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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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  #51  
Old 10-08-2012, 05:36 AM
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plm13,

Since you now know that the family lived in Waco, you have taken a giant step in the search. I would start with the Texas Ranger Museum there. Contact the Director there and give him the pictures, serial number, descriptions, etc. and see if he can focus your search a little. A search of the old City Directories should give you the names of the funeral homes at that time and some of them are probably still in existence. Someone there might be able to fill in some of the blanks.

You said that you live in Texas so if you are close to Waco, spending some time in the newspaper archives also might help you.

Waco has a great role in Texas history and also in the gun collecting fraternity...the Texas Gun Collectors Assoc. began there in the 1950's. If you are in Waco, look up Leo Bradshaw. Leo is a long time member of the TGCA, he has a gun shop there, and his family have been in Waco since the beginning. If anyone can give you some clues, Leo can. Tell him I sent you.

Bob
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  #52  
Old 10-09-2012, 12:13 AM
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Well, it shoots very nicely. If I were a church going type, and I had a suit with a stetson, I might wear that to meeting some day.

Or not.

But it's an awesome piece of history.
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  #53  
Old 10-09-2012, 05:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pbslinger View Post
I think the reason roman numerals are used is because it is easily done with the equipment used to carve the stocks. I think they are carved with a narrow burr or wheel that has a radius cutting edge. This was probably mounted on a horizontal shaft, and the work was moved by hand under the cutter.

Is there any correlation between the roman numeral and the serial number of the gun?

The presence of Roman Numerals on the obverse of these various Stocks is in keeping with Artisan-Made things from times passed.

Clock Makers, Blacksmiths, Cabinetmakers, Musical Insturment Makers, Machinery Builders, Door and Sash Makers, on and on, all did the same thing.

It was simply a way, easily done fast with whatever Tools or Markers one was using already, or, done in Pencil or Wax Crayon often enough also ( if not per-se on Pearl Stocks, where Pencil or Crayon would tend to rub off too easily), to identify parts of an assembly or parts of a to-be-assembly, or, elements of a pair of something, so they would not get mixed up with other similar ones also in progress.

When making only one pair or something or one Assembly of some sort, then it was not bothered with, since there would be no similar things present for the pieces to get mixed with.

Last edited by Oyeboteb; 10-09-2012 at 05:51 AM.
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Old 10-09-2012, 05:45 AM
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Originally Posted by bettis1 View Post
I agree with Dan that they are W&K. My speculation is that the Roman numerals were put on the grips to keep the two halves together on the carver's work bench during his work . If that is correct and he only had the one pair of K frame grips to carve on his bench at that time, there would be no reason to number them.

Pure speculation, though.

Bob
Yes...good conjecture/speculation, and, I am confident you are correct.

"Get it done, get it out...keep moving!" Was always the rule of small Production Shops...no wasted moves, no wasted gestures.

Of course Dentist's type Drills fitted with Collets able to accept small Wheels as well as axial Burrs and so on, were readily available and common-enough even in the latter 1800s, with older used ones going cheap.

Most of these would have been Foot/Treadle Powered, which an Apprentice or Helper could manage, and, later, or by the 'teens anyway, and increasingly from there, powered by small Electric Motor, and, allowed a lot of advantage for working Bas relief or other into otherwise difficult materials like Mother of Pearl.

Otherwise, Stationary Bench-Mount Arbors or Mandrils, like those used by Cut Glass Workers, would also have been likely as a means or method or of a method of Roughing-out, to be followed up with some finer or smaller or Hand Held Arbor or Flex-Shaft ( and by the looks of most of the old Steerheads, I tend to suspect they were done by those means )...where, the Work is brought to the Cutter, then, to finalize small details, a tiny Cutter ( on a rotary Flex-Shaft ) being brought to the Work.

Either way, the Cutter 'Wheel' would have been the most convenient and handy method of making the Roman Numerals we see, and, indeed, they usually do appear to have been made by a small diameter 'Wheel'.

