Team work and cooperation have become hallmark of the CLA and its members. The "Joseph Stewart" horn and pouch set made especially for the upcoming CLA live auction in Lexington this August, and the four CLA members that worked together to create it, embody what that attitude can accomplish even by proxy working together separately across the country.

The coordinator of this project was Chris Barker, and he describes how the team members pulled it all together best:

"During the Autumn of 2011 CLA official Tim Albert contacted me regarding a project for the CLA's 2012 Live Auction in Lexington. The theme was to be the War of 1812. The Contemporary Longrifle Association wanted a reproduction of a pouch and horn set of that time. I agreed to make a shot pouch. Mark Ewing of Lincolnton, North Carolina volunteered to make the powder horn, and Eric Van Alstine of Mexico, Missouri offered to make a bag knife.

Tim found photos and specifications for a powder horn with provenance to the War of 1812. The powder horn was the property of Joseph Stewart, a veteran of that war. Tim sent this information to Honourable Company of Horners and CLA craftsman Mark Ewing. Mark produced a fine documentary copy of the Stewart horn. Mark forwarded the horn on to Bill Carter who reproduced the scrimshawed inscription original to the old horn. Bill is also a CLA and HCH craftsman. Their combined work created an exacting copy.

Meanwhile I tried to find photos of a shot pouch that had been used in the War of 1812. My search being totally unsuccessful I simply created a pattern for a double D shaped pouch typical of the first quarter of the 19th Century. I acquired a small deer skin and applied a darkened patina using various leather dyes. I am careful not to use oven cleaner or any other caustic substances on leather.

While this was in progress Eric Van Alstine made a nice knife from an old file, carved a curly maple handle, and fitted it with a cast pewter ferrule. Eric antiqued the finished knife with great results.

I obtained a reproduction old time adjustable brass powder measure from Jim Chambers, an iron vent pick from Ed Wilde, and a couple of antique iron Buckles from Jerry Noble. A patina was applied to the measure. The bag was lined with a reproduction striped linen from Burnley and Trowbridge. The shoulder straps are leather. I made the pick and brush set using Wilde's pick, a brush handle from a modified .38 Special cartridge case, and bristles from an old shoe brush.

It was a great delight that everything went together so well. Eric, Mark, Bill, and I all worked on the project without a clear idea of what the other three were turning out. In the end the powder horn and knife were sent to me, and all the parts of the whole kit went fit beautifully and the proportions ended up being very pleasing to the eye.

When Mark Ewing sent me the powder horn he included the provenance which Tim Albert had provided. That information is in the shot pouch, and will be available for inspection at the auction."

In 1812, America’s standing army numbered less than 12,000 men. Because of this, President Madison called upon local and state militia units to carry the day. They were simply asked to invade and capture Canada, which would quickly force the British into negotiations or even surrender. Things didn’t prove quite so easy, but Madison was correct in assuming that a large burden of the fighting would indeed fall upon local and state militia units.

In the meantime, Congress quickly authorized an increase to the ranks of the army, and by the wars end our American regulars numbered around 40,000 martialed federal troops. Even so, volunteer militia units sent more than ten times that number to the field. Some of these militia units were quite clear that they would only serve where and when they pleased, and then only under locally recognized officers, while other units deployed from New Orleans to Canada to serve where ever the fighting was expected to be the hottest.

As varied and unique as a militia unit's individual term of service could be, their equipment could also vary from unit to unit and region to region, though some units would obviously try to standardize the gear used by their members. Uniforms, muskets, side arms, bayonets, and cartridge boxes were all items that were commonly standardized, and this handmade cartridge box by Frank Barker represents just such a piece.

We asked Frank about the cartridge box he was making for the 2012 CLA live auction, and here is what he told us. “My CLA auction project is a civilian/militia 1812 era Cartridge Box. From what research I have done, it seems that although the Federal government was making an attempt to issue new standardized equipment, state militias were still carrying the older style cartridge boxes , some that may have been held over from the Revolutionary War. My cartridge box would have been an old stock surplus piece, or possibly even an heirloom from that earlier revolutionary war period, one that a volunteer militiaman would have brought with him when he signed on to fight for this noble cause.”

