Sunshine
01-01-2008, 23:13 PM
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v181/Bamaman71354/Rick%20Mowles%20Gunstocks/ ( Be sure to click on pictures to enlarge them )
My name is Rick Mowles. I am a disabled Vietnam veteran. My disability is Post-traumatic stress disorder. I served in Vietnam with the US Marines.
In January 1997, I was looking through some hunting magazines when I saw an advertisement concerning gunstock carving and engraving. The pictures depicted several gunstocks which had the most detailed carved scenes on the butt, grip and forestock. This advertisement stimulated my curiosity so I called Paragraphics in Orem, Utah, and had them send me more detailed information. I received the information about ten days later. I eagerly studied the information and was amazed at the pictures of carved eggs and gunstocks. I ordered the equipment and tapes so that I could learn more about this fascinating subject.
After setting up the equipment, I started engraving on old gunstocks. I soon found that this was very difficult at first. By practicing, I found that this was a very difficult thing to carve animals and borders. I couldn’t get the animal scenes to look real or the detailed scroll and scripture to look real. My frustration led me to enroll in my first engraving class in Benjamin Utah. This was March 1997.
The course was taught by Keith and Craig Hone. I learned so much from that first class and it made me very excited. I learned about using drill speed to keep from eating away wood and destroying an image. I learned about how to create shadows on animals that depicted the musculature in detail. On May 27, 1997, I took my second class in Las Vegas also taught by Keith Hone. This class taught me how to use composite ivory inlaying to simulated bone inlayed in wood.
One of Keith Hone’s students in the mid-nineties was Bill Janney. Bill was a retired head of robotics research for general motors in Dayton, Ohio. He took the basic training from Keith Hone and researched it. He developed interest in the high relief carving done by the skilled German gunstock carvers. He studied this and learned how to do the beautiful grip patterns of fish scale and basket weave that was done on the high dollar German custom-built rifles and shotguns. Bill Janney also did something that nobody else had done. He developed marketing skills of his work by displaying it at the world renowned Safari Club International convention held every year in either Reno or Las Vegas Nevada. This exposed his work to many owners of high dollar custom-built firearms. His name spread fast and he was on television and articles were written about his work. In 2002, Bill Janney published his first book on gunstock engraving. This book showed in detailed pictures, the instructional techniques to do fish scale and basket weave grip patterns and designs for display of animals. Bill Janney became a dealer in Merkel firearms. These beautiful rifles and shotguns were made in Suhl, Germany. Bill traveled there to the factory and witnessed the German master engravers at work. He had the ability to learn real fast and the use of modern sophisticated engraving equipment.
At one of the engraving classes I witnessed pictures of Bill Janney’s work. It completely fascinated me at the beauty and details of his work. In October 2001, I traveled to Bill Janney’s home in Middletown, Ohio, and spent a week with him learning his techniques and advise on the many aspects of engraving. This really jump-started my interest more in engraving. I came home with much knowledge and started practicing even more diligently. I entered a carved ostrich egg in the Kalispell, Montana State Fair in August 2001. I won first place.
In October 2004, I got help from the Veteran’s Administration vocational rehabilitation for further education in my gunstock engraving and wood sculpturing. The VA paid for me to go to Emporia, Kansas, for a week course in engraving at the Glendo corporation. Bill Janney was on the staff at Glendo and we were taught in one of their classrooms. It was here that my engraving skills took on a tremendous different perspective. I was trained to use the Gravermeister. This piece of equipment taught me to use the pneumatic chisel as well as the pneumatic drill. These two pieces of equipment allowed me to do the most intricate scroll and scripture work as well as the most detailed definition of animal anatomy on my gunstocks. I came home and started to do the most intricate and detailed gunstocks.
In the spring of 2006, I did a gunstock for Senator John Douglas of Georgia. Senator Douglas was head of the house in Georgia. There had been a proposal on the floor to nominate Jane Fonda for an award for her charitable work in Atlanta. The House led by Senator Douglas voted down the proposal by an overwhelming vote. The defeat of this proposal was based on Jane Fonda’s antiwar protests and going to North Vietnam while our troops were dying in combat. This was aired on the “Bill O’Reilly” show. I donated a carved gunstock to praise the state of Georgia and it’s patriotic stand for America. Senator Douglas graciously received the stock and it is displayed in his office in Atlanta.
As a disabled veteran with Post-traumatic stress disorder, engraving has helped me tremendously. It has given my life a purpose. I get a tremendous boost to my self-esteem and self gratification knowing what that I can create a piece of beauty whenever I do a gunstock. Gunstock engraving and wood sculpturing demand a tremendous mental focus. Intrusive mental thoughts, depression, and anger disappear when I engrave. It lets me know I am a somebody and I have learned to love myself. This is very important that before you can love others, you have to be able to love yourself.
