Ben & Joe,
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I greatly enjoy and appreciate your personal comments about the thoughts and feeling that go along with all of this technical shop talk.
Sometimes I post long and lots, and sometimes I don't because I'm either over-the-top busy with what is making a living rather than a hobby or past-time, or I'm just written out which happens when one produces some 30-50 thousand words per year for hire. (Both at the moment!)
Ed Shulin taught me how to make stocks and I will forever remember the wonderful times I had in his shop, and in and around Trinidad with Ed and Lee(Mrs. Shulin) with my ex-wife.
(I clearly remember the discovery that someone could, in fact,
Make a Custom Rifle!!! And then found myself
DOING IT!! In 1998 I had the pleasure of teaching Stockmaking for Single Shots in Ed's old shop at TSJC during an NRA summer session (20 years after graduating). I invited Ed in one day (saw quite a bit of he and Lee while there) and got him talking and drawing on the chalk-board, just like he did when I was the student! (Giggle!)
Photos circa 1977
Two pics of Ed Shulin (blue jumpsuit) in his TSJC shop teaching my class stockmaking.
And two photos of my first Mauser, metalwork next to Am. walnut blank and highest priced French blank (Tessier) at the bookstore ($85 a birthday gift from my wife!) Other photo of that metal in that Am. walnut blank, my first stock, in Shulin's classroom.
That rifle was my .270 O'Connor dream and I sold it in about 1984(?) for $400 to buy a plane ticket to Vegas to join the Guild and show my muzzleloaders. Wasn't I surprised when I got there and everyone had bolt rifles and no m/l guns but mine!
Sorry for hijack! (BTW, Heard Bill Prator, TSJC GS Dept. head, died recently.) Wouldn't it be great to tell stories!
Also, I endlessly edit this stuff just like I do with manuscripts which adds lots of time!
