Another Flintlock Pistol I made

[george wilson]

This pistol,with box,and accessories were made in the80's or 90's. I can't recall. I sold it to the president of a major chemical company with a 3 letter name.

When I posted a lion's mask brooch in the classifieds last year,the sterling silver brooch was cast from the butt of this pistol. The original mask was hand chiseled from solid brass. It took about a month of evenings for me to make the mask alone. I got the mask cast and made the new owner's wife a brooch from it as a little extra gift.

The gun stock was made from a piece of walnut firewood a friend gave me. He saw that the way the grain curved was a perfect match to make a flintlock pistol from. I dried the wood for a few years before using it.

The brass side plate is not a casting. It was sawn from 1/8" brass,and filed and chiseled by hand.

The butt was forged from a flat piece of brass by a process I developed,but feel was the way the originals were made: I developed a pattern that resembled the planet Saturn seen edge on,except the rings thickened and flowed into the circular planet as they approached it. The planet's body was forged into a hemispherical cavity in a steel die I made for the purpose. As the butt was forged,it was annealed several times. The deeper I forged the body of the planet,the more upright the "wings" became. Finally,I bent the wings into an even arc,capable of sliding up into the mating inletting I made in the grip of the pistol. Unless these wings were accurately and evenly circular,they would not slip up into the inlets. Finally,the outside surfaces of the butt cap and its wings were chiseled and riffler filed into the "gulleys" near the raised edges. Engraved lines enhanced these gullies. After I developed a way to forge these butts in 1 piece(as they should be made),the gunsmith's shop started to do them this way,instead of brazing 2 halves together.

The mask has a flat tail on it which fits into a fitted,tapered mortise in the grip of the gun. It is secured by a hand filed screw that has no head,and is a straight,tapered shape. As it is screwed in,the mask is drawn tighter against the butt,holding both in securely. The originals were done this way. The strap of the trigger guard covers this screw.

The lock is mostly hand file work. I left it bright,though the frizzen was hardened so the flint would spark against it. The name is hand engraved.

The barrel is a half round,"swamped" shape,and half octagon. Details were hand filed into the octagon. The barrel was fire blued in my oven at about 750º,a real STRAIN on the kitchen oven!

The ramrod "pipes" are of an early style since they are round rather than octagon. These details could be custom ordered by the customer. To make them,I turned the moldings into about a 2" diameter brass tube on the lathe. Then,pieces were sawn off,and bent around mandrels to fit the ram rod. The parts that go up into the stock were filed flat,like originals,and secured by small steel pins that go through the stock. These molded ramrod pipes were sometimes drawn flat through a die in the old days,then bent circular. I had no wire drawing setup.

The maker's name is hand engraved on an inlet silver plate on the top of the barrel.

The shell carving around the breech of the gun is typical of fine English guns,wrapping up into a swirl at its base. Sometimes they were symmetrical. I like this style better.

This pistol's mask represents the skinned face of the lion that Hercules took as a trophy. Often,references to classical tales were used on guns,architecture,and other things in the 18th. C.,and in the periods before,and after,though in the 19th.C.,ornament began to become decadent,and too many references were just thrown together in a meaningless way.

I see my label was completely whited out by the photographer's lights.

The mahogany case has a wool broadcloth lining. I had to hand file out the hooks,and made the lock,too. I did not make the handle atop the case,as good ones are available. The hinges are high quality cast brass,like the old ones were.



I decided to include a picture of a late 18th-early 19th.C. pistol I made so you scan see the differences in style that evolved. The later gun is more stark and business like.

[David Weaver]

George, if you did crappier work, you might still have some of the things you made.

Do you proof fire these pistols after you make them?

[george wilson]

Yess,though do you know that proofing is no longer required in this country(especially not with black powder guns). I'd think high powered guns would be proofed,but apparently not these days.

[David Weaver]

If I made a pistol like that, i would for sure want to get at least one loading out of it before I sent it off. I didn't know guns didn't have to be proofed. I think my rugers came with a spent shell, but I think that has to do with laws or possible laws about ballistic fingerprinting, and not with proofing.

I guess there must be a cheaper way to check the barrels electronically, but I'd rather have a proofed gun.

[george wilson]

The guns made in Williamsburg are thoroughly proofed,as well they should be,having hand forged barrels made from wrought iron,with all the silicon inclusions.

There is a gun show today,but I can hardly get around. Besides,I'm not going till all the mad rush to buy guns and ammo at vastly inflated prices,dies down.

[Chris Griggs]

That is beautiful George. I love the piece of walnut you used. I wish I could get as saw handle look like that. What did you finish it with?

The metal work on it is something else too!

[george wilson]

I finished it with Tru Oil. I have a slide that shows the real color of the wood better,but I have to find it. I put up the pistol rather than the treadle lathe because I'm not doing very well with my back,and these pictures were more readily at hand.

[Mel Fulks]

Most helpful to have the commentary with the pictures, in particular,I had wondered before what the origin of the mask was. I got a deal on some green wool baize few years back at a yard sale,someones long put off pool table redo. Is that the type you use? Or is there a special ,better period type?

