Just want to wish everyone a wonderful custom carved labor day weekend! It amazes me the year is two thirds over. Before we know it we will be celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, then the New Year! It continues to amaze me how fast the year flys by when you are having fun. Is anyone ready for Christmas this year? I have been thinking I would start on my Christmas list for my family and friends. At least I will start at the end of the month. LOL

I am looking forward to this month and have been for most of the year. I am scheduled to go to my first gun show. It will be held in Salt Lake City, Ut, at the South Town Expo Center. This gun show will be held on September 25 & 26, 2010. I will have about 12 guns on display and many of those guns will be for sale. This is a great opportunity to come and see for yourself what they look like in person. Not to mention placing your order for a custom carved gun stock of your own. Maybe you are interested in having a gun stock carved for someone special in your life. All of this is possible at the upcoming gun  show. The gun showis a great place to begin collecting guns. I know many gun collectors have started their collections this way. You can also pick up the newest items on the market for your guns. Have you thought of protecting your guns with a new gun safe?

Here’s wishing you a safe and happy Labor Day weekend! Please drive safe! I am looking forward to meeting you all there. Thanks for stopping by today. I do appreciate you visiting my web site. Happy carving! Deb L

After completing the ivory inlay class three weeks ago. I am finally been able to complete a custom carve  Henry .17HMR with ivory inlay on the rifle. The gun has a logo of a company with the name inlayed in ivory. The logo will be custom painted to match the company’s logo. I am very exicted to show this gun to you. There are a few steps left for me to make before the carved gun stock is complete.

The ivory inlay along with the custom carved logo gives the gun a very rich feel. At least that is how I look at it.  I will be posting pictures of this gun hopefully tomorrow, if not then by Monday.

The class I was fortuniate in taking was wonderfu. Keith Hone of Hone Studios was the teacher. This was to be his last class. I feel very lucky to have been able to be taught by one of the best master carvers in the world. Thank you Keith for all your years of hard work and dedication. You truly have inspired many people in your career. I am very grateful to have enjoyed your teachings and friendship. Thanks! Deb

This is the newest project on my list. It is a Remington 6mm Model 788. This type of gun is considered a varmint gun. I will be putting a custom carved big horned ram. I will also be putting the basket weave on the gun stock. I will be uploading pictures of this project as I complete the carving. This gun will be for sale at the Cross Roads of the West Gun Show in Salt Lake City, Ut. This gun show will be held on September 25 & 26, 2010 at the South Town Expo Center. I have also included some history about this gun. The picture shown above in not of this exact gun. I will upload a current picture of the gun I will be carving. Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to visiting with you at the gun show. Deb L

History on the Remington 6mm

The 6mm Remington was introduced by Remington Arms Company in 1955 as the .244 Remington. It is based on necking down the .257 Roberts. Originally intended as a Varmint and predator cartridge, the .244 was never factory loaded with bullets over 90 grains. Rifles marked .244 Remington have a 1 in 12-inch (300 mm) twist that may not stabilize the heavier 100 and 105 grain bullets. Originally Remington offered factory ammunition with 75 grain bullets for varmints and 90 grain for deer. In 1963 Remington renamed the cartridge, calling it the 6mm Remington. Rifles marked 6mm Remington have a 1 in 9-inch (230 mm) twist and can stabilize all commercially available 6 mm bullets.

The 6mm Remington has a slight ballistic advantage over the much more popular .243 Winchester due to a slightly larger case capacity. The longer case neck of the 6mm Remington is considered desirable by handloaders. Noted Alabama deer hunter and marksman Creath Davis is a proponent of this caliber.

Its renaming from “.244 Remington” to “6mm Remington” is interesting. It was discovered soon after its release as .244 Remington that in the Remington Model 721 rifles the rate of twist used in the barrels would not stabilize heavier bullets weighing more than 90 grains. This led to a poor reputation for the cartridge as being “inaccurate.” Remington soon increased the rate of twist in its Model 721 rifles, but the marketability damage was already done as far as the cartridge was concerned. Therefore the name was changed to 6 mm Remington. The .244 Remington and the 6 mm Remington are identical – only the name changed.

I learned a long time ago, it is much more interesting to be creative with my art then just the same old thing. I enjoy carving custom engraved gun stocks. The wildlife is wonderful to have custom carved on your gun stock. It adds character and value to your gun stock. It also give you a very good opportunity to tell your story to your friends and acquaintances. Still, have you ever thought of the unusual?

