A "Litlle Bit" of Celtic?

Mike Dubber

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I had a client who wanted to create a special Colt 1911 for an upcoming 35th Anniversary. She said she "Liked" Celtic style work, but not didn't want to "overload" the gun with Celtic Designs?? When you deal with people you find that you are constantly put on-the-spot trying to interpret their reasons and meanings.
I had done Celtic style engraving before, but always on jewelry. The only engraver I ever knew who did full Celtic on firearms was Ralph Bone - his work was beautiful and his interpretations were magnificent. His Celtic flowed easily over the complicated surfaces and I was always intrigued. Ralph would just smile and shrug his shoulders like it was nothing difficult at all!
As I started to consider the layout and design - mixing traditional scrolls with Celtic - I quickly found that is was difficult indeed, and I was happy that she didn't ask for a full-Celtic pattern.
So, here's the result of fitting in a "bit of the Celtic" and hoping it would work.
This Colt is going out for blue today...........




This Colt is back from bluing and some folks asked that I show the gun when it was finished. It was difficult to see the Celtic Art on the frame side, so this might help.

 
Last edited:

Sam

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I think you did great, Mike! Looks to me like just the right amount in the just the right place. I would imagine that's quite a design challenge.

I'd also like to say that I like the depth and character of your cutting on the rest of the gun. Good, strong design that shows you're not afraid to really get into the metal. And the bookmatched scroll on the slide in the middle photo is a nice treatment! :thumbsup:
 

Mike Dubber

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Thanks Sam - I really do like to cut deeply and brightly, and the GRS CMax is perfectly suited for hard metals like this 1911. In don't anneal anything on these guns and the slide is tough. The two smallest parts (slide release and thumb safety) are nearly impossible without CMax. For those I raise the face to 60 degrees and the relief to 20 degrees, use some cutting fluid, and, if you don't push the graver, it cuts clean and bright like the softer (sic) parts.
 

davidshe

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Great work Mike! I can imagine that you spent a lot of time designing and redesigning this before you made the first cut! Thanks for sharing it.
 

celticjohn

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Jan 21, 2010
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Ireland
Looks good Mike, well done.
Doing celtic knotwork from scratch is a quite difficult. The "simple", though not so simple rule is "over, under, over, under"
I find I always end up with 2 overs together or 2 unders together when designing knotwork.
you then think you could just and an extra line to complete the over, under rule. Doesn't work that way because the previous under then needs to become an over.
You generally have to start from scratch.
 

Mike Dubber

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CelticJohn:

I agree, designing Celtic knot work is much more involved and complicated than scroll designs. The over-under principle can do you in; just when you think you have it figured out you run into a place where it reverses itself. There are books, and they provide capable guidance for "system" that can be used to layout a continuous Celtic pattern, but then you are faced with am odd shaped and confined space - like on the side panels of this Colt - and you find yourself breaking the rules.
 

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