How is my work?

[mhawk4321]

hey here are a few pics of some guns ive worked on



Winchester 94



Sks folding stock OD Green



mossberg 702 Plinkster



mossberg 702 Plinkster



and i've attached a few more mics of a 303 british, my glock 22, and another wood stock sks

just tell me what you think. I'm young (21) and i enjoy redoing guns. Bringing back old guns, making cheap guns look nicer and and just doing some tactical work.

As i said i just want some opinions of how i'm doing in my work.

 

[mhawk4321]

on a note my 22 plinkster is my favorite i've worked on. i shoot great groups with it and i'm planning on putting a Marlin ATI stock and muzzle break on it. I painted it silver and removed and filled in the sight holes.

 

[Rail Driver]

Nice work, though I try hard to stay away from spraypaint. There are dozens upon dozens of much more durable firearm finishes that can be applied at home.

 

[mhawk4321]

i never use spray paints on metal. I use alumihyde from brownells.com. i will use some good quality spray paint on a synthetic stock but then come back with a clear coat of alumihyde.

 

[SlowFuse]

MHawk you are very close to me, I live in Dry Valley.

What kind of sling is on your SKS?

 

[mhawk4321]

its a sling from a company called Quake and its called the Claw

heres a link to the sling
http://quakeinc.com/Store-View.php?id=325

 

[orionengnr]

Your work is probably fine, but your photography is sub-par. Too much crap in the background distracting one's attention. Especially the second shot--your workplace is a mess. And your thumbnail "little bitty" pics all have backgound clutter.

Good photography draws the viewer's attention to the subject.

Do some looking at threads in this forum. There are some guys who really know how to compose a picture, and make it a work of art. Doesn't have to be complicated--a slate table or a gravel driveway serve as great backgrounds, as does a weathered piece of wood. A plain, uniform background with "just a bit" of texture works well.

 

[dubbleA]

This post will slightly veer of the OP's topic but I believe this is what orionengnr is referring to.

I work on my own firearms and recently starting on my own rifle builds along with offering a few custom parts to the public. I am in no way a professional photographer but these are my thoughts.


When showing off work I feel that it is important to take decent pics when doing so. Take time to compose a shot, try to highlight the main subject. Remember you want to draw attention to the subject. Sometimes adding related objects will help with the layout. Lighting plays a key role. It's not hard, you just have to exercise some imagination and vision what the final outcome will be.

 

[mhawk4321]

lol im not trying to be a photographer i just snapped a few shots

 

[CZguy]

lol im not trying to be a photographer i just snapped a few shots

Then I'm afraid that you missed the point entirely.

 

[10mm Mike]

which type of clear alumahyde do you use, matte or gloss? how has it held up so far?

 

[armarsh]

Then I'm afraid that you missed the point entirely.

I'm not so sure the OP has missed the point. It might be that he likes to work on guns but does not care to photograph them. Not all gun photos have to be fine art & setting up what is required for art shots detracts from time spent actually working on guns.

 

[buck460XVR]

I'm not so sure the OP has missed the point. It might be that he likes to work on guns but does not care to photograph them. Not all gun photos have to be fine art & setting up what is required for art shots detracts from time spent actually working on guns.

I agree. While everyone is good at something, ain't none of us good at everything. A good photographer can make even a POS gun look good with the right background, lighting, effects and editing. Don't make it any more reliable or shoot any better. Neither does a simple application of alumihyde. I think the OP has a good start at refinishing guns. Where he goes from there is up to him.

 

[WardenWolf]

Nice taste in guns, young man. And good work.

 

[mhawk4321]

ive used all the different finishes in alumi hyde and they all hold up very well just make sure you give it the proper time for it to cure

 

[btg3]

Not all gun photos have to be fine art & setting up what is required for art shots detracts from time spent actually working on guns.

Photography may range from art to abysmal. All but the 2nd photo are fair. Omit the 2nd photo and the presentation would have passed with less criticism.

And if you truly want to promote your work via photogrpahy, it's better to hire that skill rather than put your work in a bad light. Seriously, if these guns had benefited from more flattering photographs, can you imagine the difference in the comments posted?

