Author Topic: At long last (Read 9707 times)

Mike Brooks · « **on:** January 20, 2010, 04:59:56 PM »

Started this gun a week before Thanksgiving. Got all the parts on it and started shaping it out the first week then an old back injury flared up and knocked me out of work for three weeks. Slowly recovering now and finished this gun up. Hardest piece of wood I have ever worked.
I tried to keep this unidentifiable to any school and slightly funky in decoration. there is a gun in one of Whisker's book that I borrowed some carving from. I sort of stuck with the idea that this is a colonial built gun by a Germanic trained smith. Parts coming from a busted up jeager, using an imported english lock and a colonial made barrel.
46" Rice barrel in .54 cal, Chambers lock, Davis triggers. The trigger guard is one of Reaves that I get cast locally and the buttplate is one of my design that I also cast locally. Believe it or not the box is my very first one piece box.....not sure I prefer it over a two piece...

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #1 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:02:38 PM »

The stock is intensely figured in the buttstock, moderately curly through the lower forestock and plain from there forward.

Mike R · « **Reply #2 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:03:47 PM »

Wow! Neat gun and very pretty--once you get over the guard

...I like it. Very Nice work.

Rootsy · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:06:19 PM »

Nice rifle Mr. Brooks....

What did you use to achieve the coloring of that wood? I really admire that tone....

PIKELAKE · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:16:43 PM »

Boy, that is my kind of rifle. Your carving really enhances a great piece of wood. Did you use Jim K.'s orange? Your bad back did'nt appear to hinder your workmanship. Well done.

Mike Norin · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:24:06 PM »

Very nice wood , and it looks great . Good job .

jim m · « **Reply #6 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:33:47 PM »

your artistic ability really shines on this one. you are a master of your craft

James Rogers · « **Reply #7 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:51:23 PM »

Mike,
I really like that trigger guard and the BP!
Decoration and styling looks like what you are trying to pull off.

Seeing this one out the door is sure gonna give a local fellow around these parts a new level of anticipation!

northmn · « **Reply #8 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:51:50 PM »

Very solid wormanship. You say you started it before Thanksgiving? I have one I am working on that I started before Thanksgiving also but not this last Thanksgiving. It won't look as nice even after the extra time.

DP

TPH · « **Reply #9 on:** January 20, 2010, 07:52:06 PM »

That is NICE Mike, take care of the back.

D. Taylor Sapergia · « **Reply #10 on:** January 20, 2010, 08:14:56 PM »

You have a very well designed rifle there Mike, complimented by pleasingly carved elements, and superlative wood. I always enjoy seeing your stuff, and this one turns my crank big time.

Tim Crosby · « **Reply #11 on:** January 20, 2010, 08:38:16 PM »

Outstanding!

Tim C.

J. Talbert · « **Reply #12 on:** January 20, 2010, 08:41:54 PM »

Mike,

Like so many originals, it doesn't fit any particular mold, but a pleasing package all the same.

Jeff

t.caster · « **Reply #13 on:** January 20, 2010, 08:47:33 PM »

That's flat out cool! Looks like stump cut maple...beautiful! Great concept or fantasy!
One of your best yet! At least in my old eyes!

Dr. Tim-Boone · « **Reply #14 on:** January 20, 2010, 09:30:06 PM »

I think there is a reason those trigger guards fell out of vogue............

That is a beautiful gun......almost slipped a beavertail cheekpiece in there!! Nicely done as always!!

Daryl · « **Reply #15 on:** January 20, 2010, 10:12:38 PM »

Gorgeous chunk of wood, Mike. The work us fine, as usual. I-too really like the design - the guard doesn't bother me one bit. It would be better for me, a mite shorter though and of larger cal. Yeah - I like that gun.

California Kid · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2010, 12:44:32 AM »

Mike, did V-man see it yet. I'm sure he can point out the mistakes!
Great fantasy gun, and great work and wood. Did you get the wood from Freddie Harrison?

Don Getz · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2010, 02:27:12 AM »

Mikey......neat gun, a little different from the routine stuff....great wood. As I look at it that "Davis" trigger jumps right out at me. I wish you would have filed it into a stright pin type trigger, I think it would look better, and would fit in with
that Jager guard.........Don

smallpatch · « **Reply #18 on:** January 21, 2010, 03:11:13 AM »

Mr Brooks,
Beautiful as always.
There are certain builders, yourself, EK, and Allen Martin, that just HAVE IT!! No matter what you build, it has THAT FEEL.
Thanks for showing us, and again, a real beauty.

Randy Hedden · « **Reply #19 on:** January 21, 2010, 04:47:42 AM »

Yeah guys,

And he isn't even in the Pennsylvania Cartel.

Randy Hedden

Joey R · « **Reply #20 on:** January 21, 2010, 05:55:25 AM »

Very nice rifle!! Whoever owns that rifle should be a very happy camper!

rich pierce · « **Reply #21 on:** January 21, 2010, 07:48:29 AM »

Carving and cheekpiece sure reflects a great original I call the "tulip rifle". Shumway also illustrated it in Muzzle Blasts. Great job, Mike.

Darrin McDonal · « **Reply #22 on:** January 21, 2010, 05:57:01 PM »

Very nice Mike! That stock has real "flash", especially with the way you brought out the beauty of it with your staining technique.
Darrin

Mike Brooks · « **Reply #23 on:** January 21, 2010, 06:57:03 PM »

Thanks fellas. It was a fun gun to build, even though it was built from a paving brick! I got the wood from Dick Miller. I stained it with Klein's stains, starting with his "startling orange" for a base. What stains I put on after that I don't know, I just kind of go with the flow till I think it's right....I scrub most of it off anyway.
Rich Pierce's "tulip gun" was a big inspiration for this gun. I always liked the semi rounded cheek piece and the tulip carving and the bizzar wiggly carving at the comb. The owner sent me the barrel and lock 2 years ago and told me to go ahead and run with it....I hope he'll like what I did! He should see it in person in a day or two.

I wish I could do more stuff like this, but most guys won't step outside the box and let me run.... $:-\$ Ek is always such an inspiration for this kind of stuff.

Acer Saccharum · « **Reply #24 on:** January 22, 2010, 12:27:09 AM »

Mike, if nobody wants it, send it to me. I love what you did with it. Chubby, long, early lookin'. What's not to like?

Tom

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Author Topic: At long last (Read 9707 times)

Mike R

Rootsy

Mike Norin

jim m

northmn

Daryl

California Kid