Frank is technically retired now, but he stays busier than ever creating hunting bags, rifle pouches, and other leather accoutrements. His wife and best friend, Carolyn also makes inkle woven sashes, pouch and powder horn straps. Their handmade items are definitely known to be of the highest quality, and this cartridge box is no exception.

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The 2012 Contemporary Longrifle Association’s live auction promises to be one of the best! Commemorating the 200 year anniversary of the War of 1812, each of the nearly two dozen auction items will relate to the events of that war and its direct participants. From Tecumseh to Andrew Jackson, from frontier forts like Fort Meigs to Native American villages caught up in the fray, each and every item will have a story to tell about our nation and its “Path To Freedom”.

The war of 1812 was ignited over our right to free trade and unrestricted shipping. To demand these rights, our fledgling maritime force had to square off with the Kings own royal Navy. Britannia prided her ability to rule the seas, and her fighting ships and the sailors that manned them were some of the best disciplined and equipped in the world at that time. That didn't stop us from taking them on head to head, both on the great lakes and on the open oceans. Determined to fight with whatever means they had available, our brave fighting men were often forced to arm themselves as best as they could with their own private weapons instead of relying on the government to provide them with regulation issue, and this midshipman's dirk was just such a private weapon, and it would have found service in the hands of just such a man.

---An 1812 era midshipmans dagger by Glenn Mock

In honor of these fighting mariners, Glen Mock has crafted a very fine Midshipman’s dirk for our CLA “War of 1812” live auction. Glen told us that “this dirk is a copy of an original Napoleonic / War of 1812 period English/American Midshipman’s Dirk. It is not a bench copy since I only had good photos and measurements to go by.”

---The sheath and dagger

Glen forged the double edge blade from 1095 steel, and crafted the guard from brass. He turned the handle from black walnut, and capped the pommel in brass sheeting.

---The dagger's handle

---Detail of the period engraving on the brass sheath

---Detail of the brass hilt and Glenn's touch mark

According to Glen, the sheath was the hardest part of this project. Like the pommel cap, it is fashioned from sheet brass, as well as round and half round brass wire. All of the scabbard’s seams were silver soldered. As a finishing touch, Glen closely copied the decorative period engraving style found on the original.

Glen states: “I owe my knife-making start to my wife, and to my longtime friend Doug Delsemme. He encouraged me to attend a knife making class that Cousin Willy, Hershel and John House were teaching.” That seminar and those three talented teachers really helped to set him on his way.

Glen started shooting black powder in 1968 and in 1969, and built his first engraved powder horn then. He made a full time living for several years as a horner, shrimshander, and as a silver and gold smith. Glen says that he also owes much to artisans like Ray Miller, Jerry Riness and many others that have helped him through the years.

Besides making knives, Glen and his wife operate a guest ranch called the “Mockville Land and Cattle Co.” in Missouri, where they raise horses and cattle, and rent cabins to the “city folks who want a taste of country life”. ]]> tag:www.blackpowdermag.com,2012://1.183 2012-04-24T14:41:10Z 2012-05-03T01:40:47Z

For more information about the auction or CLA membership please visit: Longrifletext and photos by T C Albert

Larry Pletcher The 2012 Contemporary Longrifle Association’s live auction promises to be one of the best! Commemorating the 200 year anniversary of the War of 1812, each of the nearly two dozen auction items will relate to the events of that war and its direct participants. From Tecumseh to Andrew Jackson, from frontier forts like Fort Meigs to Native American villages caught up in the fray, each and every item will have a story to tell about our nation and its “Path To Freedom”.

During the War of 1812, the extraordinary acts of heroism and bravery of many American patriots became legendary and their names were entered into the pages of history. For many, even after the war, these deeds served to advance their careers in ways they probably never dreamed of. The feats of General Andrew Jackson, especially at the Battle of New Orleans, successfully propelled his political career to the very heights of presidency the United States itself.

His was a house hold name, and his likeness was instantly recognizable by Americans everywhere. The Contemporary Longrifle Association is fortunate indeed that a craftsman as talented as Harris Maupin of Hillsboro Missouri carved that likeness onto a special “Old Hickory, Hero of New Orleans” salt horn and presented it to us for our special “War of 1812 Live Auction”.

