Another Flintlock Pistol I made

[phil harold]

I love how the case is so plain that encases the jewel!

[george wilson]

The barrel is 50 cal.,rifled. I bought a barrel blank,and did the outside contours,but did not rifle it.

Mel,I don't know what early card tables used. I just haven't ever checked on it. I'd hope they used something better than baize.

[Mel Fulks]

George ,thanks for reply .My apology to all for such a tangent.

[george wilson]

Not a tangent at all,Mel. I described quite a few details,including the cloth lining. If I wasn't so messed top right now,I'd go take a picture of my roll of "baize" cloth,which looks pretty authentic,and was found in a flea market.

[Mel Fulks]

I've seen some like you described,please don't trouble yourself with picture. I guess what I want to know is if all the old stuff was open weave, or if it was sold in different qualities. I do know they called the table stuff baize,too.Thanks.

[george wilson]

Phil,gun cases were most often just like the one I made for this pistol. At least,English cases were. French cases could become much more decorative,with the compartments "French fitted" and contoured from velvet to just fit the pieces. They could have neatly rolled edges all around the fitting,too. I rather like the plainer English style better,myself.

[Gary Herrmann]

Beautiful work, George.

[Scott T Smith]

Absolutely stunning George.

[george wilson]

I did not make the powder measure,though it is an authentic style.There were limits to the time I could spend on this vs. the price!! The wooden lid covers where the lead balls,flints,and wads were kept.

[Charles McKinley]

Absolutely Beautiful work George.

[Jeff Willard]

And pointing it at the cat would also be good fun.

I have a feeling that the cat might think differently. 'Cept mebbe if it had a laser.

[george wilson]

I would never point a gun at my kit-eees !! My dogs are so afraid of guns,they cower down if they hear a .22 half a mile away!! I used to have a dog who would stand under a .357,waiting for it to go off!! I had to run him away to keep him from going deaf while I was shooting.

[Steve Barksdale]

George,

Your work defines the word, “craftsmanship.” Beautiful.

I have a question, or more realistically numerous questions on how you go about a project like this, e.g., do you keep a notebook? Do you sketch out the piece in detail before you start working? Do you thoroughly research each project before you begin? I guess what I am curious about is the process that you go through before you ever flip on a light in your workshop.

I apologize if this is covered in another thread and my questions are redundant (I couldn’t really find anything) but I am very interested in how you approach a project like this.

Thanks for your time.

[Karl Andersson]

George,
gorgeous work, to be sure, thank you for sharing it with us. Regarding annealing the brass for the buttplate, I've tried it with a toch and ended up with discoloration and stiffer metal; from what I've read, I probably burnt some of the zinc out of the alloy. What process do you recommend to anneal brass, and should anything be done, aside from forge-stiffening during shaping, to temper/harden it after final shaping and engraving?
thanks,
Karl

[george wilson]

Steve,your question is a very good one. Next question? Just kidding!

First after the career I've had in museum work,I am keenly aware that if a historical object is not made correctly in all details,it is junk,no matter how good the craftsmanship. This really keeps me from "just having fun"!

I researched pistols and mulled things over for about 6 months before starting work. I had to be careful of all details. Styles changed more slowly in the 18th.C. than they do now. It seems like changes in style happened about every 15 years(at least in this subject). The angle of the grip goes further down the closer you get to the 19th.C.. At the end of the 18th.C.,grips that bent down all the way to 90º are seen. Notice the grip angle on the later model pistol I posted for comparison.

Details like the ramrod pipes changed. I chose somewhat earlier round pipes with moldings for my gun,although they could have been octagonal. Choices like this were left to the customer,and I did see a pistol of a later vintage that had these earlier pipes in one of my books,so there was precedent for that choice.

The shape of the pan on the lock: English locks usually had round pans. German were octagonal. There are many,many little details that have to be considered and carefully researched if you want to make a valid piece.

It has been a while since I made this gun,and I've forgotten why I made each design choice by now,but they were all carefully researched at the time. I've accumulated a good size library over the years so I could do this research at home,though Colonial Williamsburg has a large and extensive library that all employees and retirees have access to.