MBTcustom
08-07-2013, 12:47 PM
I am a craftsman. I have studied art and how to make beautiful things all of my life.
That said, I dont bow away and give credit in my own field unless someone is just really darn good at what they do. Thomas (Gunfreak25) is one of those men.
He has written several threads here that have been made stickies dealing with gunstock repair. I saw the pictures he has posted and I was impressed (especially with a certain SXS that had been broken right through the wrist and repaired so well that even I have trouble seeing the crack in the picture).
I recently had a client bring in a Browning A5 in 16 gauge for a full restoration. He showed me how the forend had been cracked years ago, 3/4 of the way up the stock. The crack was old, worn, and full of oil so that the edges were black. The client asked me to find a forend that would match the butstock as closely as possible. I told him that I could certainly do that, but if he would indulge a suggestion, I would recommend having the stock repaired instead of replaced.
He gave me a disbelieving look and asked if I seriously thought there was any prayer of repairing such an egregious crack.
I told him "I know a man. He is a magician with wood, he would be able to repair that crack so perfectly that you would not even see it unless you knew it was there." (for the record, I can't impress on you fellers enough, how rare it is for me to give a recommendation that shines that brightly!)
My client agreed, with trepidation.
I sent off the stock to Thomas without a doubt in my mind.
However, actually seeing the work in my hand upon return, showed that my faith was well founded.
The crack had been expertly closed.
The wooden ply on the inside had been taken out, and replaced with a fiberglass lam, so expertly fitted, that it would be hard to tell that it did not belong there.
Where the crack had ended, there was small walnut dowel, expertly placed right in the border of the checkering so that the eye would easily miss it.
I can tell a lot about a man by looking at his work, and usually, I know exactly what I am looking at. Thomas Bussell's work has impressed me more than any other person I have dealt with in this industry, bar none. I respect expert use of hand tools, and above all, attention to detail.
I respect Mr. Bussell as a craftsman, and if my word means anything on this board, I would like to recommend him for any of you who are in need of stock repair.
Thomas has studied the old ways, and has mastered them. A craftsman I consider an equal, and certainly much better at repairing broken things than I will ever be.
Look at the pictures he has posted on this forum. This guy is the real deal.
That said, I dont bow away and give credit in my own field unless someone is just really darn good at what they do. Thomas (Gunfreak25) is one of those men.
He has written several threads here that have been made stickies dealing with gunstock repair. I saw the pictures he has posted and I was impressed (especially with a certain SXS that had been broken right through the wrist and repaired so well that even I have trouble seeing the crack in the picture).
I recently had a client bring in a Browning A5 in 16 gauge for a full restoration. He showed me how the forend had been cracked years ago, 3/4 of the way up the stock. The crack was old, worn, and full of oil so that the edges were black. The client asked me to find a forend that would match the butstock as closely as possible. I told him that I could certainly do that, but if he would indulge a suggestion, I would recommend having the stock repaired instead of replaced.
He gave me a disbelieving look and asked if I seriously thought there was any prayer of repairing such an egregious crack.
I told him "I know a man. He is a magician with wood, he would be able to repair that crack so perfectly that you would not even see it unless you knew it was there." (for the record, I can't impress on you fellers enough, how rare it is for me to give a recommendation that shines that brightly!)
My client agreed, with trepidation.
I sent off the stock to Thomas without a doubt in my mind.
However, actually seeing the work in my hand upon return, showed that my faith was well founded.
The crack had been expertly closed.
The wooden ply on the inside had been taken out, and replaced with a fiberglass lam, so expertly fitted, that it would be hard to tell that it did not belong there.
Where the crack had ended, there was small walnut dowel, expertly placed right in the border of the checkering so that the eye would easily miss it.
I can tell a lot about a man by looking at his work, and usually, I know exactly what I am looking at. Thomas Bussell's work has impressed me more than any other person I have dealt with in this industry, bar none. I respect expert use of hand tools, and above all, attention to detail.
I respect Mr. Bussell as a craftsman, and if my word means anything on this board, I would like to recommend him for any of you who are in need of stock repair.
Thomas has studied the old ways, and has mastered them. A craftsman I consider an equal, and certainly much better at repairing broken things than I will ever be.
Look at the pictures he has posted on this forum. This guy is the real deal.