Last edited by Oyeboteb; 10-09-2012 at 05:54 AM.
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  #55  
Old 01-08-2013, 07:04 AM
plm13 plm13 is offline
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Thanks guys for all your good will and help. Sorry I have not been on as much as I want. I got pneumonia. You guys are great with your information. I am a manufacturer of gun safe products and I am going to the How next week in Vegas. The Manufacturers show. I know S&W will have a booth so I am going to ask. I wish Wolf & Klar had a place you can see it's records. Does anyone know what happened to them? They would have to take in the gun and get all the owners info. From my research and your all's conversation my S&W with the Wolf & Klar grips was made in 1929.

Thnks and have a GREAT New Year!
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  #56  
Old 01-08-2013, 03:14 PM
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I was very fortunate to find a pair in Phx. recently. Sadly the left grip was cracked. A local jeweler did a pretty good job on the repair. When I bought them I thought they looked like a pair for an N frame, and sure enough they were. Now for the problem, No grip screw. The regular screws are too long, anybody got a short one?
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  #57  
Old 01-08-2013, 06:18 PM
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I see I haven't re-visited this thread in a while. Above there is some discussion of working methods on MOP. One big consideration is that its toxic. Its a nice way of saying the dust will kill you. Back in the 1950s my father was into polishing various semi-precious stones. I remember going to a mineral swap meet and my father trading a bunch of local fossils for a fair sized box of Abalone. His methodology was to just do the rough grinding underwater (accomplished by rigging a grinding wheel and pully above a metal box.) Its a very soft material, but tougher than we give it credit for.

I spent a lot of time in the basement watching the work. Dad would usually stop when I came down and only later did I understand why.

Another subject we should discuss is the repairs needed from time to time. One of the local dentists in Louisville does repairs that with both ivory and pearl are hard to detect. He uses modern state of the art epoxy and with some practice he can make the repairs look really good. I think the lesson from that is you should humor your dentist.
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Old 01-08-2013, 07:04 PM
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I have been working MOP for a long time. First time was to fit a pair of N frames to my Aunt's K frame M&P. Lately cutting down damaged K frame grips to put on my .44 DA top breaks. I never took any precautions about danger working with it. Maybe it will cause me trouble when I get old. I'm 89 next week.

And, yes, I've done several invisible MOP repairs.
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  #59  
Old 03-06-2017, 12:36 AM
victorio1sw victorio1sw is offline
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Do you know of any reprints or originals of the Wolf & Klar catalogs?
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  #60  
Old 03-06-2017, 06:18 AM
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Unfortunately, I don't know of any reprints or of any originals for sale.

Bob
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Old 03-06-2017, 02:13 PM
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To add to this resurrected thread, W&K steerhead pearls. 44 once owned and letter addressed to Hank Williams JR.



Charlie

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  #62  
Old 03-09-2021, 08:40 PM
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Gonna re-zombiefy this thread. There is what I believe to be a Wolf & Klar 5(?) inch .38-.44 Heavy Duty at Tomball Pawn nickel-plated & engraved with gold-plated trigger & hammer with stag grips and a tan basketweave holster with lacing down the seam (I don't think it's contemporary with the gun because it looks new.) for a bit under $4000.00 it might be on Gun Br*ker. It's PRETTY!

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  #63  
Old 03-09-2021, 09:56 PM
Wyatt Burp Wyatt Burp is offline
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Great old thread. Sadly, though, I see posts by three forum members who have since passed away including DanM. I got to babysit his W&K collection at a Reno gun-show once while he went hunting for old Rugers. He found a couple.
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  #64  
Old 03-09-2021, 09:56 PM
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That seems far too expensive for what it is.
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2nd model, belgian, colt, ejector, engraved, engraver, hand ejector, jinks, k frame, k-frame, lock, model 15, registered magnum, saa, sig arms, smith & wesson, smith and wesson, thompson, triplelock, tulsa

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