is Mother-of-Pearl acceptable for inlay?

[joehenz]

I found what I think is a really cool 18th century looking inlay of a gryphon on a website that sells shell inlay for guitars (see photo).

I was thinking it might look neat on the cheek piece of the fowler I'm building. Was shell ever used for an inlay? If not, then the question is: how hard would it be to engrave that design in silver? (It doesn't look that complex, but I've never engraved before.) And also, is inletting a shape like that feasible for a mere mortal, or would I have to engrave it on an oval piece and inlet the oval?

 

[Stophel]

You might see pearl on French and German guns of the 17th century, but not really much in the 18th or later (ivory, horn, and bone are seen much more commonly). The English never really went for much inlay anyway.

 

[colmoultrie]

Perhaps not much, but that doesn't mean it didn't exist. Here's a 19th century Ky Rifle in the Space Farms collection.

See the topic under photos:

Some wild inletting...

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

A fowler, properly made, is complete in itself. Aside from some correct style checkering at the wrist and a bit of wire inlay about the tang anything else is going to be a sad attempt at gilding the lily. Mother of pearl in even the smallest amount, no matter how skillfully done, will stand out like a wart on the Mona Lisa's nose. At best it will be thought gauche, and the sort of folks who find it acceptable or worse still, attractive, are not people whom you would wish to associate with. For this sort of person will steal your wallet, frame you for chicken stealing and even tell your friends that you voted for Obumma. Is a bit of flashy, trashy bling really worth all that grief? I say nay, lad! Save yourself while you still can. The path of righteousness awaits! :thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

Lets not forget what John Wayne thought of mother of pearl...

 

[Mike Brooks]

Keep in mind the dust from MOP will kill you when you're working with it.

 

[paulab]

swampy.........I think it was George C. Scott in the movie "Patton" "nobody but a pimp in a cheap New Orleans whore house..............." :rotf:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Thats a rarity for sure. It's been documented as belonging to Little Brucie Pinkbottom, a famous ballet dancer of the early 19th century. Pinkie, as his mother--the only woman in his life--called him, had always wanted a rifle but his mother worried that he would hurt himself and refused to let him have one. Finally, deciding that he was old enough to be careful with a gun, she relented and had this rifle made for his 51st birthday. As a precaution, however, it was designed to hold only 3 grains of F granulation powder. Rather than making a loud bang it went poof--which many thought appropriate. Brucie was ecstatic and gave Mother a big wet kiss and, grabbing his new rifle, turned and began to prance across the room. Alas, the weight of the rifle proved too much for the frail lad and he fell forward and drowned in a large punch bowl. The last view many had of poor Brucie was of him with his head down and his nether regions up--a sight not uncommon to many present that day! The funeral, while a solemn affair, was an explosion of pink and puce and mauve(whatever that is). It was remarked later that it was gayest funeral anyone could recall. The rifle was put away in a closet and forgotten for years. When found it was donated to its present resting place. And Brucie still resides in his.

 

[colmoultrie]

Geez, you guys are harsh! :grin:

Look, if the poor guy wants one shell inlay, I don't think it'll lok bad at all, if well done. Perhps it might look better as an esceutscheon on the wrist, but that's his taste.

For that matter, many fowlers didn't have cheek pieces, but you guys aren't jumping all over him for that - probably because some did.

As it stands, we don't know what type of fowler he's building - French, British, Germanic, or Dutch, so give him a bit of a break.

I show you pictures of an original that don't fit your preconceptions, and you guys break out in ridicule. :shake: Granted, I posted the pics because they're unusual and not to my taste, but they're there.

 

[Stophel]

Inlays like this look best when there are lots of them. Dragons, Putti, flowering vines, wirework, silver dots, etc. :wink:

 

[LaBonte]

swampy.........I think it was George C. Scott in the movie "Patton" "nobody but a pimp in a cheap New Orleans whore house..............." :rotf:

The problem with that quote is Patton was full of "it". It is fact that LOTS of real shootists such as many of the early 19th Century Texas Rangers, including Frank Hamer who took down Bonnie & Clyde and others, and Border Patrolman Tom Three Persons who was one heck of a gunfighter (his "body count" was over 20) carried Colt SAA's with MOP grips......So tell me again how only "fairies" and pimps carry such guns...See RL Wilson's book the Peacemakers for pics - and JW was a great actor but far from a real gunfighter.....

As for putting in the inlay - I agree with coulmoutire - it's YOUR gun and if somebody doesn't like it tell them piss up a rope and stand under it!

 

[rabjr]

swampy.........I think it was George C. Scott in the movie "Patton" "nobody but a pimp in a cheap New Orleans whore house..............." :rotf:

Your probably right as I'm in a bit of a fog atm. But I do Know the Duke preferred Ivory and probably wouldn't be caught dead with Mother of Pearl scales on hid six guns.

But hey by all means be different and inlay one. You'll never see me do something just because everyone else is doing it. Be different I say!

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Many fowlers DID have cheek pieces. English and American fowlers are not known to have had mother of pearl inlays because they look cheap and tacky and spoil a fine and elegant gun. Damn few rifles have them probably for the same reasons and also because mother of pearl tends to be fragile.

However, as someone said. it should be the owner's choice and it will be the perfect accessory if one patronizes cheap houses of ill repute.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

The original rifle may have had those excresences added by the owner long after the rifle was built. And he may have been a New Orleans pimp or just an ignorant jerk who had no taste whatsoever. Or maybe it really was Brucie Pinkbottom's rifle... :v

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Well personally, I much prefer ivory grips to mother of pimp, but that's a matter of taste. Mother of pearl is far more brittle than ivory and prone to chipping and breaking and old revolvers with these grips often show this.

As for pissing up a rope and standing under it, is this how you guys take showers in the Southern Rockies? LaBonte, have I got some great news for you! They invented this thing called a shower--well technically what you've been doing is a shower too, I suppose--a golden one--but this one is indoors and has hot AND COLD water and you don't have to drink gallons of your favorite beverage or have a friend give you a hand, well not exactly a hand but you know what I mean, in order to shower. You can shower twenty times a day and never again suffer that annoying bursting bladder feeling. They're available on-line with different colored tiles and even, on special order, mother of pearl inlays on the shower head! Wow, huh? No more smelling like a urinal right after every shower. You can use soap and shampoo if you want, but maybe you should start slow--just soap. Try pinkbottomhottiles.com :thumbsup:

 

[Cosmoline]

I personally love MOP, but Pimpin' ain't easy

 

[rabjr]

Now Ya did it, just got this thread tossed into purgatory... :shake:

 

[joehenz]

Okay, now that you guys have all answered my first question, what about the second question?

 

[Mike Brooks]

Okay, now that you guys have all answered my first question, what about the second question?

Engrave? if you have about ten years and a good instructor it's possible.

 

[Stophel]

I can imagine that it is VERY prone to chipping during engraving.