[george wilson]

I used pool table cloth at the time,but now I have some real baize. The real cloth was a cheap kind of cloth,looking rather like miniature burlap. Very rough when you look at it closely. There's now a guy selling it for $30.00 a yard. They used it on many things,well up into the late 19th.C.. I've seen it in violin cases.

[Mel Fulks]

Does that open weave type use just apply to box type use,or was that type also used on the early card tables?.I always wonder about that when I see old tables. Seen a bunch with old woven cloth and always wonder if its original. Thanks

[Jim Koepke]

Nice workmanship, thanks for posting.

jtk

[Chris Griggs]

I finished it with Tru Oil. I have a slide that shows the real color of the wood better,but I have to find it. I put up the pistol rather than the treadle lathe because I'm not doing very well with my back,and these pictures were more readily at hand.


This is just as cool to see. I really like this.

I've seen Tru Oil mentioned a lot for various things in addition to gun stocks. What is in it? Is it an oil vanish blend of some kind? How stinky is it?

[george wilson]

It is no stinkier than oil based varnish. It dries in a few hours. I don't recommend it for objects that require thick,multiple coatings as it will take a print long after out is dry. I tried varnishing a violin with it long ago,as it is a very pretty finish. The legs of the violin bridge sank through the Tru Oli all the way to the wood,after it had had months to dry. It works fine on gunstocks with just a few wiped on coats.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks for the info George. Sounds like it would make a nice tool handle finish. I think I've seen a number of folks mention using it for that.

[Leigh Betsch]

Beautiful George. What caliber? Did you make the barrel, is it riffled? Does the guy ever shoot it or does he just look at it? I'm a believer in collecting things, and taking care of them. But personally I only collect things that I also use. I hope he finds time to target shoot a bit with it. And pointing it at the cat would also be good fun.
I like tru oil on hand plane totes, with wax over the top.

[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.

[george wilson]

The brass I used was 260 alloy. I just heated it to dull red and either quenched it or let it air cool. Best too let it cool a bit before quenching it because it can actually(and I've done it on thin pieces) crack severely. It does not need to be quenched at all. Air cooling is safer and gives the same result. Just takes longer.

If you are having some kind of trouble,I don't know what it causing it. I never heard of burning the zinc out. Is your brass very thin? Actually,in helping make jewelry models for my wife's business,we use .020" brass a lot. Are you SURE your metal was brass? Do you know the alloy? Were you heating it above dull red? It can soon slump if you do. Maybe you kept it hot for too long? I stop heating it as soon as I can see it's red.

Brass will work harden if hammered too much. In fact,the Japanese kept making matchlock guns many years after they were obsolete because they did not know how to make a steel spring. Hammered brass makes a suitable spring for a matchlock,weak as it is. All it does is hold the cock up out of the pan. No real force is required.

When they started building the Jefferson Accelerator near here,they asked me to make springs from phosphor bronze(there would have been thousands!!) Fortunately,they decided to go digital. I really didn't want the job!

[Joseph Klosek]

George,

When you proof fire the pistol, do you then adjust for accuracy?

I am curious as to the intent of the use of such a thing.

Is it a showcase of the makers talent and acumen meant to represent the owners status, or will it really function when pressed into duty?

What is it like to fire such a thing?

Very cool !

Thanks,

Joseph

[george wilson]

A flintlock pistol generally has no adjustable sights. The later target pistol I also made has an adjustable rear sight,but most do not. They were just made for close range defense.Yes,they function,and they were often status symbols. Most gentlemen had a pair of dueling pistols,and perhaps a pair of shorter barreled traveling pistols. Travel was dangerous. You had to be ready to defend yourself.

It is fun to fire the pistols. They make a big cloud of smoke. They can kick pretty hard,depending upon how much powder you put in. Most of the time about 25 or 30 grains would be used in a pistol(depended on the caliber). The gunsmith's shop once loaded one of their guns with 90 grains,and it kicked so hard the silver trigger guard got deformed against the knuckle of the shooter. 90 grains is a heavy hunting charge in a 60 caliber rifle!

The lock goes off first,then the main charge,with a Fa-Boom. The best guns go off more quickly than those of less quality. Durs Egg,a famous London maker,made some pistols with their locks on upside down. The powder in their pans would burn up before it could fall out. A disadvantage was,if the gun failed to ignite,you lost the primer. It was a means to advertise how fast his guns would fire.

Your hands can quickly get dirty when shooting black powder,especially revolvers. I have a Remington repro that used to make my trigger finger completely black. I brazed up the hole that the trigger came through in the trigger guard,so that there was barely room for the trigger to move. That helped a lot. Just loading gets you dirty,though. 20 shots with the Remington and it's cylinder would not turn any more. Being in battle must have been rough,unless you had water to spare to clean your gun. The barrels get full of crud,too,and must be cleaned.

What is not fun is cleaning!! Black powder is very corrosive,and I am always quick to clean the gun. You have to take it apart and clean with soapy water(to keep water off the stock). I usually put the steel parts in a 200 degree oven for a little while to get rid of the water,then oil everything.

[george wilson]

If any of you shoot black powder,use Swiss brand powder. Goex is much messier,and so is Elephant powder(actually made from elephant dung).