember the ammonia staining. Both are bases. I just wipe some lye solution on there. If weak on a try piece I add more crystals.
Andover, Vermont

Offline oldtravler61

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #23 on: September 29, 2020, 04:17:07 AM »
  Well whatever you did Rich...it sure turned out super nice...
  The new owner...should be thrilled...Oldtravler

Offline rich pierce

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Re: Finished New England fowler
« Reply #24 on: September 29, 2020, 04:20:29 AM »
Thanks, guys. A NE fowler heading to Connecticut!
Andover, Vermont