Looking at this little treasure, you too will recognize General Jackson at once, just as you will recognize that it is true piece of contemporary American folk art at its finest. The CLA is honored to offer this fine one of a kind carving to you at this year’s event, and hope that you will join us as we commemorate the War of 1812 and celebrate our shared American heritage.

---The Old Hickory Salt horn by Harris Maupin

---The saber is held in his right hand.

---An officers hat typical to the era is held in his left hand.

---Engraving on the back of the horn.

---A painting of General Andrew Jackson by Corwine.

---A close up of the carving.

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"To General Jackson" Pouch by Michael Agee

In 1811 the Shawnee chief Tecumseh conducted a mission to the Creek Nation in Alabama. He urged the Creeks to throw off the white culture that many had adopted and return to the ancient traditions of their people. Many Creeks heeded Tecumseh’s call, while others resisted. A civil war broke out among the Creek Nation in 1812, almost the same time the war between the United States and Great Britain began. The traditionalist faction, known as the Red Sticks, occasionally carried their war to the white settlers living on the frontiers, including forays into Tennessee. In August 1813, Red Sticks attacked and captured Fort Mims in Southern Alabama, slaughtering 250 men, women, and children. This massacre galvanized the Southern States, and Tennessee sent an expedition of Tennessee Militia under the command of Major General Andrew Jackson to destroy the Red Stick menace.

In early October, the Tennessee troops rendezvoused at Fayetteville, Tennessee and encamped on a plain in the bend of the Elk River. The camp was named Camp Blount after the governor who called the troops into service. On the 7th of October Jackson arrived at Camp Blount, his arm in a sling recovering from a wound received in a fight in Nashville several weeks before.

Tennessee mounted troops under the command of General John Coffey moved south into Alabama. A scouting patrol that included private David Crockett of the 2nd Regiment Volunteer Mounted Riflemen indicated that a large number of Creek warriors were headed toward Coffey’s position. Crockett’s report caused Jackson to move the balance of the Tennessee army from Fayetteville to Huntsville, Alabama, from which point he moved south into the Creek Nation to carry the war to the Red Sticks. A series of battles were fought culminating in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in March, 1814.

Horseshoe Bend saw slaughter on a grand scale. Nearly 900 Creek warriors died and casualties among the Tennesseans numbered 47 dead and 159 wounded. One of the wounded tended was 21 year old Ensign Sam Houston of the 39th U.S. Infantry Regiment. Houston’s wounds, an arrow to the thigh and two musket balls in the shoulder, were very serious and believed to be fatal. General Jackson recommended Houston for promotion in rank because of his heroism at Horseshoe Bend. Congress denied it.

The embroidery inside the bag.

General Jackson went on to defeat the British at New Orleans, and in 1828 was elected the 7th President of the United States. Ensign Sam Houston recovered from his wounds, was elected the 7th Governor of Tennessee in 1827, and in 1836 became the President of the Republic of Texas. Crockett was later elected to the State Legislature and to the U. S. Congress. He would cross paths again with both Jackson, becoming the bane of Jackson’s presidency, and later helping make Houston’s presidency possible and securing Texan independence by giving his life at the Alamo.

The Houston-Jackson bag.

The open bag.

A close up of the bag front.

A close up of the flap

Details of the strap.

Michael Agee -- Murfreesboro, TN

I decided to make reproduce the Cherokee bag given to Andrew Jackson by Sam Houston because of my interest in Tennessee history. I am a proud Tennessean and this item is an intersection of three influential, powerful, even controversial names in Southern frontier history. The Cherokee( most powerful tribe in the Southeast), Andrew Jackson (Tennessee frontiersman, soldier, and future US President) Sam Houston( Tennessee frontiersman, soldier, adopted Cherokee, and future President of the Republic of Texas). Jackson, Houston and the Cherokee were brought together during the Creek Indian war which was a bloody phase of the larger War of 1812. Jackson and Houston went on to achieve greatness after defeating the British and Red Stick Creeks while the Cherokee who helped them, later lost almost everything. Sam Houston lived with the Cherokees while growing up, and returned to live with them from time to time. There is an existing painting of Houston as a young man in Cherokee dress.

