Sacralige!

[Stophel]

Oh, I don't think they were going out and cutting their own timber either. At least not regularly. :wink:

 

[Black Hand]

Maybe I missunderstood you. J.D.

It appears you did....

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Nope. Most gunsmiths did their own carving and engraving. At least until an apprentice had the skill to do it as well. Neither is all that difficult, once one learns the basics. If you will study the guns of that time, you will see that some excelled, and some did not, but they did do it. In both cases, design is the feature that makes outstanding work, more than it's execution. Most American gun engraving of the period, was no where near at the skill of an experienced engraver, although there were some exceptions. Gunsmiths were jacks of many trades and skills, and spent much time doing other types of work in order to supliment gun making income.

Excellent post and accurate information. :thumbsup:

 

[pargent]

Yep one way to date English made guns is to go by the silver smiths hallmarks on the side plates etc.. :thumbsup:

 

[VTdeerhunter]

I agree with Necchi..I have never worked under a master gunsmith, but have worked under a master blacksmith and the flow from "coal bucket filler" to apprentice to smith is filled with repetition...when he felt you were ready, the master smith showed you how to do something and then you did it on your own...seemed like a couple thousand times

Some of your stuff came out good and went in the to be used pile and the rest went back in the stock rack to be re-worked into something else...I always pictured a gunsmith shop working in a similar manner, if they made instead of buying something like a trigger guard, I can picture them having a pile of them at the ready rather than making each one from scratch for every gun they made....just my thoughts, but that would be a way to greatly increase the number of guns going out the door and would also leave more time for the master smith to do engraving and such

 

[paulab]

I'm guessing most silversmiths were in the "big cities" because only well-to-do folk could afford silver. You would locate where your customers were. What if your gunsmith was 50 [or more] miles from the silversmith? Why would you pay someone to do something you could learn to do yourself? [more profit] I have engraved 4 longrifles that I built myself. Made the tools myself. My first attempt at engraving could be called crude but you can definitely see marked improvement on each successive rifle I engraved. The same for my carving. If I were to make my living building rifles, my carving, engraving, inlays etc. would improve with each build. That's why they call them apprentices. cheers Paul

 

[Doc Arroyo]

At one time I had access to a ledger/daybook from a gunsmith in Harrisburg. It is now impossible for me to get access again. I wish I had taken better notes.

The gunsmith didn't write his own name in the book as I remember. The book was from 1815, and it was very eye opening.

He purchased "gunwood", and he paid for wood cutting in his own wood lot. He noted "cut" and "cured by" dates, and mentioned a curing shed. Entries included days away from the shop when inspecting his own woodlot for "gunwood", taking an apprentice and a "boy" for some wood cutting. I interpreted this as a training day.

He bought locks, and sights, but also had apprentices making the same. Casting was mentioned often. He did note 3 different prices for engraving, by his own hand was the most expensive.

His shop was not building guns 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. There were obvious times of belt tightening, and notes of bill collecting. There were no notes of government or trade company contracts. There were also notes of "boys" being home for harvest.

Repairs were a higher percentage of the business most of the year. ("reset tricker - 33₵" was one notation that I remember. I will always wonder if he fixed a trigger for 33 cents, or fitted a set trigger in an old rifle.)

He also provided hardware and castings to a local furniture maker. The furniture maker traded back some "small wood" (pistol stocks?) and cash. The gunsmith also kept up the cash flow into the shop by taking jobs sharpening knives and preparing farm tools prior to harvest time.

I remember payments were mentioned in trade: flour, vegetables, shoes and beer. The notations were like this...

"rcpt frm M.Brauer 2pr shoes ($3.00)$12 balance"

Was he a big name? My guess is no. He was just a man with a business trying to keep the doors open, his employees paid and his family fed.

 

[jdkerstetter]

That's good stuff Doc. I wish we had more.

Thanks, J.D.