Re: Kraus & Jarred, Engravers Extroadinaire Archived Message
Posted by Tom Archer on July 19, 2015, 11:24 am, in reply to "Re: Kraus & Jarred, Engravers Extroadinaire"
Tom
I'm writing from memory (as opposed to checking my research); but recall that Jerred died in 1988 at the age of 62, this would have made his birth date 1926/27 thereabouts and placed him barely out of diapers when this Monogram gun was made. As I recall, Jerred began work at the gun works in 1946, and in the case hardening department; and at some point afterwards severely burned his eyes with cyanide. When he was able to return to work, there was a job opening posted for the engraving department; which he applied for and was hired by Kraus. It was at that point he began his tutelage under Kraus; finishing his apprenticeship and his receiving masters certification in early 1949, one month before the factory collapse (which lead to his being laid off by Marlin). According to Ken Sweet, Jerred's best friend and best man at his wedding, Jerred had told him he had never signed his work on a Smith gun; and that he only ever signed the Ruger pistols he engraved long after leaving the gun works. And on those Ruger pistols his "engraver's mark" was composed of his initials "CHJ" and done in such a manner as to appear as scroll. I would be suspicious of any purportedly Jarred signed Smith gun; and for that matter, Kraus signed gun also (although I've heard that Kraus signed guns exist, but I've never seen a single example). Although it is possible that Kraus may have signed a few guns on customer request, Ken Sweet, who was also a friend of Kraus, says that Smith guns were not signed because all were done as a collaborative effort. Kraus's primary responsibility as engraving shop foreman was to make sure each member of his department got enough hours each week to make a living; so he assigned portions of each project to his men based on need and skill level. Remember also that, even on high grades, brass pattern templates were utilized to speed the time required for each project; and to insure a certain degree of grade pattern uniformity. The only Jarred signed gun I've seen was his unfinished Deluxe; and I've heard (haven't seen the gun, but have seen pics; although none of those showed engraver's signatures) that when Marlin decided to end Smith production, the engraving shop made up an upgraded "Field Grade Deluxe" that is purported to have been signed by Kraus, Jerred, and one other company engraver. I personally don't think passing on that Monogram gun was a mistake because of the alleged signatures (could have been worth the money for other reasons); too much fakery in high-grade guns regardless of maker.
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