Posts Tagged ‘Basketweave carving’

Gunstock Carving – Replacing Pressed Checkering 

 

     A few weeks ago I received an email from a gentleman from Georgia that wanted a custom gunstock carving done to commemorate the one year anniversary of his business, a website and forum dedicated to the outdoors.   You can check out his website and forum at www.theoutdoorstrader.com

     He had a pump action shotgun he was going to give away for the anniversary and wanted it customised and his logo carved in it also.  After sending a few drawing back and forth via email regarding what we could do with the old, uneven pressed in checkering (take a look at the forearm below), we decided on a design and he sent me the stock.

 

 

    The design he decided on was replacing the pressed checkering with a basketweave pattern with maple leaf accent carvings.    I noticed when the stock arrived that it was a solid walnut stock.   Because of this, the carvings were only going to need a nice Tung Oil finish when complete.   The first step was to draw out where the leaves would go and carve those areas.   Then to remove the checkering where the basketweave would go.  Removing the checking is a slow process  – once you cut out the checkering and even out the area, it has to be sanded smooth and a finish applied.   I always apply a light finish at this point so the pattern will stick to the area to be carved.

     The areas that had the checkering were darker because of the pressure indentations used to make them and the oil from years of hands holding the grip and forearm.   It is also caused by the oiling of the shotgun for general upkeep over the years.   Once the finish coat dried I applied the pattern and cut the basketweave into the prepared area.  I also cut out the leaping deer which was the client’s website logo.

      As you can see the areas between the weave is removed and then the weave itself is shaped and carved to look like a rattan weave.  The leaves are carved and shaped after the basketweave is complete.   When carving leaves it is important to give them depth and give them some texture.   Having dried leaves to look at help you in this - many different types of leaves to look at – Photos, Drawings, Artwork, Actual leaves to put your hands on – they all help.   The true key to carving leaves is Practice, Practice, Practice.

     The carving area seemed a bit light colored in the leaf carving areas and darker in the areas that had been checkering so I chose to give the entire carved area a coat of walnut stain.   Before I added the stain, I coated the carving area with a coal of Minwax pre-stain  to make sure the wood stain would be taken in evenly by the wood.  

     By the way, the deer carving was just an outline cutout and I removed a bit of the depth (about a 1/16th of an inch) and stippled the entire area.  Stippling is just tapping the entire area with a small round headed burr.  It’s very time consuming but it has a good look.   I finished the carvings off with two coats of Tung Oil finish and it’s ready for the field. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     If you have some checkering you would like to have replace on an old  cherished firearm – give me a call – drop me an email – lets talk.

Thanks for stoppin’ by……

Lance Larson

 

 

A Squirrel Gun – Literally !

     This is the rifle stock I am carving for the “Friends of NRA” that I mentioned in a previous blog.    The actual carving of the custom gun stock is complete, but now the staining and finishing needs to be done.  After I designed and carved the gun stock on this Ruger model 10/22, I coated all the carved areas with a coat of Minwax pre-stain conditioner.  This allows for an even stain color on this hardwood.   Without this step, the stained area would come out blotchy.   

     I let the stock dry for 30 minutes then put a liberal amount of Minwax ”special walnut” stain on all the carved areas.  I use the oil-based stains, not water-based.   Yes, It’s Messy – Rubber gloves and numerous rags are a must for this step!   I let the stain sit on the stock for a few minutes and wiped off the excess.   I wanted the base color a little darker so I did another coat, let it stand for two more minutes, and wiped it again.   It’s now ready for staining the contrasting colors of the leaves, bark , of course the squirrel.

      I used oil paints to stain the carved areas.   If you dilute the paints down they are an endless array of colored wood stains.    A little bit of mixing with the yellow and the red paints got me the variations of the fall color of the maple leaves.   Stains enhance the carving details (you can even see the wood grain through the stains) - thick paint would cover up intricate details like the vanes in the leaves and the squirrels hair.

