Hi Folks,
Thank you all for looking and commenting. Maria is home for the summer and working full time in the Braintree Hill shop. I am really excited and proud to post this. Maria is finishing her officer's fusil. It was originally rifled but when the original owner dropped out, we are having Bob Hoyt ream the bore smooth to either 0.66 caliber or 0.69 caliber. We prefer the larger bore but left the decision up to Bob depending on barrel wall thickness. The rifled 0.62 caliber barrel was very heavy but well balanced. The smooth barrel will be much lighter and better suited to the new owner. He portrays loyalist Sir John Johnson and patriot general Phillip Schuyler at living history events. The high end officer's fusil is perfect for him. Maria started putting details into the carving around the tang of the standing breech. It is a bit challenging because the black walnut has very tough grain issues. You cannot cut toward the breech or the chisel will hog out a big chip. You can only carve toward the butt. Regardless, the rolling rococo shell, appropriate for the 1770s, is coming out well. It still needs some smoothing and cleaning up but she is doing a great job.
The gun has a wrist plate copied from an original fowler in my possession. We cast it in fine silver using the Delft clay casting system.
She then had to clean up and file the edges and sculpt the details and polish the plate. It involved chiseling with die sinker's chisels, engraving, smoothing with stones and abrasives, and stippling deep relief with a single point punch. I would get Maria started for each task and then let her go. She created a masterpiece.
dave
