The L.C. Smith Collectors Association
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    Re: Posting for Ken Hurst Archived Message

    Posted by Ken Hurst on January 7, 2007, 12:58 am, in reply to "Re: Posting for Ken Hurst"

    Why thank you boys, I try. This gun started life as a field grade ejector LC that wasn't considered a collectable piece. It is also the first LC Mr. Tom has bought and he wanted to do something special with it. I was fortunate enough to get the commission to engrave it. As Mr. Tom lives out west, he wanted a Gambel quail and a setter on the sidelocks. To this end and besides the quail, I elected to use the setter with quail in mouth that graced an old "Gunter Arms Co." catalog as well as the opening page of this web site and the news letter. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Mr. Tom was real good about giving me directions when ask to help design this piece. I like to try and get clients to think and open up with me so they get their dream piece rather than something I thought up. This is truly their creation, I only get them thinking & scratch up their well hand polished gun. The finish for this piece will be a soft french grey. I get this by having the metal color cased by "classic Guns". In this case, Classic will case the metal using more charcoal than bone. Once it is returned to me, I carefully remove the color/carbon with warm toilet bowl cleaner (phos. acid) & a tightly packed 0000 degreased steel wool pad. By lightly & briskly rubbing the steel with the warmed cleaner & pad, the surface color is soon removed leaving an old English coin finish ( like an old Parker). However, the dark carbon remains down in the engraved cuts. The soft french grey color is acchieved by coating the metal with the dirtyest disel crank case oil I can find. This has a slight amount of sulfuric acid mixed in. In a few weeks time the metal turns a soft french grey but the carbon colored engraving still stands out without being loud. In short the slightest detail in the scenes still stands out and you have the rust resistance of the case hardened finish.

    If there are any questions, I will be pleased to answer.


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