Garage News: Luger in Vegas

[Lee]

This is a piece I was able to show in Las Vegas. I also carved the grips. Next project is pelicans, egrets, flamingos and other feathered friends.

 

[Marrinan]

Beautiful Lee.

 

[FANCYGUN]

The gun looks good here and even beter in person out in Vegas. And you are a humble lil devil too. You should mention it won best engraved pistol at the meeting also. Great job Lee.

 

[graniteguy52]

Lee,
Mighty, mighty fine work sir. I hope I don't offend anyone by stating that I voted for yours.
Gordon Alcorn

 

[JMiller]

Great looking gun.... Beautiful work!

 

[SamW]

Plus a couple of other awards Marty.

 

[BrianPowley]

Great work, Lee. This is a DWM Artillery. Nice. The 1916 Chamber date says this was most likely used in WWI by Kaiser Wilhelm II's Army.
I always found the steel in the DWM's to be very hard in places like the toggle, toggle links, breech block and barrel extension. (Basically, the entire top of the gun, except the barrel)
If anyone has never messed with one, the rear sight is a superb example of great engineering.
Hard to beat the Germans when it comes to engineering.
Kudos!

 

[Lee]

Brian, sounds like you engraved this fellow's brother. They are indeed hard on the top. Not for the faint of heart.

I was fortunate to do well in the awards. You will remember Marty's 1886 with the cattle drive and train, it received a well deserved Engravers choice award which I believe is generally if not unanimously regarded as our top award. It doesn't get any better than his train scene. Jim Blair picked up a few with a spectacular rifle with gold background and delightful and abundant sculpting. Bob Strosin had another award winning LC Smith. I have thought about the awards over the years and my considered conclusion is that there are quite a few engravers who display at the show whose skills and artistry place them in that class. Oftentimes it boils down to whether they have the opportunity to display those skills by having a client, budget, and project that allows it. Some are not able to gather back their best work from clients to display. Once in the private collection..... it stays. There were other very notable pieces. Mike Dubber's colt that he posted on the forum a while back. It was outstanding and I don't know anyone better at designing and using gold tastefully. Barry Lee Hands had a beautiful shotgun with his tessallated gold leaves. Barry I hope I described it right. Roger Sampson had a piece done with exquisite small English scroll. Not flashy with gold but a treat for anyone wishing to see beautifully executed scroll. Sam Welch in my opinion, may have had the best piece in the show. Because it was a bass ukelele instead of a gun it only qualified for one award and it walked away so-crowned. Alaska was the theme commemorating his fond years on Kodiak island. At the risk of offending someone I have willingly mentioned just a few. All the pieces were fun to see and enjoy. I hope many others get their day in the Engraver. Congratulations to all who displayed and made the show a smashing success. Quite a feat for a first year show. A special thanks to the officers of the guild for their time adn dedication to move us to this new venue. I'll be there next year.

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

What a beauty Lee, hard to beat that one. I never tried some wood carving but by looking at your's, I feel the need to give it a try too

arnaud

 

[sam]

Very impressive work, Lee! Nothing less than a masterfully done show-stopper!

 

[monk]

lee- that entire piece just screams to be looked at till ones' eyes grow weary. you are a legend in your own time. certainly this is proof of that

 

[Southern Custom]

It is an outstanding piece of work Lee. I'm happy that I was able to meet you at the show and see the gun first hand. One could indeed look at it for days. (and no doubt find something new with every viewing)
I look forward to the next project. Pelicans, egrets and flamingos is right up my alley being from Louisiana. I can't wait to see how you pull it off. I have been planning a Louisiana themed shotgun for ages now with similar birds and an alligator in there somewhere. Now I'm just waiting for my engraving ability to catch up to my aspirations!
Great job!!!
Layne

 

[broncob]

Germans should buy that as a gift for Frau Merkel!

Real artistry in wood and metal!

Congratulations! :bow: :bow:

 

[dimovengraving]

 

[rod]

So pleased to see your masterpiece, Lee,

Properly displayed by good photography. As you remember, I totally failed to capture its art in my informal hit and run coverage of the Vegas show, however Sam W's ingenious light tent saved the day, when he photographed the prizewinners. Whoever took these photos knows what they are doing? It was a special moment to visit with some of the family, at your table, and to have the privilege of close examination of this piece. WW 1 always goes deep with me, remembering my father in those trenches at age 17, having faked his real age when enlisting. It was the death of him, as the saying goes.

Whatever you chose in the treatment of the steel is very successful to my eye, rather a subtle grey, and a bit mat, it works so well against the gold.

Your ground of being is ever humble, generous, and good humored. It is to be expected that you would inflect praise to other colleagues, and much deserved, plenty of really good things to admire in Vegas, I do agree, Marty's bulino, now complete, is a wonderful piece of art. I was able, by luck, to get some good shots of Marty last year, as he worked with pencil and paper completing his design for that project, now I have drawing and finish bulino side by side.

best

Rod

 

[Ed Westerly]

Oh, MAN, I should have gone to the FEGA show this year! I would give a lot to have been able to touch that Luger!

 

[LVVP]

Thank you Lee for sharing this masterpiece

 

[a.khaksari]

Amazing Work, Lee!
Thank for showing!

 

[Barry Lee Hands]

Excellent work Lee, and yes, you said it right.
Well deserved awards, all around.

 

[Mike Fennell]

I was one of the lucky ones who actually got to touch it. These photograph are excellent, but the perfection and textures of the gold inlays cannot really be captured by a camera.