I wanted to copy this bag because it demonstrates the beauty of Cherokee style, it bears the names of two of the most important Tennessee soldiers from the War f 1812, and it highlights the irony and tragedy of the Anglo- Indian relations in the Southeast.

I've been doing leatherwork, woodwork and making clothing since I was a kid but I decided to try my hand at this intricate embroidered and beaded bag. This is not my specialty but I really wanted to copy this piece that contained so much rich Tennessee history. The original can be found at the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of the American Indian. The bag is made of black wool, decorated with wool and silk embroidery thread along with thousands of # 14 glass seed beads. The edge beading is made up of slightly larger # 11 beads. I have done a lot of 18th century bead work using # 8 pound beads so this was a challenge working with beads almost half the size of those I am used to. All beads are white on this item. I started to regret taking on this project several times in the process but I'm glad I stuck with it. It took twice as long as I had expected and I actually had to start over at one point. I have put at least 100 hours into this project and was honored to have it included in the Tennessee State Museum War of 1812 Bicentennial exhibit where it will be on exhibit through June.

I was glad to reproduce this representative Tennessee item for the CLA “War of 1812 Fund Raising Project”. The CLA is a great organization and I have been going to the Lake Cumberland Hammer-In and Lexington Show since I was right out of High School. David Wright introduced me to the CLA when I was still a teenager. I've long considered him a mentor and friend and value his opinion and advice on everything I make. Without the CLA as a community and a group of artists and collectors who share and encourage creativity I might not even be making anything at all. Now I'm teaching High school and take my wife and son to the CLA show. This means I have been going to CLA shows for more than 1/3 of my life! That makes the CLA pretty important to me. CLA artists and collectors have been so supportive and encouraging to me over the years and I'm blessed to be part of such a great family of artists and call so many of them my friends.

The Agee bag at the Tennessee State Museum exhibit

The description card from the museum exhibit

Michael and his son Caleb at the museum.

Note: This outstanding bag is currently included in the Tennessee State Museum's special War of 1812 exhibit.

We hope you enjoyed the Tecumseh Trade gun post. The 2012 Contemporary Longrifle Association live auction committee is proud to present the second piece from the auction. This project from Scott and Cathy Sibley is our next special preview.

Noted contemporary horners Scott and Cathy Sibley created this beautiful horn with help from other CLA members who have unselfishly donated time and materials. The raw horn was graciously donated by Powder Horns and More of Morro Bay, California. The hand made paper for the documents was made by Lynn Kalan of Salt Lake City, Utah. Artist and author Robert Weil of Los Angeles, California printed the basic documents. The elegant 18th century style writing was provided by Honest Brother David Hughes of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania.

Sibley states, “Some time ago I set a goal to make a horn for every Sibley that had fought in the War of Independence. Sadly I have fallen far short of my goal. According to the National Archives, there were close to 100 Sibleys that served. The owner listed on this horn is not a Sibley, but rather the grandfather of my Great Grandfather. I used his service records, his request for a soldier’s pension dated June 12, 1819, his wife’s request for his soldier pension after his death dated July 10, 1850 and family lore to design this horn. I let the horn dictate to me as I was shaping the tip. One shape led to another, I wanted it to be authentic, so I had to keep it fairly simple. As I was shaping it, my mind was racing with some ideas for the decoration to be applied by Cathy. Upon completion the horn was aged a bit to add to the feeling of authenticity.”

“We have been seriously making powder horns since 1976. We were inspired to start by America’s Bicentennial. Additional inspiration has come from the awareness of my family’s involvement in the founding of this country. We hope that the horns that we are crafting, even though they are replicas, are helping to preserve American history. Very often they commemorate soldiers who gave so this country could grow and prosper. Cathy and I are honored that so many people have thought enough of our horns to add them to their collections over the years. We hope to be going strong for a few more years.”

