Hello All,

Here's a story about an interesting project.

HOW TO MAKE A SILK PURSE OUT OF A SOW'S EAR

Who says it can't be done?

Upon selling my collection of Colt Single Actions, I decided to kept just one for a shooter. It was an early 5-digit serial number gun from 1883. Unfortunately, some time long ago it had its barrel cut down to 3-3/4" and had its ejector boss removed. It may have actually been carried by a Sheriff during its life because it was in remarkably great mechanical condition, showing little signs of having been shot much. It was the least valuable gun in my SAA collection, and would make a fun little shooter, so I kept it. But it was in fact a real "sow's ear" as Colts go. Here are some pictures of how it looked when I got it, many years ago.



Not long ago Kenn Paulson, one of my Gun Club members, brought a couple of fancy engraved guns to show to all the members. Much to our surprise, they were guns that he himself had engraved. He explained that over the last 25 to 30 years he had been teaching himself how to engrave. Along the years he also tutored under several Master Engravers, and the guns he brought were his practice pieces. He also brought one he intended to sell. It was his very first public offering. It was a real master piece. You may have seen my post here on our forum. see the link ...> http://forums.accuratereloadin...1078981/m/3801030372

What a surprise to have a Master Engraver as a Club member. It was soon thereafter that I asked Kenn if he could engrave my little "sow's ear" Colt. I told him to dress-it-up any way he wanted. I asked him to send me photos as the work progressed to I could tell a picture story of the project. He agreed .... and here's the story.

He started with the cylinder - and then moved to the barrel with a "scratch" layout of this intended pattern.


Little by little he cut the barrel pattern, first one side, and then the other. After he completed the barrel, he moved to the the top of the frame.


With the top of the frame completed, he next started on the rest of the frame. Once again, he started with a "scratch" pattern on front of the frame and then the bottom. When satisfied with the layout, he starting cutting deeper and deeper.


Little by little, the engraving continued. (note: Due to the coarse pixilation definition of my camera, my pictures don't begin to do justice to show the detail and real quality of Kenn's work)


Last steps were the loading gate, and the opposite side of the frame to match. And finally adding a shield behind the hammer. In excess of 100 hours of work were spent in dressing-up the little Colt.


The last step in the engraving process was to go over every cut and touch-up every line and swirl to ensure a good looking finished product.
I'm going to leave the finish "as is" because I like the look with some of the original trace nickel showing. I like the sparkling lines against the original grey background. Thanks to Kenn, this did turn my ... "Sow's Ear" ... into a ... "Silk Purse".

There is a ton of engraving on this.
If you don't mind my being nosy, what would that cost to have done?

quote:

Originally posted by cal30 1906:
There is a ton of engraving on this.
If you don't mind my being nosy, what would that cost to have done?

Hello cal30 1906
thanks for the reply

Kenn charges $50 per hour .... this was about a 100 hour job, but I got a Club member discount.

Sure looks a lot better now.
I'm not much into "massive" engraving
but, that looks nice. Am glad you like it.

About `15 years ago I visited a Rich friend in Denver that had a brand new Colt. I'm not sure now that it wasn't a snake gun.
Said he had just gotten it back from Germany having one of the "Finest engravers in the world" turn it into about as gaudy a mess: In My Opinion that I have ever seen. I don't think there was even an 1/8" any place on the exposed metal not carved up.
Way too fancy for me to even touch it. Said he had paid $10,000 just for the engraving.
If that gives you any idea of the costs.

Like everything else in life: To each his own.

George

Sure looks a lot better now.
I'm not much into "massive" engraving
but, that looks nice. Am glad you like it.

About `15 years ago I visited a Rich friend in Denver that had a brand new Colt. I'm not sure now that it wasn't a snake gun.
Said he had just gotten it back from Germany having one of the "Finest engravers in the world" turn it into about as gaudy a mess: In My Opinion that I have ever seen. I don't think there was even an 1/8" any place on the exposed metal not carved up.

Way too fancy for me to even touch it. Said he had paid $10,000 just for the engraving.
If that gives you any idea of the costs.

Like everything else in life: To each his own.

George