Sorry to report Ed Shulin, former Trinidad State Stockmaking instructor died May 23, 2010 of pancreatic cancer. Ed taught stockmaking from 1966 to 1992. His students included (randomly) Maurice Ottmar, Joseph Smithson, Chuck Grace, Dennis Erhardt, Pete Grisel, Pete Mazur, David Norin, Craig Libhart, myself and many others I cannot recall at this moment.
Not only did each of us make our first stock from the blank but we each used a complete set of stockmaking chisels that we had forged, filed, hardened, tempered and sharpened. The chisels were our first project in Stockmaking and the blank was our second.
I talked with Ed a couple of weeks ago and he was bright, upbeat and positive as he always was. Ed ran a stock duplicating service after retiring from teaching. He touched the lives of and was a profound influence on many gun craftsmen. His teaching has helped me every day I have ever worked at my bench.
So long Ed...
There will be a memorial service held in Cokedale, CO on June 1, 2010. (info: 575-376-2145)
Ed Shulin teaching stockmaking at TSJC circa 1976.