The horn and discharge papers

Left side profile

Detail of the spout

What we were fighting for, Liberty

Bible verse engraving

Right side profile

Close up of carving

Another carving closeup

We are proud to offer this at the 2012 Live Auction

All the artists involved in this outstanding piece are proud to offer this powder horn to the Contemporary Longrifle Association. It will be auctioned off at the Annual Show August 18, 2012 in Lexington Kentucky.

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Dear readers, as promised, here is the first of the CLA live auction items. Some of you may have recognized the British Indian Department brand from the last CLA auction post. It is the brand applied to guns that the British gave to their Indian allies during the war of 1812. This years live auction includes a copy of the gun once owned by Tecumseh, and now owned by the Museum of the fur trade. If you have always wanted to see this gun, the actual original will be on display at at the auction right beside the copy of it, and if you have always wanted to own a working copy of this iconic piece, now is your chance. The story about the copy and how it came to be created for us was penned by Mark Sage, one of our team that went to Nebraska to photo and measure the original. He can tell it best.

In front of the Museum of the Fur Trade: H. David Wright, Mark Sage, Gail deBuse Potter (holding the Tecumseh Trade Gun), James Hanson, James Carlson, Larry Spisak

One of the many fine items being offered for auction at the Contemporary Longrifle’s annual meeting and show this coming August will be a contemporary copy of a Northwest Indian Trade Gun owned by one of the greatest Indian leaders in American History—Tecumseh. Charles Hanson purchased Tecumseh’s Northwest gun in 1954. It has a very solid provenance and now resides at the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, Nebraska. Thanks to the museum’s director, Gale DeBuse Potter and Dr. James Hanson, the museum’s historian, CLA members Larry Spisak, David Wright, James (Doc) Carlson and myself were able to thoroughly inspect, partially disassemble and photograph Tecumseh’s gun last October in order to recreate this significant piece of history for the CLA’s 2012 auction.

Larry Spisak and Mark Sage examine the Tecumseh trade gun under the watchful eyes of the Museum of the Fur Trade staff. L to R: Larry Spisak, MFT Director Gail deBuse Potter, James Carlson, James Hanson (standing), Mark Sage

At the Museum of the Fur Trade, Larry Spisak examined and documented the measurements of the Northwest Gun once owned by Shawnee Chief Tecumseh .

What we discovered was a Northwest Indian Trade Gun, still in its original flint configuration, made by the English (Birmingham) gunmaker Whately, of a style and design similar to other Northwest guns produced in the early part of the nineteenth century for the fur trade. However, Tecumseh’s gun is unique and stands apart from other Northwest guns. Before and during the War of 1812, the British government provided firearms to their Indian allies in Lower Canada and throughout the Great Lakes. Each of these guns had specific marks, placed by the Board of Ordinance, on the lock, stock and barrel that earmarked them as gifts, as opposed to other firearms intended for strictly commercial purposes. Tecumseh’s gun, though it shows hard usage, is one of the few existing examples of these Board of Ordinance guns.

West Virginia gun maker Larry Spisak is building the contemporary copy of Tecumseh’s gun with help from other CLA members who have unselfishly donated time, materials and advice. Ed Rayl of Rayl Barrels provided an exact copy of the original barrel. Fred Miller provided the English walnut stock blank and David Keck of Knob Mountain Muzzleloading did the barrel inletting. Matt Denison of North Star West provided, the lock, all of the bolts, screws, pins nails, serpent sideplate and trigger guard. In addition, Matt assembled the lock and loaned Larry the barrel proof stamps for marking the barrel and the brand for marking the wrist of the gun. The finished gun has a carefully thought-out degree of applied patina on both the wood and metal parts to reflect how the gun might have looked when Tecumseh owned it. With the quality parts used and the attention to detail that Larry has given to building the gun, it is not only a documentary example of an important historical firearm but destined to be a good shooter as well.

Retired now, Larry worked 32 years for the US Army Corps of Engineers as a Lock and Dam Operator on the headwaters of the Monongahela River in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. He built his first muzzleloading gun during the winter of 1975 and attended his first rendezvous on the West Fork of the Bitterroot River in Darby, Montana in 1976. Since then, he has built a dozen or so muzzleloaders, including two pistols, several long rifles, a couple of plains rifles, a First Model Long Land Pattern musket and an award winning Jaeger rifle that was featured on page 24 of American Tradition magazine (Volume 2, Number 2.)

