anyone familiar w/ engraver E. Burellier? (mod 13 3 inch)

[lawman445]

It occurred to me a while back that I needed a 3 inch barreled K frame .357 with some respectable engraving to use as a carry gun for those occasions when concealment might be necessary but a plain gun just won`t do, so I pounced when the opportunity to snag this 13-2 presented itself recently. All it needed was the T grip and luckily I had one in my secret stash of grip adapters.

My fancy 3 to 3 1/2 inch N frames and their accompanying speed loaders are a little bulkier than what I was needing and my engraved 2 1/2" K and L frames don`t have long enough ejector rods to efficiently clear out magnum cases in a hurry should the need ever arise. Now I don`t have to worry about getting one of my 3 inch 65`s or 66`s engraved- well, at least I don`t have to be in a hurry about it.

The engraving looks like pretty good work to me and it is signed behind the trigger guard "E. Burellier". I was wondering if anyone had any information on who this engraver is. I asked the Google, but all it spat out was a link to an old completed Rock Island auction that doesn`t work anymore. The link on references a side by side shotgun they sold that was engraved and signed in a similar manner.

 

[amazingflapjack]

I especially like the way he did the cylinder flutes.

 

[RKmesa]

It occurred to me a while back that I needed a 3 inch barreled K frame .357 with some respectable engraving to use as a carry gun for those occasions when concealment might be necessary but a plain gun just won`t do, so I pounced when the opportunity to snag this 13-2 presented itself recently. ...

The engraving looks like pretty good work to me and it is signed behind the trigger guard "E. Burellier". I was wondering if anyone had any information on who this engraver is. ...

Beautiful Model 13. The engraving is very nice. I would be happy to have that one in my collection. However, it looks like it is still in the white and waiting to get re-blued? I would get it blued for sure so that it does not rust...

I know nothing about the engraver. I too could not find anything in my internet searches, including on the engraving forum. But the style, layout and execution is very well done and is something that really resonates with me.

It kind of reminds me of this model 27-2:

 

[chief38]

Beautiful engraving!

I have a question about the Ivory Grips though.......

I noticed a rather unconventional Escutcheon hole on the right grip panel and was wondering what kind it is. Is the Escutcheon mounted only on the inside? If so why is there a hole on the outside. Just curious......

 

[S&WsRsweet]

I like it ,just shows that an engraver doesn't have to be well rebound to put out excellent workmanship. Very tastefully done indeed,and RKmesa that 27 wow I mean I don't know how to spell words good enough for it so just WOW! Thanks guys for shareing .

 

[Shark Bait]

RKmesa that 27 wow I mean I don't know how to spell words good enough for it so just WOW! Thanks guys for shareing .

Check out RKMesa's other posts. His collection must be out of this world. I always look forward to him sharing another of his treasures.

 

[jinx]

I can't offer any information about the engraver but I can offer my congratulations on a very nice find. Should you tire of such a scratched up hunk of iron, send it my way.

 

[lawman445]

Beautiful Model 13. The engraving is very nice. I would be happy to have that one in my collection. However, it looks like it is still in the white and waiting to get re-blued? I would get it blued for sure so that it does not rust...

I thought about that too. Some of the blueing was left intact in the cylinder flutes and on top of the barrel/frame with the engraving cut through the blueing to create a 2 tone effect. The engraving was done long enough ago that the seller didn`t know anything about the engraver either, so I`m assuming that since it hasn`t started to rust that it has one of those clear coat finishes on it that some engravers are using. I have a blued pre 27 also that was engraved through the factory finish who knows when with the exposed metal being protected from rust somehow.

 

[lawman445]

Beautiful engraving!

I have a question about the Ivory Grips though.......

I noticed a rather unconventional Escutcheon hole on the right grip panel and was wondering what kind it is. Is the Escutcheon mounted only on the inside? If so why is there a hole on the outside. Just curious......

ya that`s a good question. I`ve never seen anything quite like it. It`s like they didn`t have a long enough screw so they put it on the inside. I`d feel better with it on the outside to help keep it from coming loose on a gun I plan on using and shooting so I will probably get a longer screw and try to get that fixed or maybe just swap the grips from it to a ivory stocked factory engraved 2 1/2" nickel model 19 I have that is just a "collector" I`ll never shoot.

 

[lawman445]

I can't offer any information about the engraver but I can offer my congratulations on a very nice find. Should you tire of such a scratched up hunk of iron, send it my way.

