- Joined
- Dec 19, 2002
- Messages
- 22,485
No, I don't mean sleeping midday though I'd like to regularly after lunch.
Flew into Louisville where I visited the Kentucky Derby Museum (best exhibit was the farrier exhibit), Speed Art Museum (they have an original painting of Daniel Boone) and the Frazier Arms Museum (it's a must). Afterwards, went to Vincennes for the rendezvous there. Spent about 7 hours there before leaving for the IN State Military Museum in Vincennes. Great stop if you want to see working tanks (M3 & M5 Stuart, M47, M4A3E8, Czech version of the Sdkfz 250 halftrack, M20 scout car, LVT-4, etc.).
After Vincennes, on Monday I visited Jeff White in Alma who took us to see the ILL State Military Museum. Their claim to fame is Santa Anna's wood leg (the same one Madeline Albright promised back to Mexico before Illinois stepped in and said, "Sorry, it belongs to us."
). We scooted down towards Paducah but before crossing the Ohio stopped by Fort Ascencion (Fort Massiac or Massic). The recreated fort was built within footsteps of the original and the original is layed out with short logs. Great job of reconstruction Illinois!
Then down to Bowling Green, Kentucky. This year I was fortunate to be accepted in the National Muzzle Loading Association's Building an Southern Iron Mounted Rifle taught by Hershel and John House. We spent about three or four days at the forge to make our buttplates and trigger guards from steel stock. Intermittingly we did some whitesmithing (filing) to prepare our forged parts for assembly. Some of us also made sideplates (saw & file) for our guns.
The next six days was spent at Western Kentucky University assembling our guns. The stocks had been pre-inletted for the barrels and drilled out for the ramrods (OK, most of us have done it before, but why bother?). This gave us more time on stock architecture and fitting.
I can't say too much because I'm writing an article (at Hershel's request) for the NMLRA magazine, Muzzle Blasts. What I did achieve in the six days in the workshop was to inlet the tang, fit the buttplate, inlet the lock and sideplate, inlet the trigger and trigger guard, pour the pewter nosecap and carve out most of the stock (I left it somewhat rough so I can relief carve it later).
After we departed WKU I went to Conner Prairie in Fishers, IN. The outdoor museum features a gunshow, Three Centuries of Tradition that was curated by Mark Silver and Wallace Gusler. Both are known to me as they are instructors fo the NMLRA gunbuilding seminars. A little over an hour was spent gawking at the guns. A trip to through Praire Town brought me to the blacksmith shop where my first blacksmithing instructor was working. We talked for hours before I decided to leave. On the way out, I stopped by the demonstration area where John Weston was demonstrating relief carving and John Shipper was engraving. They had somewhat over a dozen and a half of their guns displayed to complement the main show. The rest of the day was spent talking to them before final departure at 6 p.m.
The next day was spent @ Friendship, IN where the NMLRA had its national match. I didn't bring a gun but plenty of time was spent talking with various instructors and suttlers.
The NMLRA also offers classes so I took flintknapping and mocassin making. The flintknapping requires a bit of hand eye skill and isn't all that difficult. One key point is never to knap while the flint is in the jaws of the hammer. You can bend the hammer that way. It's safer to remove it and knap it off the gun.
Had a sidetrip to Cincinnati where we visited the Fire Dept. Museum. Great museum if you want to see how it was done in the old days (thank God for modern technology though). We then returned to Friendship where we tried to visit the Seagrams Distillery in Aurora, IN. The guard apologized stating that distillery tours were discontinued a few years ago. Since we couldn't get in, I told him that we were switching brands. He broke out in a hearty laugh (as did we).
Our final full day was spent at the Frazier where I scrutinized their exhibits (one powder horn was incorrectly marked French-Indian and I pointed it out to an employee). Attended almost all of their interpretive shows and the gal who played Annie Oakley must be commended on her safe handling of firearms. Not once did she allow her muzzle to sweep across a member of the audience. Having spent about 6 1/2 hours at the Frazier, I barely had time to go across the street to the Louisville Slugger Museum to buy some postcards.