Well, I must close for now and go do some engraving.
Sincerely,
Rick Mowles
My name is Rick Mowles. I am a disabled Vietnam veteran. My disability is Post-traumatic stress disorder. I served in Vietnam with the US Marines.
In January 1997, I was looking through some hunting magazines when I saw an advertisement concerning gunstock carving and engraving. The pictures depicted several gunstocks which had the most detailed carved scenes on the butt, grip and forestock. This advertisement stimulated my curiosity so I called Paragraphics in Orem, Utah, and had them send me more detailed information. I received the information about ten days later. I eagerly studied the information and was amazed at the pictures of carved eggs and gunstocks. I ordered the equipment and tapes so that I could learn more about this fascinating subject.
After setting up the equipment, I started engraving on old gunstocks. I soon found that this was very difficult at first. By practicing, I found that this was a very difficult thing to carve animals and borders. I couldn’t get the animal scenes to look real or the detailed scroll and scripture to look real. My frustration led me to enroll in my first engraving class in Benjamin Utah. This was March 1997.
The course was taught by Keith and Craig Hone. I learned so much from that first class and it made me very excited. I learned about using drill speed to keep from eating away wood and destroying an image. I learned about how to create shadows on animals that depicted the musculature in detail. On May 27, 1997, I took my second class in Las Vegas also taught by Keith Hone. This class taught me how to use composite ivory inlaying to simulated bone inlayed in wood.
One of Keith Hone’s students in the mid-nineties was Bill Janney. Bill was a retired head of robotics research for general motors in Dayton, Ohio. He took the basic training from Keith Hone and researched it. He developed interest in the high relief carving done by the skilled German gunstock carvers. He studied this and learned how to do the beautiful grip patterns of fish scale and basket weave that was done on the high dollar German custom-built rifles and shotguns. Bill Janney also did something that nobody else had done. He developed marketing skills of his work by displaying it at the world renowned Safari Club International convention held every year in either Reno or Las Vegas Nevada. This exposed his work to many owners of high dollar custom-built firearms. His name spread fast and he was on television and articles were written about his work. In 2002, Bill Janney published his first book on gunstock engraving. This book showed in detailed pictures, the instructional techniques to do fish scale and basket weave grip patterns and designs for display of animals. Bill Janney became a dealer in Merkel firearms. These beautiful rifles and shotguns were made in Suhl, Germany. Bill traveled there to the factory and witnessed the German master engravers at work. He had the ability to learn real fast and the use of modern sophisticated engraving equipment.
At one of the engraving classes I witnessed pictures of Bill Janney’s work. It completely fascinated me at the beauty and details of his work. In October 2001, I traveled to Bill Janney’s home in Middletown, Ohio, and spent a week with him learning his techniques and advise on the many aspects of engraving. This really jump-started my interest more in engraving. I came home with much knowledge and started practicing even more diligently. I entered a carved ostrich egg in the Kalispell, Montana State Fair in August 2001. I won first place.
In October 2004, I got help from the Veteran’s Administration vocational rehabilitation for further education in my gunstock engraving and wood sculpturing. The VA paid for me to go to Emporia, Kansas, for a week course in engraving at the Glendo corporation. Bill Janney was on the staff at Glendo and we were taught in one of their classrooms. It was here that my engraving skills took on a tremendous different perspective. I was trained to use the Gravermeister. This piece of equipment taught me to use the pneumatic chisel as well as the pneumatic drill. These two pieces of equipment allowed me to do the most intricate scroll and scripture work as well as the most detailed definition of animal anatomy on my gunstocks. I came home and started to do the most intricate and detailed gunstocks.
In the spring of 2006, I did a gunstock for Senator John Douglas of Georgia. Senator Douglas was head of the house in Georgia. There had been a proposal on the floor to nominate Jane Fonda for an award for her charitable work in Atlanta. The House led by Senator Douglas voted down the proposal by an overwhelming vote. The defeat of this proposal was based on Jane Fonda’s antiwar protests and going to North Vietnam while our troops were dying in combat. This was aired on the “Bill O’Reilly” show. I donated a carved gunstock to praise the state of Georgia and it’s patriotic stand for America. Senator Douglas graciously received the stock and it is displayed in his office in Atlanta.
As a disabled veteran with Post-traumatic stress disorder, engraving has helped me tremendously. It has given my life a purpose. I get a tremendous boost to my self-esteem and self gratification knowing what that I can create a piece of beauty whenever I do a gunstock. Gunstock engraving and wood sculpturing demand a tremendous mental focus. Intrusive mental thoughts, depression, and anger disappear when I engrave. It lets me know I am a somebody and I have learned to love myself. This is very important that before you can love others, you have to be able to love yourself.
Well, I must close for now and go do some engraving.
Sincerely,
Rick Mowles