Well this one is just about ready for the checkering cradle I think. Pores filled and wet sanded to 600.

Thanks for sharing the pics Bill. That is a handsome finishing job on that stock!

Winchester what?

just wondering--Don

Very very nice looking rifle! Give us the specs.

I really like the stock geometry; wrist size, forend length & nice grain flow. Please keep us up to date with the checkering if you can.

Looks Good Bill. Is that blank out of that big slab of Black walnut? Whats the trigger to grip cap tip length on that one?

Rick

Gorgeous. I really like the comb nose fluting and shadowline flow. It will be an eye popper with finish. It doesn't look like black, is it?

Thanks for the kind words guys...

This is a pre-64 model 70 in .264 win mag. The stock is a stick of english from Presliks if I remember right. Pretty sure I saw Jims hen scratch on the end of the blank before I started hacking on it.

Im still trying to learn how to take better pictures. I have a good camera I think...5.0 mp and I fiddled with the shutter speeds etc....but Im still not happy with these pics. I even used a tripod today and they still look fuzzy.

I will have 2 save my pennies and get you to do a stock for me, or practice more so I can do a good enouh job!

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Soverns:
Thanks for the kind words guys...Im still trying to learn how to take better pictures. I have a good camera I think...5.0 mp and I fiddled with the shutter speeds etc....but Im still not happy with these pics. I even used a tripod today and they still look fuzzy.

Shutter speed might be too slow....

I think the problem is the site is displaying the picture too big. The actual photo in my Easyshare software is very clear but its not that big either.....hmmm......

Hey Bill, The stock looks very nice. I'm sure the customer is going to be very happy with it, I would be.

If you would like to test your picture theory you can send them to me and host them on my sight and send you the links.

Terry
snargfarg@aol.com

Bill

If you don't mind a suggestion, try also using some large white pieces of cardboard very close to the rifle, but just under it so its not in the frame. That will bounce ambient light back towards the rifle and open up your shadows a bit, thereby giveing you a bit more detail in the shadows.

For example, it is very hard to see your cheekpiece on the rifle, and a bit of light bounced back towards the rifle would have opened that shadow up a bit to give more detail.

You can use anything really. Foamcore is good. Anything white and reflective works well.

Good work Bill............you danged ole show off

Whew. Thats nice.

Bill that's one pretty rifle, I love the grain flow. Well done!

Bill, that looks great.

22WRF,

Well the rifle is sitting on white paper.....would the white cardboard underneath make a difference.....or am I not just getting it? Dumb it down for me please...

Looks like you have a light over top and the sides like where the cheek is are shadowed and the top is reflecting the light. Need light coming in from the camera side.

Very impressed that you did not have that made off a duplicating machine but hand widdled it from a blank with a pocket knife.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Soverns:
22WRF,

Well the rifle is sitting on white paper.....would the white cardboard underneath make a difference.....or am I not just getting it? Dumb it down for me please...

As GSP7 stated, your light is coming from straight above the rifle which means that the reflection will be straigt back up, missing the stock. (angle of incidence equals angle of reflection)

Nevertheless, try this. Hold your hand straigt up and down in front of you with normal incandescent light coming straigt down from above. See the dark shadows. Now take a piece of white paper and put it between you and your hand. Move it in close. See how the shadows open up. you have to position the cards in such an angle to catch the reflection of the light you are using and bounce it back to where you want it.

Either that, or go to the hardware store, purchase a couple of those cheap $3.50 incandexcent bulb reflectors that have the scissors type holders on them. Set em up at about a 45 degree angle on either side of your camera, but above and down towards the subject. The photos will look a bit yellow but your camera may have an auto setting for incandescent light, or you can fix the color with photo editing software. Or, just use the flash on the camera to add a little frontal light to the subject, but you should drag the shutter just a bit so that the background doesn't go black on you.

What you are looking for is about a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 ratio between highlight (not specular highlight) and shadow (not deep shadow). If you have a light meter you could measure the ratio and change it by the use of those reflectors if you are not going to use additional light from a flash or bulb.

Sometime study some of Mustafa Bilal's photos of guns. He uses light from behind and above the gun and then uses reflectors in front of the gun to bounce light back toward the gun. He gets that beautiful specular highlight on the metal work and his shadows are filled in nicely for about a 4 to 1 ratio.

Bill,

When you get that camera working, would it be too much trouble to post a pic on how you handled the detail shaping around the bolt release?

I'm working on a pattern stock and having some trouble.

Good looking rifle... 8.5" forend???

Bill,

A very nice rifle. Congratulations to you for your skill and to the owner for his taste.

I like it a lot Bill. Nice work. The shorter foreend really looks good with that long barrel.

Who polished out the metal work? Anything special there that we can't see?

You could send me the rifle , I'll take pictures of it for you . I should get it back to you in about 70 years . Very nice thanks for sharing .

Forrest,

The metal isnt polished really. I just stripped the bluing and cleaned it up a bit. It needs quite a bit more work. This is actually the plainest (not sure if thats a word) stock I have built in a while but thats what the customer wanted.

22WRF,

Thanks for the help. I will play around with it today if I get the time. See if I can take some better looking pictures. Will have to read my camera manual some more. I tried using the flash but its too bright. Might try putting a piece of paper over it.