BTW, Friendship is deadly to the pocketbook. I must have dropped about $1k there.
Flew into Louisville where I visited the Kentucky Derby Museum (best exhibit was the farrier exhibit), Speed Art Museum (they have an original painting of Daniel Boone) and the Frazier Arms Museum (it's a must). Afterwards, went to Vincennes for the rendezvous there. Spent about 7 hours there before leaving for the IN State Military Museum in Vincennes. Great stop if you want to see working tanks (M3 & M5 Stuart, M47, M4A3E8, Czech version of the Sdkfz 250 halftrack, M20 scout car, LVT-4, etc.).
After Vincennes, on Monday I visited Jeff White in Alma who took us to see the ILL State Military Museum. Their claim to fame is Santa Anna's wood leg (the same one Madeline Albright promised back to Mexico before Illinois stepped in and said, "Sorry, it belongs to us."
). We scooted down towards Paducah but before crossing the Ohio stopped by Fort Ascencion (Fort Massiac or Massic). The recreated fort was built within footsteps of the original and the original is layed out with short logs. Great job of reconstruction Illinois! Then down to Bowling Green, Kentucky. This year I was fortunate to be accepted in the National Muzzle Loading Association's Building an Southern Iron Mounted Rifle taught by Hershel and John House. We spent about three or four days at the forge to make our buttplates and trigger guards from steel stock. Intermittingly we did some whitesmithing (filing) to prepare our forged parts for assembly. Some of us also made sideplates (saw & file) for our guns.
The next six days was spent at Western Kentucky University assembling our guns. The stocks had been pre-inletted for the barrels and drilled out for the ramrods (OK, most of us have done it before, but why bother?). This gave us more time on stock architecture and fitting.
I can't say too much because I'm writing an article (at Hershel's request) for the NMLRA magazine, Muzzle Blasts. What I did achieve in the six days in the workshop was to inlet the tang, fit the buttplate, inlet the lock and sideplate, inlet the trigger and trigger guard, pour the pewter nosecap and carve out most of the stock (I left it somewhat rough so I can relief carve it later).
After we departed WKU I went to Conner Prairie in Fishers, IN. The outdoor museum features a gunshow, Three Centuries of Tradition that was curated by Mark Silver and Wallace Gusler. Both are known to me as they are instructors fo the NMLRA gunbuilding seminars. A little over an hour was spent gawking at the guns. A trip to through Praire Town brought me to the blacksmith shop where my first blacksmithing instructor was working. We talked for hours before I decided to leave. On the way out, I stopped by the demonstration area where John Weston was demonstrating relief carving and John Shipper was engraving. They had somewhat over a dozen and a half of their guns displayed to complement the main show. The rest of the day was spent talking to them before final departure at 6 p.m.
The next day was spent @ Friendship, IN where the NMLRA had its national match. I didn't bring a gun but plenty of time was spent talking with various instructors and suttlers.
The NMLRA also offers classes so I took flintknapping and mocassin making. The flintknapping requires a bit of hand eye skill and isn't all that difficult. One key point is never to knap while the flint is in the jaws of the hammer. You can bend the hammer that way. It's safer to remove it and knap it off the gun.
Had a sidetrip to Cincinnati where we visited the Fire Dept. Museum. Great museum if you want to see how it was done in the old days (thank God for modern technology though). We then returned to Friendship where we tried to visit the Seagrams Distillery in Aurora, IN. The guard apologized stating that distillery tours were discontinued a few years ago. Since we couldn't get in, I told him that we were switching brands. He broke out in a hearty laugh (as did we).
Our final full day was spent at the Frazier where I scrutinized their exhibits (one powder horn was incorrectly marked French-Indian and I pointed it out to an employee). Attended almost all of their interpretive shows and the gal who played Annie Oakley must be commended on her safe handling of firearms. Not once did she allow her muzzle to sweep across a member of the audience. Having spent about 6 1/2 hours at the Frazier, I barely had time to go across the street to the Louisville Slugger Museum to buy some postcards.
BTW, Friendship is deadly to the pocketbook. I must have dropped about $1k there.