Larry Spisak is also well recognized as a fiddle player and repairs musical instruments. He has been a member of two groups, Curmudgeon and Morgan’s Glade, whose focus has been on early American music. Both groups provided background music for the American Longhunter Video series. Morgan’s Glade has performed at a number of historical events throughout the east.

Larry sometimes brings his fiddle along on historic treks; listening to him play around the campfire is a real treat. Larry comments, “My interest in music and history led to a fascination in the history of the violin. I started out making simple repairs to my own instruments, leading up to building a violin in 1983, and a mandolin in 1993. Soon, others started bringing instruments of the violin family to me for repair and I started to maintain those instruments for several community orchestras.”

Larry has this to say about the Tecumseh gun project, “It has been the opportunity of a lifetime, getting to examine a historic relic of this significance and meeting and working with several outstanding artisans”. Concerning Tecumseh’s Northwest gun he relates, “I find myself in a state of awe, wondering where it’s been and who has handled it and what surroundings it has found itself during its existence. One thing concerning this gun that haunts me is wondering how many souls may have been sent to their maker by its owner.”

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You might be thinking that with so many items, some of them might not be up to snuff, but rest assured that each and every item is the work of a master craftsman and worthy of a place in the finest collection or museum display. I’m not kidding about that, and one of our items is actually being showcased in the Tennessee State Museum’s special war of 1812 exhibit right now. Other items are true group efforts, where organized teams or dedicated individuals in some cases traveled hundreds of miles to various museums in order to measure and photograph specific artifacts that they wanted to replicate or bench copy.

What artifacts you ask? Well that’s what this special series of CLA auction blogs is going to tell you about. Every week between now and the auction this August we will introduce you to another one of our artists or artist teams and to the piece they have specially made for us. I’ve posted a few close ups of some of our auction items here for you to look at. Maybe you can guess what the items are, maybe you can’t, but either way I hope you have fun trying until you see the full story about each of them.

I think you are in for a real treat. Not only will you be getting an advance preview of the 2012 live auction items, but you will have the chance to get to know these artists and learn a little about them and what they did to create this fine array of items. Along the way I’m sure you realize just like I have, that there’s no doubt about it, the 2012 CLA “War of 1812” live auction is definitely going to be quite an event.

Careful photo documentation of the progress is included on the Martin's Station web site. More photos will be uploaded soon.

The actual work on the rifle began in May, 2010 when the barrel was hand forged. (The "Raid on Martin's Station" was that same weekend. We hope the barrel makers were not inconvenienced by the attack.) Andy Thomas, Billy Heck, Ryan Teague, and Ron Eddy, from Martin's Station, worked with Richard Sullivan (Colonial Williamsburg) on the hand forged barrel. Mike Miller built the hand forged lock as the project continued.

While most of the rifle work was done on site, the rifle makers had the rare treat of rifling the barrel at Colonial Williamsburg. While there, using CW's tools and expert advise of CW's journeymen, the reaming and rifling were done. This experience had to be a highlight of the project!

A few more steps and the rifle will be finished. The raffle will be in May of 2012. Tickets are available. Hopefully the photos here and the many on Martin's Station Rifle Project web page will draw those who would like to own such a fine piece.

As a side note, Billy Heck and Richard Sullivan will be at the Martin's Station booth at CLA this August. Mike Miller will have his own booth. Please stop in; I bet there will be raffle tickets available!

Websites:

Andy Thomas has additional photos at the link below:

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Martin's Station Rifle Project Interview

We're at the CLA Show in Lexington. Sitting around me are the fellows who made the rifle project possible: To my right is Andy Thomas. On around the circle is Carroll Ross, Richard Sullivan, Ron Eddy, Billy Heck, Ryan Teague, and Mike Miller. Each of these men played a part in the project. We'll try to get each to join in the conversation.

To listen to the interview, click on the blue "Download MP3" below. It will take a moment to load.

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To Billy and all the fellows that worked on the rifle and sat to talk with me, thank you very much for involving me in your project. I hope to see all of you next May.

