Posts Tagged ‘Custom carved’

Monster Desert Mule Deer Buck     

     This trophy desert mule deer relief carving on the Mauser rifle is completed.   The relief carving features a huge Mule Deer buck jumping over a downed Saguaro cactus skeleton.  The desert mountain backdrop with more Saguaros and a rocky foreground with Prickly Pear cactus complete the scene.    The harsh landscape of the Southwest Desert produces some enormous Mule Deer.   Like this one.  

 

     The forearm and grips were carved in a basketweave pattern.  Hand carved oak leaves accent the basketweave on all sides.   I also carved a nice 4×4 Mule Deer antler shed on the opposite side of the buttstock just below the cheek piece.   I took a photo of an actual shed that the client had and carved an exact copy of that shed antler.

 

     When I completed the carvings, the staining was done by using oil paints diluted down to work as more of a stain than paint.  The more coats I put on an area, the darker it became.   This allowed me to blend the light colored rump and belly of the Mule deer with the darker brown of the back and sides of the deer.   This brings in a more natural look.   The carvings were finished with a couple of coats of Tung Oil finish.

 

     This custom carved gunstock is ready to be both a rifle for hunting and a family heirloom for years to come.   The client and I spent quite a bit of time designing what he wanted in his custom carved rifle.   If this interests you, contact me, you and I can design the perfect carving for your rifle, shotgun, or handgun. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stoppin’ by……

Lance Larson

 

The Case of the Custom Carved Elk

 

       This is a wooden box designed to be a presentation pistol case that was build by a young man in a woodworking class in High School.   He plans to give the completed case to his Dad.   Maybe for Father’s Day?    It is made from poplar wood with brass corners, hinges, and locking clasps.   The case will have a bugling Bull Elk scene in the center of the lid, surrounded by carved pine boughs and pine cones.   The pine cones and branches are being carved in an inlaid style while the mountain meadow scene with the bugling Elk will be carved in full relief.   

 

     I thought it would be interesting for you to see my starting point for a relief carving.   It starts as just as an outline and then my fun is to take away everything that doesn’t look like an Elk.   Poplar wood is a light colored wood, so the case has been stained and finished.  The carving will be bringing back the light color, so staining the finished carvings with oil paints will be needed after the case is completed.

 

     I will be show you the completed carving of this Presentation Pistol Case soon.    Feel free to subscribe to my updates on the upper right side of this page so you don’t miss the update on the finished carving.

 

Thanks for stoppin’ by ……

Lance Larson

Custom Carving 1911 pistol grips

     I just finished a carving on a Rock Island Armory 1911 pistol in 38 super caliber.   The owner of this 1911 pistol needed a good looking, functional carving on the grips.   The grip on this 1911 pistol was a smooth hardwood and in the summer in Arizona, your hands can get anywhere from a little damp to down right sweaty when you’re at the range.  That makes gripping a pistol with a smooth grip a little tough.

     The 1911 pistol celebrates it’s 100th anniversary this year.  It was designed by John Moses Browning and became the official military sidearm in 1911.

 Here is a little history of the 1911 pistol, courtesy of Wikipedia:

John Browning’s most successful designs include the M1911 pistol, the Browning .50 caliber machine gun, the Browning Automatic Rifle, and a ground-breaking semi-automatic shotgun, the Browning Auto-5. These arms are nearly identical today to those assembled by Browning in the 1920s, with only minor changes in detail and cosmetics. Nearly all parts may be freely swapped between the earliest and latest of each series of these weapons, no matter when made, which has extended their service lifespan nearly indefinitely.

Service history

Battlefield experience in the First World War led to some more small external changes, completed in 1924. The new version received a modified type classification, M1911A1. Changes to the original design were minor and consisted of a shorter trigger, cutouts in the frame behind the trigger, an arched mainspring housing, a longer grip safety spur (to prevent slide bite), a wider front sight, a shorter spur on the hammer, and simplified grip checkering by eliminating the “Double Diamond” reliefs.^[4] Those unfamiliar with the design are often unable to tell the difference between the two versions at a glance. No significant internal changes were made, and parts remained interchangeable between the two. 

  World War II

World War II and the years leading up to it created a great demand. During the war, about 1.9 million units were procured by the U.S. Government for all forces, production being undertaken by several manufacturers, including Remington Rand (900,000 produced), Colt (400,000), Ithaca Gun Company (400,000), Union Switch & Signal (50,000), and Singer (500). So many were produced that after 1945 the government did not order any new pistols, and simply used existing parts inventories to “arsenal refinish” guns when necessary. This pistol was favored by US military personnel.^[6]

After World War II, the M1911 continued to be a mainstay of the United States Armed Forces in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. It was also used during Desert Storm in specialized U.S. Army units and US Navy Mobile Construction Battalions (Seabees), and has seen service in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, with U.S. Army Special Forces Groups and Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance Companies.

     As mentioned before, a more positive gripping surface was needed for this pistol.   The grips on a 1911 pistol are only about 1/4″ thick so the actual carving could not be very deep.   But it had to have a good gripping surface.   It was decided that adding a book-matched Basket Weave pattern to the grips would add the right amount of roughness as well as adding to the style of this 1911.   It also work perfectly with the pistol’s leather holster.  The leather on the holster was hand tooled in a Basket Weave pattern also.

    

 

 

    

    

    

     The grip carvings turned out to be a great gripping surface and a classy look that the owner was very happy with. 

     If you’re interested in this type of carving, give me a call, or drop me an email.

 

Thanks for stoppin’ by…

Lance Larson