You brought back some memories some of which are pretty funny.
I worked as an apprentice in a late 18th- early 19th century gunshop which included doing interpretations for the public.
I would like to have nickle for everytime I heard "Ya'll make guns in here?"
Now keep in mind that we had a rack of stock blanks and barrels along one wall as well as several wooden boxes on the benches that included a box for locks, one for butt plates and trigger guards, one for ramrod pipes and muzzle caps, and another for the screws. Generally there were rifles in each of the vices on three work benches, in various stages of completion, and we were actually working on them as we talked. We also had a rack on the wall that included two original rifles as well as two or three that were priced and ready to sell. It seemed pretty obvious to me, but...
I must say working in front of the public was certainly an eye opener for me.
Another wives tale we heard often was "You can tell how tall the man was who owned that old gun, because they always made the barrels long enough so that he could put his hand over the end and rest his chin on it". Makes me wonder about those men when I see those 48" or longer barrels on guns.
Regards, Dave