Larry Pletcher, editor

February 3rd & 4th, 2012 - 18th Century Artisan Show Lewisburg, PA http://18thcenturyartisanshow.com/

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February 18 &19, 2012 - Conner Prairie 29th Annual Antique Arms Show, Noblesville, Indiana http://www.connerprairie.org

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Feb. 29 - March 5, 1012 - NMLRA Western National Shoot Ben Avery Range near Phoenix, AZ http://www.nmlra.org

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March 10 & 11, 2012 - Muzzle Loading Arms Show Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Monroe, WA http://www.cascademountainmen.com

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March 17 & 18, 2012 - Kalamazoo Gun Show Fairgrounds, Kalamazoo, MI http://www.kalamazooshow.com/

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March 30-April 1, 2012 - 5th Annual Southern Longrifle Association LLC Show Holiday Inn Patriot Hotel, Williamsburg, VA http://www.slashow.com

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May 11 - 13 2012 - Raid at Martin's Station Historic Martin's Station, Wilderness Road State Park, Virginia http://www.historicmartinsstation.com/raid.html

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May 30- June 8, 2012 - 31st NMLRA Gunsmithing Workshop and Seminar Western Kentucky University at Bowling Green KY (NMLRA (800) 745-1493 ext 223

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June 9-16, 2012 NMLRA Spring National Championship Shoot http://www.nmlra.org

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Allen Coon - Wahpanipe Muzzleloading Club Shoot Dates for 2012 Contact Allen at 765-561-4392

Hog Shoot---March 10,2012

over the log -- April 21, 2012

over the log -- SUNDAY, July 1, 2012

Ind State over the log -- Aug 4 & 5, 2012

Turkey Shoot -- Oct 6, 2012 ]]> tag:www.blackpowdermag.com,2011://1.178 2011-08-02T15:53:13Z 2011-08-02T20:10:09Z

The list of instructors is impressive. Below I will try to give you an idea of what is in store for those who enroll.

John Schippers

I think John's engraving instruction in unmmatched anywhere. An extra treat is the collection of original engraving that John brings along.

Ken Scott

Ken's class is one I would like to take. I'm impressed everytime I visit his class. While I like all his work, my all time favorite bag was made by Ken.

Ken's web sites with more photos and contact information are below:

http://www.americanfrontierart.blogspot.com

http://kenscottpouches.blogspot.com

Art DeCamp

Art's web site with contact info: http://www.artspowderhorns.com/

Mark Wheland

I consider Mark one of the "Young Lions" in the art of gun stock carving. I have wondered about the future of gun making as our great makers age. No need for worry with guys like Mark. The future of the sport is in good hands.

Mark's web site and contact information is found below:

John Weston

John is a fixture around Conner Prairie. He has helped with kit building for years.

Shawn Webster and James Blake

I had the pleasure of doing articles on Shawn and James for the CLA. What a combination to learn from! If you ever wanted to learn quill work, this is as good as it gets!

call Shawn at (435) 592-5090 or email him at shawnwquillwork@yahoo.com .

A MuzzleBlasts magazine reprint about Shawn can be found at:http://www.blackpowdermag.com/cla-articles/cla-featured-artists-shawn-webster.php

James Blake:

James web site is:http://jamesblakearts.com/

A MuzzleBlasts magazine reprint about James can be found at:http://www.blackpowdermag.com/cla-articles/james-blake.php

Nathan Allen and Melvin Lytton

Nathan and Mel are a great team in the blacksmith shop. They have been doing this for years. The two knife making classes and barrel making classes are taught is huge shop with nine forges.

Gun Makers Hall is an amazing place. Some of the most beautiful gun hang on display here. Behind the hall you can watch barrels being rifled and fellows working on guns, answering questions as they work. You might see a fellow timing flintlocks with a computer, or a high speed video project going oncapturing flintlocks in slow motion.

I always have friends I need to see. One stop is always at Jim Chambers booth. For 20 years he has listened to my ideas for experiments and offered great advice. Mike Miller is one of my regular stops. He is finishing a gun for me this summer. Mark Silver, Tom Snyder, Gary Brumfield, Wallace Gusler, and David Price. can be seen here.

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