 

[savanahsdad]

[/ATTACH]

Then I'm afraid that you missed the point entirely.

too funny ,,lol ,,, I like pics with junk in the background , when I see a pic of a gun on here that looks like a pro took it, or it was pulled from the web , I tend to think it is not his gun (FAKE) plus you can learn from the junk in the background, like my pics, you can see , I have a lathe, lots of reload stuff, a nice red-oak bench ,ect ect , here is a 10/22 I built , lots of junk and done with a cell cam. ,

nothing wrong with hs post , gun work looks just fine

 

[TAKtical]

Dubble, what camera do you use?

 

[savanahsdad]

mhawk4321,,,, I see you have a few SKS you have worked on , I thought you might like to see what I did too mine ,

 

[BUGUDY]

savanahsdad. Love the lights on the workbench.
I also agree with liking "natural" gun pics from the bench. Like to see what others are doing and using in their work.
mhawk4321, If what you have done with your guns has brought you some pride and pleasure, that's all that really matters. If your asking for feedback to explore different avenues, techniques, etc that is fine, but opinions are like............

 

[savanahsdad]

savanahsdad. Love the lights on the workbench.
I also agree with liking "natural" gun pics from the bench. Like to see what others are doing and using in their work.
mhawk4321, If what you have done with your guns has brought you some pride and pleasure, that's all that really matters. If your asking for feedback to explore different avenues, techniques, etc that is fine, but opinions are like............

you like the rope lights lol,
I forget they are even there , as I don't see them when I'm at the bench ,I was going to put in under cabinet lights but then I saw the rope lights , they don't get hot , eazy to put in and cheep , and best of all they work ,

 

[dubbleA]

Dubble, what camera do you use?

Those were taken with a old Canon Digital Rebel or a Canon 60D.

too funny ,,lol ,,, I like pics with junk in the background , when I see a pic of a gun on here that looks like a pro took it, or it was pulled from the web , I tend to think it is not his gun (FAKE) plus you can learn from the junk in the background, like my pics, you can see , I have a lathe, lots of reload stuff, a nice red-oak bench ,ect ect , here is a 10/22 I built

Clutter tends to be a distraction. My way of thinking is that if you want to showcase something make it direct and to the point and have it standout. I can assure you that the photos I post are mine and the firearms in them are owned by me.

 

[Dentite]

dubbleA: Those are some great shots. I really like that one with the sporter rifle with the leaves and antler. Beautiful subjects and beautiful photography.

While it's true that you don't have to be a pro photographer to get feedback, you likely won't get great feedback if the photos you post don't allow people to see/focus on what you did well enough to give a critique. The better the photo, the better the feedback.

 

[savanahsdad]

well I disagree with the post that you will get more feedback with high end photos , as I said befor I tend to think there fake (pulled from the web) and maybe there not , but we have all seen pics that were pulled from the web some with the trademark still on them ,lol,, so I tend not to leave feedback on them ,and I'm sure I'm not alone, plus I get lots of feedback on my low end cell-phone pics,

dubbleA : I was not saying your photos were fakes , It's just when I'm on these sights my BS filter is on , and I "TEND TO" skip over anything that looks too good , if it looks too good to be true , well.......................
that Canon Rebel is a great camera, I have a Canon PowerShot SX10IS 10.0 mega pixels with a 20X Optical Zoom ,I just find it faster to use my cell phone, this is my proshot




To the OP sorry for getting off track , keep up the good work, guns look great ,it's nice to see stuff thats not just off the shelf

 

[BADUNAME30]

Clutter is more than a distraction in a picture.
It can and eventualy will cause damage to a customers gun.
And quite frankly, if you are tryin to sell your work, then seeing that you don't care about keeping your work space and tools in order shows me that you're not going to have the care needed to properly and orderly work on my gun.
I would never even consider alowing you to have posession of one of my guns.
Get rid of the mess !!
Having the tools/supplies that you are currently using is one thing..What you have there is a mess.