Long Fowler Restored

[SDSmlf]

Great work! Would be awesome to see converted back to flintlock. That beautiful gun deserves it.

Converting it back to flint would be an abomination in my opinion, unless one had all the original components to do it. Not going to happen. Converting it basically makes it a parts gun. Modifications have been made. You can not change the history of this gun, but you can preserve it. Good job, at least in my opinion.

 

[OldRust]

A stand of earlyView attachment 48038 and later punt and long fowlers
Feltwad

That is a lot of cool history ! If only they could talk Thanks for sharing O.R.

 

[Robby]

I am not a restorer so when I hear, 'it was converted to a cap lock and should remain that way', I have to admit I am a little mystified. If a capable man such as Feltwad restored it back to flint, wouldn't that be a true restoration(?), its history could be kept in the form of pictures and the hardware removed. I'm not trying to be contentious, I just don't understand.
Robby

 

[toot]

A stand of earlyView attachment 48038 and later punt and long fowlers
Feltwad

I would like to thank you for sharing them with us.

 

[Feltwad]

I am not a restorer so when I hear, 'it was converted to a cap lock and should remain that way', I have to admit I am a little mystified. If a capable man such as Feltwad restored it back to flint, wouldn't that be a true restoration(?), its history could be kept in the form of pictures and the hardware removed. I'm not trying to be contentious, I just don't understand.
Robby

Robby I can see where you coming from but why I do not believe in putting a flintlock conversion back to flintlock is because it is the history of the gun if you put it back to flintlock that history is destroyed and they never look the same especially if new castings are used I have always found it is better to leave them alone
Saying that I have enclosed some images of a punt gun that was a flintlock conversion using the drum and nipple some where in its history the lock had been removed and lost the drum was very loose and the lock which is large and not a common size left me with the alternative to restore it has a drum and nipple or a flintlock either would have meant using modern made parts ,so I decided on flintlock
With a hacksaw and file I formed the lock plate the cock ,steel {frizzen} and frizzen spring are from a Tower flintlock and the internals parts were from one of my boxes containing gun parts It took many hours to do but it works well but it does not look the same has an original punt gun flintlock
Feltwad

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Feltwad, you have added to the history of that Punt Gun by adding a new chapter to its history. There you brought the gun back to demonstrate its intent while conserving the integrity of the gun. Restoration in that sense is a decision that can be supported. If the percussion lock and drum were in place and sound, then conservation as a percussion lock would have been the conservator's choice.

I am presently in possession of the buttstock of a North Carolina rifle made by the Kennedy family of gunsmiths. It is dated July, 1837 on the toe plate. All that was left was the toe plate, patch box, butt plate trigger guard, triggers, and just barely enough wood to hold the parts together. I am in the process of restoring the rifle by replacing the stock, adding a 36 caliber straight barrel, Davis late English lock, side plate and thimbles. I have been told that I should have copied all the parts and left the original parts in the shattered buttstock to retain the history. Because there was no provenance to establish a meaningful history, I chose the approach that I am taking. I will have to accept that I am not the conservator that @Tumbler is, but I will try to give new life to these 183 year old parts.

 

[Robby]

Thank you Feltwad. Either way, I have always enjoyed your pictures and descriptions of them.
Robby

 

[Grumpa]

I always was of the mindset "restore it to the original flint", but SDSmif's post above, especially the "Converting it basically makes it a parts gun", put the whole issue in another light. It is a good day when you learn something that changes how you look at something. Thank you.

Richard/Grumpa

 

[Rudyard]

The putting together old parts of the same general sort & period is sort of a mission as I see it .Conservation in its way since floating parts in a bit box unless likely to suit some Govt arm are just floating bits. I don't see it as stretching the elastic too much to make them live again .The most appauling rust streaks I've stocked up and had 40 plus years of use & pleasure from them I have put on many public displays often including some ethic oddity much restored but still an example useually just a shot once or not at all but examples of their kind ..
Rudyard