Hi all,
I am now forming two sessions of Custom Gunmaking Seminars. These take place in my workshop in Livingston, Montana.

Session One, June 24-28, 2019, Metal Preparation, Polishing and Rust and Nitre Bluing.

Session Two, September 2-6, 2019, Stock Shaping: Inletting or Shaping

These will each be limited to a maximum of 4 student and fill quickly. This is a great opportunity for those who like to do and to learn.

If any of you are interested please reply to:
sdh@finegunmaking.com for more information.

Thanks,
Steven Dodd Hughes

STOCKMAKING


RUST BLUING

Thanks for the response, Info sent to all who asked.
SDH

PM sent.

Please use your real name when contacting me by email or PM, All PM and email responded to... Just a couple of workstations open. Considering adding July or August Seminars~

The Stockmaking section is full but we still have a couple of workstations open for Metal Finishing and Rust Bluing, email at; sdh@finegunmakingcom for more information. Seminars are five full days, and two evenings and tuition is $1650. We accomplish much in the time allowed~
Thanks for the great response!
Steven

I took Stevens Metal finishing class 2 years ago and am amazed at how much I learned in a (busy!) week. The quality of ALL my finishing has greatly increased with the skills I gained, especially in the polishing and prepping area. I would highly recommend this class for anyone who wants to take their skills to the next level!
Karl Nisbet
Mt. Hood Gun Works

Thanks Karl.
I'm surprised that this Seminar doesn't overflow with demand. The techniques taught came slowly and painfully in my professional learning experience.

The need to learn the intricacies and need for hand polishing to achieve superior custom quality is a loss for may craftsmen. It is a mystery to me when I quite often see scratches, nicks and file marks in engraved and blued small parts.

We learn the need to and techniques for making sure that each and every surface of each part is professionally polished and artfully blued in a one man workshop. We can achieve this superior result for most parts of a custom gun or rifle in one week in the shop. It took me a couple of decades to accomplish perfect polishing and flawless rust bluing on my own.

Anyone can turn a few gun parts blue, no secret to that.
What to do next, when a glitch happens in the rust bluing,how much time and frustration it will save knowing what to do next to achieve superior results.. priceless.


COATING BARRELS




STONING DEMO, REVOLVER


BOILING, ORGANIZED TANK

Still two benches open for Metal Prep & Bluing, June 24-28, 2019. Let me know if you are interested in attending.
Thanks,
Steven

I've worked out a partial Tuition Grant for current or recent Gunsmithing Students. Please contact me through sdh@finegunmaking.com
This is a great opportunity!


Parts wired for Nitre Bluing

Nitre bluing parts in tank


Rust Blued parts curing in oil.

Just one workbench open in the June 24-28, 2019 Metal Prep and Bluing Seminar. A chance to get your Custom project hand polished, ready for and professionally rust blued.
We will learn how to set this up in your home shop with a minimum of hassle to produce Guild Quality results.Let me know ASAP if interested.
I've already started lining up guys for 2020 Stockmaking and Metal Prep. If you are thinking about attending, sign up now as three of the four students this years Stockmaking signed up last year.
sdh@finegunmaking.com or call 406-222-9377

The fourth Work Station for the Metal Prep & Bluing class has been filled. The fellow is a rare local and lurker here that came by the shop for a visit. The 2019 Seminars are full, the seventh consecutive year.
Anyone interested in attending next year please do get on the list. I start contacting potential students in spring and the majority of this years student are returning or were contacted from the Potentials List. I already have one stockmaking student preparing his project for next year.
Many thanks,
Steven
Beautifully polished and rust blued Sterlingworth barrels.

If I may, a quick question about that beautiful rust bluing.

Since you do it a lot, how do you find it holds up in real world use?

As part of the Metal Finishing Seminar I use my own custom Fox gun that I completed in 1994 as an example. When finished the case colors were fresh from Turnbull, the screws nitre blued, and the barrels and guard rust blued in my shop.

I've shot and hunted the gun extensively and still do. It's been to Texas, South Dakota, Oregon and hunted in Montana. I've taken all sorts of upland birds, two turkey and shot at scores of clay targets in the intervening 25 years.
I purposely left the forend iron without lacquer coating of the case colors. I can show exactly how the wear patterns have developed of fresh case colors and lacquer coat case colors and the ones under the forend are just like new as is the rosettte engraved, nitre blued screw also underneath.

The nitre bluing on the guard screws goes first, then the rust blue on the guard rail but the barrel rust bluing is just a little thin, hardly noticeable for wear. I consider quality rust bluing to be the finest looking an hardest wearing gun metal finish and I can show it with this gun. I also have my sidelever that has been to Africa and taken 17 head of big game in the 20" years I hunted it.

The custom Fox is in the back of a Dickson round action and a gold inlaid M-21 in this photo at an informal skeet shoot.

~~I know how well metal finishes hold up, I've shot and hunted with each of these guns~~
Four custom guns in the gun rack at the end of my workbench: My 12 ga Fox, Sidelever Ruger .30-40, .45 cal Percussion bullet rifle 1991 and my 20 ga. flintlock fowler from 1985.