What if you had your wife’s gun stock carved with her favorite flowers of picture? What about a scene of your favorite hunting trip? Or the hunting trip of your dreams? Maybe you would like to donate a very unique item to your local charity? The examples shown above are only some ideas. If you can think of something you like or would enjoy retelling a good hunting story. You can have it carved onto your gun stock to remember forever.

I have carved several gun stocks for family reunions, local community raffles, etc. It always draws a crowd and the excitement of owning a unique custom carved gun stock is priceless. Not to mention the value of your gun goes way up! Gun collectors go nuts over a good custom carved gun stock.  What will your custom engraved gun stock look like? Will you place your gun over the fire place or in a place of honor for everyone to see?

I look forward to helping you design and carve a custom engraved gun stock for you or your favorite charity. Please feel free to contact me and thanks for stopping by. I look forward to visiting with you. Deb L

Can I have my company’s logo on my gun stock? How can I advertise my company or business? Many companies have their logo’s on their vehicles, the side of their buildings, on business cards or in the phone books. Have you ever considered placing your company logo on the butt stock of a gun or wall panel? Now you can do just that.

It is a very unique way to advertise your company. You will receive many compliments as well as the envy of all your hunting buddies. You can have your company logo custom carved on your gun stock or carved on a wall panel to place in your office. This is an creative and inventive way to advertise your business. Maybe you will give the gun away for a safety award, a prize for selling the most, or to say thanks to all your employees. Maybe you would like to give a gun with your logo on it to a very good client. These are all good options to increase revenue for your business or promote good relations with employees. The sky is the limit as to how you use your logo.

I would be happy to help you design and create your companies logo then put it onto the gun of your choice, or on a wall panel for your office. Please feel free to contact me for an appointment to discuss your company and the logo you would like custom carved on your gun or wall panel.

Custom carved Henry .22cal Golden Boy will be my next project. I love to carve the Henry rifles. Their gun stocks are fantastic! The grain of the wood are always beautiful not to mention the quality of the gun itself. This gun stock will have a custom carved company logo on it. I never thougth I would be using my gun stock carvings to advertise for a company. Still, it just goes to show you can put anything on a gun stock if you can image it. I will be posting pictures of this gun as I carve it. Please check back often to see the progress.

I’m not sure if I have ever shared some backgroud about the Henry Repeating Arms rifles. I hav included a little bit of the history of this gun below.

History

Henry Repeating Arms is a firearms manufacturing company, one of the top ten long gun manufacturers in the Unites States and the leading lever action manufacturer. Henry Repeating Arms takes its name from Benjamin Tyler Henry, the inventor who patented the first repeating rifle in 1860. The company resurrected the Henry name in 1996 and started manufacturing rifles in Brooklyn New York. In September 2008 the company moved its headquarters to a 110,000 sf facility in Bayonne New Jersey and presently employs 107 people. The company also owns a 140,000sf facility in Rice Lake Wisconsin with 45 employees where they cast and machine the receivers for the Henry rifles as well as supply other gun parts. The company also produces bolt action and pump action rimfire rifles as well as a new generation of the AR-7 takedown rifle, now known as the Henry US Survival rifle, which was originally designed for the US Airforce. The Henry Golden Boy is the companys signature model, featuring a Brasslight receiver and octagon barrel. A larger caliber centerfire version is known as the Henry Big Boy.

The company motto is “Made In America and Priced Right” and the original Henry was known as the gun you could “Load On Sunday and Shoot All Week Long”. Henry rifles are available at sporting good retailers and gun shops throughout the United States.

Thanks for visiting my web site. I look forward to carving a gun for you! Deb L

As you can see the Winchester 7MM Mag I started a month ago is finally finished. The fighting elk has been custom carved on the Winchester 7mm MAG. You may remember the past posts of how I have develope this carving from start to finish. I hope you have enjoyed the process. I’m sure you can tell it is not an easy process. Still, to me it is very enjoyable.

I refinished this gun by sanding down the gun stock then resealing it. This took the majority of the scratches out of the gun. Then I carved the scene onto the gun stock. This gun has the basket weave on both sides of the grip as well as on both sides forend as well as the bottom of the forend. T0 finish the gun, I have custom painted the scene onto the gun using oil paints. It truly is a work of art. Then I have applied a coat of finish to seal everything.

I have also checked to see what year this gun was manufactured, 1970. The gun still have many years of use left. It has given me great pleasure to carve and paint this scene on this gun. Your comments are appreciated. Please feel free to leave them below.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you in person at the Cross Roads of the West Gun Show this coming September 25 & 26, 2010. The show will be held at the South Towne Expo in Salt Lake City, UT. Deb L

How can I get my gun stock custom carved? This is a questions I have been receiving for months now. Or What designs can I have carved on a gun stock? There are many other questions too. Normally, I will talk to you for a while to find out what your interests are. Then I can suggest some ideas to you. Or if you have a picture you like. A hunting trip you have gone on you remember. These are all ideas you can draw from to decide on your custom gun stock carving.

