SAA with GOLD!

[GTJC460]

I worked on this gun over the last several months off and on. It was a "show piece" I put together to exhibit at the CCA show earlier in October. Anyhow, I sent it to a great client who takes incredible pictures. I thought I'd share them here for all.

The gun is a Colt SAA 2nd gen circa 1962 in 357. It was a bit rough when I bought it, so I had a pretty sizable amount of time fixing it up to make it worthy of engraving. Once it was all polished up, I began by doing all my inlays. After all the gold was in, I did my scroll engraving. Lastly I had one piece ivory grips fitted to the gun.

 

[Donny]

Wonderful work! I have a soft spot for SAAs!!!

Donny

 

[FerrousOxide]

Beautiful! Great job!!

 

[davidshe]

Nice work Bert! The amount of inlays look like just the right amount to me. It all works well together.

 

[JMiller]

Beautiful lookin' gun... nice work, really like the work on the cylinder.

 

[Mike Fennell]

Beautiful. That is an unusual cylinder treatment, and it works well.

 

[GTJC460]

Thank you gents...I'm pretty happy with the way this one all came together.

 

[Barry Lee Hands]

Lovely work!

 

[Gargoyle]

Wonderful work! I have a soft spot for SAAs!!!

Donny

When you're engraving them, doesn't the soft spot cause a problem? Could dig in too deep...

 

[John B.]

Good looking Colt SAA, Burt. And I like the engraving on 1911 you posted elsewhere.
As you say, your client took some nice pics.
John B.

 

[Donny]

Would you mind saying how wide the gold borders and bands are? Do you have a preferred flat# you use for the channels?

Donny

 

[GTJC460]

Would you mind saying how wide the gold borders and bands are? Do you have a preferred flat# you use for the channels?

Donny

All of the thin outlines are 28 gauge wire. The wide bands are 4-6 rows of 26 gauge wire. I don't have a preferred width or graver. I just do what I think looks good using dividers to layout

For my 28 gauge wire I use a square graver to make my line. Then a special hand grind onglette graver to make the undercuts. It's a rather fiddly operation to do but prefer to use a graver when at all convenient instead of a chisel to "upset" the edge. I feel the inlay is cleaner this way and there's less cleanup involved. Chiseling the undercut is more prone to give a ragged look, however there are certain times when it's really the only way to get the job done.

Basically with inlays there's no one way that is the best/only way to do the job. You have to experiment to find ways that work best for various applications.

 

[Donny]

Thank you Bert. I was just wondering from an "appeal" perspective. Sometimes in pictures its hard to get a firm idea as to what gauge might have been used.

Donny