This is probably going to be one of what I call my "estate sale" guns...but with the progress I hear they are making in head transplants, I may be able to put that off indefinitely!

 

[Texas Star]

Did you check the engravers listed in annual editions of, Gun Digest?

I suspect he is German or Austrian, if not American.

 

[lawman445]

Did you check the engravers listed in annual editions of, Gun Digest?

I suspect he is German or Austrian, if not American.

Not yet. I started with Google, the SCSW, and here on the forum as I usually do when this kind of question comes up.

This is starting to remind me of my search for a 1980`s issue of a gun magazine that has an M. Woodside engraved/gold inlaid Colt Python on the cover. I`ve been looking for the issue since I bought the gun 8 or 9 years ago off a guy who managed to lose the magazine in between the time he first showed the gun to me and when he finally decided to sell it a couple years later.

 

[smitholdtimer]

lawman445

As much as I admire your revolver and the engraving I'm a little disappointed that you failed to post a photo of the engraver's signature. I suppose you were reluctant to disassemble the stocks and grip adapter to take the photo. Nice!

 

[hardcase60]

Did you check the engravers listed in annual editions of, Gun Digest?

I suspect he is German or Austrian, if not American.

Did a little research on the name and with the exception of what has already been posted there was nada, zip, zero, nothing. It does appear the name is of French origin. Who the heck was this guy??? LOL hardcase60

 

[lawman445]

As much as I admire your revolver and the engraving I'm a little disappointed that you failed to post a photo of the engraver's signature. I suppose you were reluctant to disassemble the stocks and grip adapter to take the photo. Nice!

You caught me there. I`d forgotten to take a picture of the tiny signature before I put the T grip on. I studied it pretty careful with a loop and a flashlight to make sure I had the spelling right. The 5D serial prefix puts this gun at around 1979, so he has to be an engraver who was active then or later.

 

[jdlii]

It is not complete coverage unless the ejector rod is engraved!

In all seriousness, these are some of the finest examples of engraving that I have had the pleasure of seeing on this forum!

 

[crsides]

Try the engraver's cafe, a forum of the Firearms Engravers Guild.

http://www.engraverscafe.com

Charlie

 

[2152hq]

Not familiar with the name,,I'd guess a Belgian engraver from the name and the looks of the work,,beautiful by the way!

I'd contact the Historian at the FEGA (Firearms Engravers Guild of America)

Historian:
C. Roger Bleile
Historical database.
[email protected]

They have quite a data base of engravers past and present, signitures, marks, engravers info, ect.
Roger is a trove of engraver historical info as well as a fine engraver himself.

Include all the pics you have of the pattern style, the signiture of course and the gun info to pinpoint a possible time frame. Anything that helps. Even the partial info about the closed RockIsland action and such. They can all help sometimes.

You may run into Roger over on the Engravers Cafe too if you post over there. Also a good place to put it up for ideas.

 

[2152hq]

Staring at that name for a while,,I think it's actually 'Buretlier',,,a small cross to the 't' perhaps visable in the first pic of the signiture.

If it is,,'Buretlier' I think is a not often used Dutch word for engraver,, Sounds more French, Maybe it's in the Flemish (Belgian) language and used accross the bunch of them.
No word-ster here, just going by what I recall.

The 'E' could be just the signiture (last initial?) mark of the artist.
Not entirely unknown for some artists to go by a simple initial or singlename when they marked their work.

The 'E' could also be the mark of an engravers consortium where several engravers work under one roof

The 'E' on the mark pictured is hand cut,,the 'Buretlier' looks like a hand stamp as small as it is.



Just some thoughts & guesses on E.B., the engraver. Maybe I'm all wrong but that's my Dutch guess.

The pattern looks like that found on many high grade Belgian SxS shotguns. Francotte high grades come to mind of course. The Lebeau Courally SxS shotguns also


added
Also on that grip panel with the hidden escutcheon,, the panel was most likely made up to receive some carving on that side.
To avoid a bright shiny brass excutcheon in the middle of your carving, an inside attachment is done, then the carver will plug the small hole with a small piece of appropriate color ivory in this case and carve.
The pattern can be done to further hide the plug as well as lightly adding patina to the finished carving.
The small plug usually ends up in the bottom of a relief cut area or other stippled/matted area to further hide it.

 

[RKmesa]

Bumping this thread for another run at the top. It was sure fun to see this gun in person at the SWCA Symposium this last summer. It is a beautifully engraved revolver!!!