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Recommendations for Carvers?

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Joined
Sep 21, 2020
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Location
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Hi All,

Planing to work a Kibler Colonial this summer, my first muzzleloader build of any kind. Though I have some crafting experience, I have zero wood carving experience. I’d be interested in recommendations for folks willing and able to do some basic carving on the stock for me. Nothing elaborate, just a bit to add some character. I plan on doing the rest of the assembly and finish work. I’m in Northern Indiana, so someone in this neck of the woods would be a bit logistically easier, but that’s certainly not a requirement. I appreciate any suggestions!
 
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Like you I planned to carve my rifles, I was once an accomplished duck decoy carver and thought rifle carving would be easy for me, of course 40 years had gone by since I carved my last highly detailed duck and I was in for a surprise, my arthritic hands just didn't have it anymore.

I practiced and practiced on scrap wood, I was once able to draw and paint passable pictures but had lost the ability, all of the practice carvings I drew out looked lopsided.

After seeing so many beginner guns here that have horrible carving on them, I decided my unadorned guns would look much better than one with sloppy carvings so I have gone that route.

My advice it to practice drawing and carving on scrap wood, compare your results to some of the good carvings posted here, you will know when you are good enough to start carving a stock. Unfortunately having mentored beginner duck carvers and wood bow makers I have found that most people don't have the "eye" for detail and don't know good from bad. I still have the eye but not the hands.

My first duck looked like it was hacked out with a hatchet, the last one I carved and painted looked like it could get up and fly away, this proves that if someone with minimal skills like me can master carving over time anyone else can master carving rifles if they put in the time and practice.
 
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Like you I planned to carve my rifles, I was once an accomplished duck decoy carver and thought rifle carving would be easy for me, of course 40 years had gone by since I carved my last highly detailed duck and I was in for a surprise, my arthritic hands just didn't have it anymore.

I practiced and practiced on scrap wood, I was once able to draw and paint passable pictures but had lost the ability, all of the practice carvings I drew out looked lopsided.

After seeing so many beginner guns here that have horrible carving on them, I decided my unadorned guns would look much better than one with sloppy carvings so I have gone that route.

My advice it to practice drawing and carving on scrap wood, compare your results to some of the good carvings posted here, you will know when you are good enough to start carving a stock. Unfortunately having mentored beginner duck carvers and wood bow makers I have found that most people don't have the "eye" for detail and don't know good from bad. I still have the eye but not the hands.

My first duck looked like it was hacked out with a hatchet, the last one I carved and painted looked like it could get up and fly away, this proves that if someone with minimal skills like me can master carving over time anyone else can master carving rifles if they put in the time and practice.

Thank you for the advice Eric. I do intend to work on my skills over time in the hope of carving my own rifles some day, but for this build I plan to either find someone I can hire to handle that aspect or do as you did and leave it plain. I bumped up the quality of the wood a notch above the basic maple, so I expect it would look quite nice even without additional adornment.
 
Hi,
Jlutz, it does not need to be extensive carving. The Kibler colonial really benefits from just some carved lock panels and some molding lines along the ramrod groove and lower butt stock. It helps if you look at originals to see how they were carved and decorated so whatever you do or have someone else do actually looks like an 18th or 19th century American rifle rather than some modern idea taken from 20th century firearms. Someone from a local carving club probably has no idea how to carve a long rifle and most stock makers for modern guns don't either. If you headed to the Spring shooting matches at Friendship, IN, I bet you could find someone fairly close to you that could help.

dave
 
Hi,
Jlutz, it does not need to be extensive carving. The Kibler colonial really benefits from just some carved lock panels and some molding lines along the ramrod groove and lower butt stock. It helps if you look at originals to see how they were carved and decorated so whatever you do or have someone else do actually looks like an 18th or 19th century American rifle rather than some modern idea taken from 20th century firearms. Someone from a local carving club probably has no idea how to carve a long rifle and most stock makers for modern guns don't either. If you headed to the Spring shooting matches at Friendship, IN, I bet you could find someone fairly close to you that could help.

dave

Thanks Dave, those are good thoughts!
 
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