CVA Mountain Rifle refinish

[RhinoDave]

Thanks for the comments so far, It's a long way from stain and finish. I do plan on a much darker finish. It is currently just bare wood. The stock is fairly plain maple with some birdseye, mostly in the wrist area, and some very slight curl on the top of the comb. Unfortunately, between arthritis and the shakes, it is very hard for me to work on this on a regular basis. Couple of pictures of the progress so far.

[/url]DSCF3186 by Dave, on Flickr[/img]

[/url]DSCF3185 by Dave, on Flickr[/img]

[/url]DSCF3191 by Dave, on Flickr[/img]

 

[eggwelder]

I think i`ll like your side plates

 

[necchi]

With the other stuff you've done,,(looks good)
I don't like the one with the patch box,, maybe something in that area but not that.
You've done some nice wire work on the lock panel,, maybe something like that on the patch box side that compliments or flows with the patch box.
Other wise you have too different things happening with the box,, round flowing curves with the box and the straight lines of the inlay, too close to each other, doesn't work for me.

There is nothing carved in stone that says you have to leave the inlay in the shape it's in,, maybe reshape the inlay to have all curvy lines (?) And set it in at an angle,, so the curve matches the lead edge of the box(?)

 

[RhinoDave]

Thanks everyone for the input. I think necchi hit it right on the head as to why it didn't quite seem right. As of right now, I got nothing more planned for that spot. May do some more wire work if I can come up with a decent design. Went to a muzzleloaders gunshow today and there was a full stock Hawken made by someone in Utah that had some beautiful but simple wire work including a bear on the buttstock, should have taken a picture.

 

[RhinoDave]

Update with a couple more things done. More wings on the forend and a deerhead on the butt.

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[/URL][/img] This is with .010 german silver wire. Hopefully they'll look better after stain and finish.

 

[necchi]

Wow, :thumbsup:

 

[Col. Batguano]

The wings and deer head look substantially more contemporary in design than historically grounded. You've done a really swell job in executing them that's for sure. I could almost see a cartoon caption coming out of the deer to the effect of; "Uh oh, Here comes Trouble.."

 

[RhinoDave]

Well, since this is on a run of the mill production rifle I wasn't too concerned about sticking to historical or traditional designs, I am guilty of copying some of my old work from 35 years ago. Hopefully this deerhead will look something like this one.

[/URL][/img]

 

[RhinoDave]

It's finally done. Thanks to all those who contributed their ideas and opinions.

 

[Mean Gene]

:thumbsup: Great work there Dave, very impressive you do some masterful work.

 

[coloradoclyde]

If you are looking for a critique of your work, please specify.
Otherwise I'll keep my thoughts to myself, not knowing how they will be received.

 

[Billnpatti]

If you are looking for a critique of your work, please specify.
Otherwise I'll keep my thoughts to myself, not knowing how they will be received.

What the......???? Clyde, I've never known you to be afraid to speak your opinions. Now, we may not always agree :slap: but I always respect your opinion. :thumbsup: Let it out, Clyde. Let it out. :haha:

 

[FishDFly]

Otherwise I'll keep my thoughts to myself, not knowing how they will be received.

At times "silence is golden", have to espect his thoughts, they are his and his alone.

 

[RhinoDave]

At this point, I'm not looking for anything. The rifle is finished. This is a public forum and I have a thick skin. One thing I've learned over the years is that you don't learn anything from simple praise, silence, or lip service. An honest critique or recommendations for future reference and use would be greatly appreciated but not specifically requested. In hindsight, I would have used an iron toeplate and browned it instead of using silver and I would have used a little darker stain but it is what it is, so for now I'm going to shoot it and enjoy the smoke. On to the next project.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I think the work that you did was done with great care and expertise....I look forward to more of your work....
However!....Your departure from traditional styling is a detractor, in the same way that flames, mag wheels and a hood ornament would be on a Conestoga wagon.

The computer drawn inlays are out of place....not only because of their style but they also do not flow with each other.....

The bold and bright color contrasts of the different metal surfaces is visually confusing.

The high gloss stock finish gives the appearance of being "plastic wrapped"

Take my comments with a grain of salt. :v

 

[Billnpatti]

I think the work that you did was done with great care and expertise....I look forward to more of your work....
However!....Your departure from traditional styling is a detractor, in the same way that flames, mag wheels and a hood ornament would be on a Conestoga wagon.

The computer drawn inlays are out of place....not only because of their style but they also do not flow with each other.....

The bold and bright color contrasts of the different metal surfaces is visually confusing.

The high gloss stock finish gives the appearance of being "plastic wrapped"

Take my comments with a grain of salt. :v

Well, Clyde, I salted the hell out of your comments and it didn't help, I still agree with you on all points. Wait, let me try just a bit more salt.......nope, I still agree with each of the points of your critique. However, I know there is another point on which we will agree and that is the fact that it is his rifle and he can decorate it however he wants. But, if he ever decides to sell it, it may not sell as quickly as one that has more traditional decorations on it.

 

[Zonie]

Well....
If there was one thing I would say, it is, the slotted screw on the buttplate sticks out like a sore thumb.

If the screw head was blued with a little Birchwood Casey Perma-Blue or it was heat blued, it would blend in with the adjacent surfaces better.

I can't see the top butt plate screw but assuming it is similar, a similar color treatment is (IMO) needed.

 

[coloradoclyde]

However, I know there is another point on which we will agree and that is the fact that it is his rifle and he can decorate it however he wants. But, if he ever decides to sell it, it may not sell as quickly as one that has more traditional decorations on it.

Absolutely!.....

One of the things I enjoy about this sport is being able to personalize certain items and endow them with one's own stamp....I love looking at other peoples renditions and solutions... :thumbsup:

 

[RhinoDave]

Thank you all for the input. Clyde, thanks for the frank and honest critique. I do plan on dulling the gloss as soon as I get my hands on some rotten stone. The buttplate screws are getting replaced as soon as I get the right sized oval headed screws. Probably just brown them to blend in a little. Can't do much about the deerheads. Chaulk them up to no artistic ability on my part. Same goes for all the other screws which are all pretty much buggered up and are getting replaced. Any ideas on how to dull and darken the German silver toeplate. I've pretty much decided to take it off and replace it with a browned iron one but thats going to wait until next Winter. I was wrong about silence not being a form of communication. It speaks volumes at times. I'm going to try to stick to more traditional forms for the rework of my Pennsylvania rifle. I hope I get a little more input on that so I don't make more poor choices.

 

[necchi]

:hatsoff: Hat's off Rhino,,
You take positive critique in a positive way :thumbsup:
Take that toe plate an take the shine off with course steelwool or 400 grit,, you can always polish it back.
When it comes to screws, a nice presentation has all the slots lined up,, symmetrical,, Is that PC or "traditional? Probably not but it looks good.
If your stuck with plated screws, a torch will burn the plating off if held in the heat with a pliers as a heat sink and leave a darker color to the head.