 

     I contrasted the Maple leaf carvings with a basket weave pattern on the grip and the forearm of this rifle.   I made sure the stain brought out the texture of the individual strands of “rattan” in the weave.    The carving on the oppose side of the buttstock is the logo of the “Friends of NRA”.    I finished it off with a Tung Oil Finish.   I was happy to donate my designs and carvings to this great cause.   This Custom Carved Rifle will be part of a live auction at the Pinal County “Friends of NRA” Fundraising Banquet on April 30th in Casa Grande, AZ.     I will be carving the winning bidder’s initials or name in the stock at their request.

If you would like to bid on, and own this rifle, or…. if you are in the Casa Grande, Arizona area and would like to attend this fundraising event, here is a link with information:

http://www.friendsofnra.org/EventDetails.aspx?eid=7599&sid=3

 

Thanks for stoppin by’

Lance Larson

Another rifle with a story to tell …

 The story behind this custom carved gunstock is that it started with a Weatherby Vangard rifle purchased with a tax return check.  The stock was added a few years later and shaped from a Maple Burl gunstock blank the the owner had been saving for the right rifle project.  It was shaped by a company specializing in aftermarket wood gunstocks.  Fast forward two years and a hunt of a lifetime was planned.  A trip to Texas to hunt the largest Antelope in the world, The African Eland.  They can tip the scales at almost a ton!  The owner was sure he would never make it to Africa to hunt but had always wanted to hunt Eland.  By going to hunt the Eland in Texas, there was the bonus of filling the freezer with steaks.  After his trip he wanted to add a memory to his stock to commemorate the hunt.  Carving African animals, any type of African animal  is one of my favorite carvings to do so I was happy to do this carving for him.

 

Here is some information about The African Eland courtesy of Wikipedia: 

The elands are spiral-horned antelopes belonging to the Bovid tribe of Tragelaphini. Females weigh  660–1,300 lb,  and stand 49–60 in at the shoulder.  Bulls weigh 880–2,200 lb,  and stand 59–72 in at the shoulder.   Coats are generally smooth at most of the body with a rough mane. Females have a tan coat, while males have a darker tan coat with a blueish-grey tinge; there may also be a series of white stripes vertically on the sides of bulls (mainly in parts of the Karoo in South Africa). But as males age they tend to turn a grayer color. Males have dense fur on their foreheads and a large dewlap. Both sexes have horns, about 26 in long and with a steady spiral ridge (resembling that of the bushbuck). The horns of males are shorter (17–26 in) and thicker than the females (20–27 in), which are more pointed. The female’s horns are wider set and thinner than the male’s. The eland has a mass of about 650 kilograms, which is the double of the kudu. They have a hump at the shoulder and a broad fold of skin hanging from the neck.  Elands are said to be one of the slowest antelopes and can even jump over a height of 2.5 meters or above.  Elands have an average lifespan of 15–20 years, and some have been known to live for as many as 25 years.  When walking, tendon or joints in the eland’s foreleg produce a sharp clicking sound, the cause of which has not been widely investigated. The sound carries some distance and is a good indication of an approaching herd.  Scientists take it as a form of communication in elands.

 

The Maple Burl stock blank had been air dried for five years before shaping it into the gun stock.   Maple is a dense wood so it took the detail very well.   I did use photos of the client’s Eland to do the initial drawing and designing of the final design.  The Burl in the buttstock was too beautiful to carve over so I used a freeform border design and worked the Eland into the Burl without taking away from the natural grain.   The stock’s pistol grip and forend were done with a Basket Weave & Oak Leaves combination.   The caliber was a .300 Weatherby magnum so a good solid grip style was requested and a basket weave fit the bill with both solid grip and classic looks. 

This is a working rifle that gets used even with the carvings.   I am always happy to see a client happy with the work and also planning to continue to hunt with the rifle.   It is always good to know there will be more memories made with this family heirloom.    To develop your own heirloom, drop me a line.

Thanks for stoppin’ by…

Lance Larson  

Do you need to “Get a Grip” ?

