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More of Bro. Hurst's artistry

Mr. Revdocdrew:

I REALLY like the L.C!

Mr. Hurst out did himself there! The treatment of the top of action is magnificent.
Of all the beautiful work I have looked at here this is the one that is closest to "IT".



Much obliged,

Glenn

Glenn,

So you are saying that Mr Ken produces better engraving in your eyes than the Italians, Belgians or old American masters?

I would have to agree.

Pete

I thought the top of the action with the overlapping feathers was just
beyond expression. Not that that LC ain't nice from above.

Nice thing going on here is that it's you Glenn who gets to choose.

Outstanding engraving, all of it. Since Ken mentioned the process we went through, I thought I would comment just a bit. My initial thought was that in trying to commission an engraver, it seemed like the work just came back to me..."find pictures and examples of what you want". Ken's advise was spot on, not just in that it allowed me to accurately convey to him what aspects of engraving and content I like, but in actually helping me rigorously resolve what really are my tastes and desires for this project.

Once started, I actually found it to be great fun and a challenge to look for dog and games scenes on the net...everything from pics of very old Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazine covers to modern game artists. Same thing for scroll...if you are any good with a search engine, there are legions of examples out there, with different styles and approaches to to scroll work.

This took much longer than I thought. I believe that over six months I collected well over a 100 images related in some way. I think I cut that down to about 35 pages or so in my first meeting with Ken and then, along with Eightbore and my friend Berle, we resolved the example art work to the few pages needed. The "sleep on it for a few weeks" recommendation was also well offered, it seems like my desires cystallized over the time I was NOT actually thinking about it, so when I looked at the art again I seemed to be informed by a more confident view of my own tastes.

Along the way, both Ken and I stressed to each other (we rather preached to each other's choir) the need to provide the engraver with sufficient freedom to ensure balance in the composition, the availability of freedom in artistic design for the engraver, the need to maintain some elegance and not pick one of everything to put on the gun, etc.

I my view, once the engraving is started, I have no real role. The fun and creative expression part to my experience was the selection of art and back and forth between Ken and I. I believe in this process you not only inform an engraver, but in this case formed a friendship of high value.

I better get to work...no time to review this post, hope it makes sense.

Ken, please tell Miss Julie I said hello. Also, Ernest's trip to my shoot, the NorthSouth, and his subsequent trip to the Great Eastern the next week seemed to go very well. Ernest is one heck of a gunsmith and a very fine fellow to meet in person. He and I cemented our friendships and everyone else seemed to rave about both his work and his obvious personal virtues.

I think I will have to withold judgement on that until I have seen Mr. Hurst's rendition of a flying turnip on a Parker.

For those of you that don't know me, I am a metalsmith that specializes in single shot rifles. Long ago (when I still had hair) when I was just getting my feet wet in the world of fine guns, a famous engraver by the name of Ken Hurst decided to give me a break and commisioned a rifle. Pleased with the work, he kinda took me under his wing and helped and poked and prodded me and promoted my work. The culmination of this relationship was this winter when I was accepted into the ACGG as a regular member.

Ken still hold my elbow and tries to keep me on the straight and narrow, and I keep poking the old bear with a stick now and then. I can't see how it would work out much better...

Glenn

Winchester Model 21
Engraved by Arnold Grieble in 1969. Re-stocked and 'Beavertail Forended' by David Trevellion in 2000. Huey cased with the second set of barrels.



The German Master Engraver, Arnold Grieble, and young Davey Trevallion in Herr Grieble's kitchen Chicago c. 1967.

Arnold was a great engraver. I have one of his "classic" Model 32s, blue and gold. When I bought a copy of Prudhomme's engraving book, blind, I found that it was Arnold's copy that he had signed both on the title page and in the section devoted to his work. I wonder if DT would like to restock the 32? It was stocked by a blind man. Bill Murphy

"8bore, Good news that Arnolds Prudhomme's Book is in Sensible Hands. I use to spend many hours sitting at Herr Gs workbench in the 1960s.He started to have hand trouble,Grip was less than what a real Hand Engraver needed. But with the 'Urging' from Frau Grieble...Arnold Arnold U vmust vork vmore ve nidd der vdullers!! She did make the best 'Srudel'I did a lot of his disassembly & re-assembly work. He gave me his own'Bluing formula, We blued several guns on his kitchen stove!!!I have been 'Hoping'that one of the 'Talented Scribes'who currently write for the "Glossies" would take it as a Project.....American Gunmaking..(Me of all people calling an engraver a Gunmaker!!!) But, Arnold in Germany, Before arriving in the USA,was recognizedby by a member of the "tHIRD rEICH" as someone who could 'Enhance certain Gifts to the Upper- Echelon' ......I really enjoyed my Years in Chicago'Hanging Out with Arnold Grieble. One afternoon, after a Long German Lunch at Johnny Helds "Brown Bear" resturant, with the German Gun"Mafia",Drinking Litre's of Real Imported Munich Draught Beer, Leather panted'Bavarian accordion squeezing Musicians,John Amber Ordering Rounds of drinks for the 'House'Arnold stood up and sang a Old German Song his Father had taught him many years earlier when he was a 'Lad"What a Video that would have made!!!I now have to go to my Photo Files, I have a small 'collection of stuff on Herr Grieble... cc..getting Nostalgic for the'Sixties"

This thread has been a great pleasure to read and digest. Being in the throes of a project with an O/U just now, I appreciate all the comments.
David, my friend; Ken my friend: Please take the time to record all the anecdotes, facts and history that are contained in your fertile and
archival minds.
David; knowing how you love to "chat", a tape recorder would be a wonderful tool for you to use.!! Legion are those that will profit by the reading of just one chapter of your autobiographies.
To you and so many others---WOE BE UNTO YE that have the tales and have not jotted them down for the ages.
Do I hear an AMEN????
Best,
John