Carving a Dan

[BrushPopper]

Magnificent!👍👍👍

[Yng@hrt]

Thanks Anthony.

I gave the stock & forearm grip another coat of TO before retiring for the night. The carving really soaked in the oil & was dull compared to the rest of the stock. It will require the same amount of coats as the rest of the gun, perhaps even more since the wood was totally exposed. I will apply another coat to the entire gun shortly & again this evening before day’s end & then repeat the entire process again tomorrow & reassemble the gun on Thursday.

I’ve been comparing the finish to my nice Benji’s & it is an exact duplicate, so much so that no additional steps after the final coat will be necessary. It’s amazing how this product enhances the grain & brings out the reddish tone Dan’s are known for. I will have side by side shots of the Silver Streak & two of the Benji’s so you can judge for yourself.

I’ve heard folks mention Tru-Oil on GTA before so I confided in UJ & when he gave it his approval that was all I needed to hear. I looked for it in the paint section of Walmart but was disappointed it wasn’t there. At the last minute I decided to try the gun section & there it was. I’m sure most of you know but just in case some don’t, it’s made specifically for gun stocks. If I ever attempt this challenge again (which shouldn’t be too far off) TO will definitely be my go to finish.

[avator]

Makes sense. Tru Oil is what is featured in the Birchwood Casey kits. I like the results of Tung Oil as well.

[Wayne52]

That is turning out super good . . . simply stunning in my opinion !!!

[Yng@hrt]

Thanks Wayne!

Here's a pic of the gun shortly after buffing the silver. She's now sporting a larger Swift pistol mount. Again...it was scuffed up real bad & if I had to rethink my decision to buff it out I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Pics of how bad she was didn't show up well in photos. On the plus side her furniture has always been in great shape

Looking forward to getting her back in operation. She has always been my go to Dan for chasing game & its that time of season again. We'll be heading back out to the sticks come early next week.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Wow Marty!
Stunning work indeed.

[ped]

what beautiful work

[45flint]

Wow that is just amazing, you could do that for a living!

[Yng@hrt]

Thanks guys. I'm finding the finish can be almost as challenging as the carving.

Tru-Oil can certainly give the user just about any desired effect up to or just shy of gloss. Building up as I have (five coats so far) has certainly built up an extremely durable finish but also comes with its challenges in dealing with the almost gloss like finish. Knocking down the high sheen on flat surfaces is easy (light buff w/0000) but quite the contrary when dealing with the carved areas. I spent about a 1 ½ hrs dulling the high sheen of the carving with 0000 & in some cases dragging the steel wool with tooth picks in tight areas. Now I’m doing these two surfaces separately. The carving was given a highly diluted mix of TO & mineral spirits ~30/70 & I think its just about right. Tomorrow I’ll lightly buff the rest of the wood & see if that’s sufficient…if not I’ll use the same mix I used on the carving.

[Yng@hrt]

This has been quite the adventure with challenges at every turn; mainly patience & knowing when to engage & when to walk away. Never letting obstacles get in the way of the ultimate goal & trusting your abilities. No, this piece did not turn out like the intended target nor did I expect it to. Each artist performs his or her work in their own style & I assume each piece I work on from this point forward will be in much the same style. That’s the beauty & uniqueness of art. What I can say is I never envisioned wood as a medium for art although the quality of wood found in these classics is second to none & was a joy to work with.

The first pic is to show a comparison in finishes of this piece & two pristine guns, a Benjamin & a Dan. If you look at the upper portion of the carved Dan you can see the gloss, the forearm grip has already been lightly buffed. The Benjamin still has finish residue at the ends of the Tootsie Roll cuts & looks exactly like the finish on the carved Dan before it was lightly buffed which could mean much the same process was used at the factory in the form of lightly dulling the almost gloss like finish.

Well enough said…here she is after 18 days & ~108 hours but who’s counting…long process but enjoyed every moment…now it’s time for her to earn her keep.

...Didn't realize how grainy that first pic was...last pic.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Wow Marty !  Nice Work !    

That looks like one of those Old World (turn-of-the-century) hunting rifles that came out of Europe in the early 1900's.

I showed your finished Silver Streak to my wife JoAnn and she said that you should display that exquisite work in your home somewhere for guests to see.  ( And remember that she does not like air guns much. )


Best Wishes - Tom

[Wayne52]

Wow it sure turned out nice, a big congrats on a job well done !!!

[Bryan Heimann]

That turned out real nice!  I think you did a great job with the finish, it's balanced really well.

[Yng@hrt]

Thanks Wayne & Bryan for all the kind words!

Hey Tom...I'm liking JoAnn more & more.

[Rimrock]

Wow. Just WOW!!

[avator]

Looks good Marty, well done.
Definitely an heirloom.

[maraudinglizard]

Very nice results. Great job on that one Marty.

[Yng@hrt]

Thanks guys. Already thinking about a theme for the next one. Maybe a bobcat & cottontail.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Thanks guys. Already thinking about a theme for the next one. Maybe a bobcat & cottontail.

Marty......my wife, JoAnne votes for the... Bobcat... theme. 


Best Wishes - Tom

[strever]

wonder what a cottontail, squirrel & Dog would look like