Carved gunstocks and carved pistol grips look great, there is a functional reason that grips and forearms are carved on guns.  It is so you can….. get a grip.

The importance of getting a good grip on your firearm has been around almost as long as firearms themselves.   There are many ways that gripping surfaces have been on put on firearms.  The most common gunstock grip is wood checkering.   There are many levels of quality when it comes to checkering.  Quality hand checkering is a classic look for a firearm.  This is something you don’t find on standard rifles and shotguns from the major manufacturers anymore because of the cost involved.   Heck, it’s getting hard to find wood stocks on guns now, much less good checkering.  

The first thing I saw to replace hand checkering was Pressed Checkering.  The stock was pressed with a mold of something that looked like checkering under high pressure to make a dent in the stock.   It looked cheap – It was cheap.   Some rifle models even came out with a pressed basketweave.   It didn’t look much like basketweave and it was smooth – very little grip.   Many manufacturers have now moved on to Laser checkering.  It works better the pressed checkering but is still lower quality than hand checkered guns from a true craftsman. 

But there are the other custom options……..Options that can be added to your rifle , shotgun, or pistol anytime.  These options are hand carved  stocks and grips.   Your carving choices are totally up to your likes and dislikes and can include, but are not limited to, basketweave, fishscale, stippling, feathers, leaves, birds & animals, etc.  

Basketweave – This is a great grip carving that can be put over the top on pressed checkering to really improve the looks of your gun.  There are many variation of size and style that can be added.  It can also be used over press basketweave patterns to add real quality.   The basketweave carving on the left is on the Maple Burl stock of a 300 Weatherby Magnum rifle.   This type of carving goes very well with accent carving such as leaves.  Definitely a style that adds a positive grip.

Fishscale – This has a classic look and can also be carved over the pressed checkering.   The style looks great in conjunction with leaf accent carvings.  This style also works well with animal and bird accent carvings such as the Pheasant carvings on the stock to the right.  The carving  is on a Ithaca 16 gauge side by side shotgun.  This is a classic carving style as well as great grip design.

Leaves – They work anywhere in stock carvings, usually as an accent.  The work well by themselves on a smooth wood pistol grip for a much better “grip”.    I did an entire gunstock with leaves completely covering both sides of the .22 rifle.   With leaf carvings, there are number of options.  As many options as there are different shaped leaves.  Oak, Maple, and Aspen leaves are just a few choices.

Feathers -  These can look great in certain situations.  I have done these several times on pistol grips and also have worked them into shotgun grips and forearms.  Classic lever action rifles could also be candidates for feathers carving designs.  The Turkey feathers carved on the forend at the right were done complete with a simulated Ivory inlay at the feather tips.  This is more of a subtle carving style.  The carving of a feather does not have any real high and low relief points.  It is a somewhat smooth carving.

Birds & Animals - Here you are only limited by your imagination.   Birds and animals can work well with other types of carvings on your grip areas.   How about a squirrel on a tree limb on the grip of a 22 rifle.   Maybe Pheasants or Quail or your best Gundog carved on your favorite shotgun.   Possibly a Bull Elk carving for your favorite elk rifle.

Getting a grip can be as simple or a elaborate as you want.   As I mentioned before, let your imagination take you away when you work on a design.  Make your rifle, shotgun, or pistol truely your own.   Go ahead, you’ll be glad you “Got a Grip.”

 

Thanks for stoppin’ by…..

Lance Larson

Fine Old Mauser Rifles…if only they could talk…….

 

 

     My friends tell me I have an affliction….. an addiction if you will….. and it’s old Mauser rifles.    They keep telling me to quit buyin’ and huntin’ with antiques and buy a new rifle ….in a new caliber.    They may be right, but it’s not gonna happen.   Old walnut stocked rifles are too much fun (and I can’t stand those”tupperware” synthetic stocks – you can’t carve on them.)   I have two other old Mausers and they’re in European metric calibers.   That means you can’t buy ammo down at Walmart.   