Do you like the basket weave design on the forend and/or grip of the gun? Do you like leaves, horns, hooves, tree limbs, or scroll work? How much of your gun stock would you like carved (butt stock, forend, reverse side of butt stock, grip)? Is your gun stock in need of refinishing? Do you have some large scratches? Is the gun stocks finish pealing? Do you want your design painted? There are so many thing you can do to your gun stock. It all really depends on what much you would like to see on your gun stock and how much of the gun stock either needs refinished or how much you would like to have carved. All of these things are what helps me determine the design that will go on your custom carved gun stock.

Each custom carved gun stock if unique and deserve my full attention. Not only to the detail but to the scene as well as the design of the scene being put on the gun stock. Its a passion to me to create a one of a kind work of art for each client I have. I look forward to working on your design and to carving it for you.

Thanks for visiting my web site. I look forward to chatting with you in person and carving a gun stock for you. Thanks again Deb L.

I have been asked many time why I chose to carve or engrave gun stocks? Instead of carving eggs, gourds, engrave on glass, etc. Well, my husband is an avid hunter. He loves guns and has aquired quite a collection. We usually go to the gun shows that are in the Salt Lake valley. One time, as we where getting out of our truck, he said to me: “Its your turn to buy something. What do you want? What kind of gun do you want to buy?” I told him, “I didn’t know.” I would look for something while where in the gun show. When we entered the gun show, I heard the wine of a dental drill. At least that is what I thought I heard. We went to that booth to see what it was. Sure enough it was a high speed pen that used dental bits. Called the Paragrave. I was allowed to try the tool. I  immediately fell in love with it. We wondered around the show for about another two hours. Came back to that same booth and purchased the tool.

Since that time I have tried my hand at engraving rocks, tile, eggs, glass, mirrors, metal and everything else I could get my hands on. In February 2009, I went to my first carving class with Dr. Lew Jensen, inventor of the Paragrave high speed pen. Again, we carved all kinds of differnet materials. Out of them all I have found I enjoy carving or sculpting wood. It is the medium I have found gives me the more enjoyment and the most challengs.

Then I asked Allen to allow me to carve on one of his guns. You can imagine what he said to that. He believed I could carve the guns. He just didn’t want me to begin on one of his guns. His collectors guns!!! NO WAY! So, he went to the local pawn shop and purchased me a Marlin 30-30 with a stainless steel barrel. The first carving I ever completed was a grizzle bear. After finishing the grizzle bear he wanted it. I told him NO. He purchased it for me and I was going to sell the gun. Now he wished he would have allowed me to carve on one of his guns. Reason being, I am quite busy now and of course his guns are the last ones on my list…

I enjoy creating custom gun stocks. Carving beautiful works of art to be handed down from generations to generations. Watching the expression of a gun owner see their prize possession again for the first time, is a real treat to me. They can not quit looking at the gun. You see, I not only carve the gun stock, I paint the sceen too. If it is necessary I will also sand the stock down and refinish it. Making the gun almost brand new again. The sky’s the limit almost.

Thanks for asking this question. I have enjoyed answering it. If you have a question about sculpting wood. Please ask your question below. I enjoy hearing from you. Deb L

I am asking this question of my readers. What animal would you like to see me carve next? I have custom carved, or engraved, many animals on different gun stocks over the year. I have enjoyed carving each and every one. Some of them are more challenging then others. Still, I get a tremendous satisfaction from completing each carving or engraving I do. Now, I am wondering if there is a certain animal you would like to see carved? To date I have carved elk, moose, mule deer, a mountain lion, grizzly bear, and mountain goats to mention a few.

There are lots more animals out there to be carved. Which one should it be? Help me decide by commenting below. You will be the one making this decision for me this time. So hurry and leave your choice below in the comment section. I will be adding the basket weave and something else to the forend and/or grip of the gun.

Here are a few ideas. Please do not limit your decision on just these pictures. Antelope, Black Bear, Big Horn Sheep to name a few.

I will keep a tally of requests. The highest number will decide the next carving. The decision date will be August 15th. I will post the results here on my blog. The gun will be for sell and on display at the Cross Roads of the West Gun Show in Salt Lake City, Utah, this coming September 25 & 26, 2010. I’m sure this gun will make any gun collector proud. Will that person be you?

Thanks for participating in this decision! Deb L