Heres my dad's latest. There are lots of records for painted trade guns in the Southern colonies in the 18t century. Red and blue are the most common colors. It's definitely a unique look. Colonial Williamsburg has a lot of information on them, as well as contemporary builder Clay Smith. I did the floral work for him, he has a hard time drawing stick people. He should have it all buttoned up in a couple weeks.

Nice Work

but .. yeah- No on the paint

Can't misplace that baby in the woods lol

I am sort of interested in the paint

18th and early 19th century paint was mostly linseed oil , pigment and turpentine as a drying agent.

what did you use for paint?

I have some friends that did some very nice die jobs on their maple 10/22 stocks , Rit die form the grocery to stain the blond maple stocks red and blue they then sealed it with a clear poly but linseed oil could have also worked

Milk paint would have been common then also, and possibly what was used. An old issue of the CW magazine had an article on the blue guns, but I can't find it at the moment. Dad used a modern paint, not sure what brand. The only blue gun that I know of is in the CW collection. The blue is only left underneath the inked/painted vine pattern, and was not known until some fancy imagery was used to try to highlight the vine work. They discovered the blue paint under the ink.

I'll add that linseed oil was not documented real well at all as a gun finish. Shellac and varnish were very common. These trade guns were made as fast and cheap as possible.

A nice gun but if it was mine, I would get the scraper, steel wool and tung oil out

Its just plain boring maple under that fancy paint job.

Dude I would take pine as an alternative to that ...... One thing, no one will steal it.

Not saying that I don't appreciate the work and all that but for me personally, If I bought it, I would start scraping and sanding on the way home

I get it, it's definitely not for everyone, or many for that matter. They are pretty popular among the reenacting crowd, especially native reenactors.

Its a love/hate for sure.

What did the old guys make shellac and varnish with?

I like it!

Fess up, you fell into the port potty again

When you say southern colonies, is that just the English ones or does it include Spanish and French Florida and Louisiana?

I've always been curious what arms might have been seen and in use in the area the would become the Mississippi territory considering my people arrived there not long after Fort Fort Tombecbe were abandoned..I imagine you could see French Tulle de Chase and Spanish miquilets as well as British arms.

English trade in their southern colonies. Virginia and the Carolinas. Maybe some into Georgia. Some may very well have made it further west than that. I haven't done much research into those areas, but I'd suspect a fair number of fusils for sure.

Great artwork. But what a waste. No such thing as BORING maple with todays stains. Golden oak stain or special walnut and then you did your work in black . Whoa nelly !!!! But certainly some talent you guys have....

Certainly not a waste when you are going for a historical reproduction. Just because things look funny or weird to us now, if that's the way they were, that's how we'll make them. Plus, its a great conversation starter at public demos.

That should've been Fort Toulouse and Tombecbe. Folks forget the French in the southeast thinking just Louisiana.

Fort Toulouse was at the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers forming the Alabama river near present day Wetumpka north of Montgomery. And Tombecbe was up the Tombigbee almost to the present Mississippi line well north present day Aliceville and Demopolis.

And those Forts swapped hands multiple times. First to the British following the Seven Years/French Indian War then to the Spanish following their assistance in our War of Independence and ultimately US control in 1802.

I think that would've been an interesting time to have lived.

That's four changes of ownership in just 40 years.

I think my daughter needs that, is it .62?

Love the trade guns, the painted ones are certainly interesting. Nice job and thanks for posting.....

I like it , i know it aint period but with some fancy tack work that would look nice as heck.

I dont know how to feel about that.. but its well done. Cool piece

I believe the blue guns were issued to the boys company militia.

Logger, the boys company of Williamsburg, armed themselves with blue painted stock guns "kept for the purpose of distributing among indians."

Painted guns were also documented in oxide red, yellow, "spotted" and white.

I didn't know any of this about painted guns, Glad I opened this thread!

Interesting bit of history. I didn't know any of it. Warrior, thanks for the bit about the southern forts. I don't normally run into any information about that far south.

I come by it because my people got mixed up in the Creek Indian Civil War, the Redstick War that was the south's portion of the War of 1812.

The British were supplying the Redsticks with guns and powder out of Pensacola. Fort Toulouse would be rebuilt as Fort Jackson by a Tennessee fellow by the name of Jackson, Andrew Jackson, as his base of operations leading Tennessee militia and Army regulars in putting down the Redsticks then later moving over to New Orleans to beat the bloody British.

Like I said would've been an interesting time if not dangerous.

Definitely would have been interesting and dangerous. A time when men were men, women were women, and childhood was basically over by your by your early teens.

Ok after learning this information about historical pained trade guns I DONT WANNA HEAR ANYONE COMPLAIN ABOUT ME RATTLE CANNING MY AR'S

Unique for sure. As long you like it and it shoots. Enjoy.

Sarge

We'll find out in a couple weeks how it shoots. This will be our first 16 gage smoothbore, barrel mic's out at .660".

I've seen a lot of antiques that had blue milk pain remains on them. A friend of mines dad used to restore antiques for a living. He spent hours removing the blue paint off of furniture for people. He told them the furniture was worth more with the paint, but people had him take it off anyway.

I'm not fond of the look of blue paint on a gun either. For a reenactment it is is the right thing to do, especially when you're vetted by your peers on authenticity. I hope it shoots well.

Keith

Reenacting though raises a question on numbers of an item. Everyone wants to be unique so they dig up a reference to a legit rare bird piece or weapon and next thing you know entire units of reenacting are showing up with what was originally a one off or small quantity issue.

You do raise a good point warrior. Good reenactors will strive to present what was common. Painted guns are referenced on trade lists quite often, they are by no means rare. They were used up in life, like most trade items. And the paint was not as durable as today's paints.

When I was a boy, I saw a flintlock musket taken from the the battlefield of horseshoe bend, Alabama, it had remnants of red paint. I appreciate the historical perspective here, it's neat to see you do that. Historical accuracy in the Deep South is lacking in the clothes and weapons during reenactments, for the settlers and natives. Take Cracker Cowboys for example, different clothes, methods, horse size, more use of whips.

I want one now. Make a good ptarmigan gun. Spice things up a little.

Oh I'm not doubting you and fully understand some items like trade guns were the Walmart specials and got used hard, broke, rebuilt, used hard again until all used up. What may survive today rarely presents a perfect picture of what was as issued.

It's often the extra special order fancy stuff that survives in better shape, or at all because it was meant to be a wall hanger aka safe queen, leading everyone to think every Natty Bumpo was roaming the wilderness with a showpiece.

But my knowledge leans more to the recent unpleasantness and the multiplicity of Southern attempts at arms.

FORGET all these NAYSAYERS that rifle is a beautiful one of a kind.

You mean grand columned "big houses" and hoop skirts didn't just spring up on their own? LOL Next you'll tell me everyone didn't have their own personal body servant bringing them mint juleps.

I've been looking for a NW trade gun. Either someone to build or to purchase. As authentic as possible; finished in the white, appropriate gauge, etc.. I want to actually use it, so it must throw a good shower of sparks.
Anyone out there? PM me if you wish.

Northwest trade gun is pretty vague. There was lots of change over time. Is there a specific year you are looking for?