     I was at a Gun Show recently  and a man directly across the aisle had a rifle displayed that caught my eye.   It was a customized Swedish Mauser, in ‘6.5x55mm Swede’ caliber, and it was built on a Mauser model 98 action.   Since most guns of that caliber and age were built on smaller, Mauser model 96 actions, I gave it a closer look.   Then I noticed it had a double set trigger and an engraved butter knife bolt handle, both of which was definitely the sign of a good custom rifle for the time.  The action was a smooth as silk and….. it followed me home.

     First, let me tell you, this rifle is not worth a lot of money.  There was no real collector value because it had been sporterized.   The true value of this rifle, for me, is the history.  The history of the caliber, the action, and the part of the world it originally came from…Sweden.  And since I’m a “Swede”, I always wanted one of these rifles.   The 6.5×55 caliber was designed in 1891.   Yes, old but still very, very, very effective.   The Mauser model 98 action came out in 1898 and has not really been improved upon in 112 years.   There were bolt action rifles before it but the Model 98 was the pinnacle of design. 

 

Here is a little history of this caliber and rifle from Wikipedia:

 

6,5×55 caliber – Sporting use

The 6.5x55mm cartridge is highly esteemed as a hunting round in Europe, Scandinavia, and North America. It is used for harvesting most kind of game including reindeer and moose in Scandinavia, while in Canada and the United States it is used for taking deer and other medium-sized game. Sportsmen who favor the round laud the combination of low recoil coupled with the cartridge’s inherent accuracy and superb penetrative qualities.

European rifle makers including Sauer,CZ, Steyr, and Mauser offer sporting rifles chambered for this cartridge, as does the Finnish arms manufacturer SAKO/Tikka, while ammunition manufacturers such as Norma, Lapau and Hornady offer loadings of the 6.5x55mm round that are designed for use only in modern hunting rifles that can tolerate higher chamber pressures. These modern loadings should never be used in older military rifles .

The cartridge is also used in the Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian Target Rifle).

The 6.5x55mm cartridge was widely used in biathlon competition until 1975 (when it was replaced by the.22 Long Rifle(.22 LR) rimfire cartridge), because of its inherent accuracy and historical popularity with the Scandinavian nations who have dominated this sport.

 

     The stock was a military stock that someone had sporterized very nicely.  Obviously the double set trigger was added during the original work.   Another item I found after I got it home was a marking on the bottom of the barrel the read “Fine Firearms, Avondale, AZ”.  I have found no information at this time about this gunsmith shop but I’m still researching.  

 

     Important Safety Tip:  One thing to make sure of before buying an old firearm is that the rifle’s barrel is marked with the correct caliber of the gun.   Even then, have it checked by a professional gunsmith before you fire it.     Saying that, this custom rifle had no caliber markings on the barrel, but I had the ability to make sure of the caliber myself, so it came home anyway.    

 

     Before deciding what type of carving I was going to complete on this stock, I needed to do some research.  I looked at a couple of aspects…….what type of game was commonly taken with the 6.5×55 caliber, and what style of carvings were common in Europe in the early part of the last century.  That is why I chose a Bull Moose carving for the buttstock of this rifle.  This caliber has been a common moose hunting caliber for many years in Scandinavian countries.

 

     Basket weave carving was somewhat common on the higher end custom guns of this era, so that’s what I elected to carve on the grip and forearm.   Acanthus leaf patterns were carved as borders around the basket weave.  These were also common borders for the period.  This custom gunstock carving was made to look like it had been on the gunstock for 50 years by copying the older carving styles. 

 

     I really do wish this old rifle could tell us her stories.  I’m sure this was a working rifle for it’s owner or owners, not a “safe queen” that never saw the field.  What animals had she hunted?   On how many continents had she been hunting?    How many hunting campfires had she been part of?   That, to me, is the magic of these fine old Mauser rifles. 

 

     Oh yeah, she’s pretty accurate too.    The stories for this rifle are not over.

 

     Thanks for stoppin’  by

     Lance Larson