Beautiful Birdseye Maple on Engraved Blue

[RKmesa]

Dad gum, Richard! To me, those are some of the best looking grips I have ever seen!!

They really are a special set of grips from a master craftsman at the top of his game.

Did you tell Keith exactly what you wanted, and he did it? Did you supply the medallions, they look fantastic?

Keith and I have collaborated on many sets of grips. I have wanted a set of nicely figured Birdseye Maple in a "fish lips"/"whale tail" pattern. He came across a beautiful piece of wood. We discussed contrasting ebony diamonds and medallion circles with the checkering pattern to be up to Keith's creative genius. Over the years, I've sent Keith beat up "donor grips" to harvest medallions and other parts. I believe these medallions are some of those.

I remember seeing Keith's "fish lips" grips before, probably a set you commissioned, do you know how long he has been doing them?

I believe that these two sets were the first that Keith made (4-5 years ago)...







Before (with magnas):



After (with the KB "fish lips" / "whale tail"):



I think it very much enhances the look of the guns.

I wonder how he came up with the idea?

The concept has been around for a long time. It allows for target stocks to fit on guns engraved for magna stocks. Here are a couple of examples that I have always loved (and no, neither of the guns are mine - I wish they were):

source: https://www.icollector.com/item.aspx?i=14395737

source:https://live.amoskeagauction.com/m/.../lot/28924?url=/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/54

Loving the above grips (and others like them) and a strong desire to have some custom target stocks that fit the the engraving on the above 8 3/8" Quigley engraved magnums, I sent this concept to Keith, hoping that he would find some time and take the project...

...lucky for me, Keith said yes and applied his creative genius to the task. Here is a photo of one more set that Keith made for me...



As you can see, all of the grips turned out way better than I had ever imagined! Keith truly is THE master grip maker of our time and I am glad to own several sets of his finest work.

 

[Shootgood]

Very nice!

 

[dave1918a2]

Oh Man!!! All scratched up and non original grips. Just send it to Me and I will dispose of it for You.

 

[Kinman]

Artistic work, beautifully executed.

 

[lawandorder]

Stunning. Hope that couple never breaks up.

 

[bill-in-texas]

Wow!
As with all your custom made KB stocks, those maples are striking!

-Bill

 

[Goblin]

Holy moly. I have a hard time getting anything done in the remainder of the day after Richard makes a post like this (these). Unbelievable that there are people who can create items like these.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Richard: stunning guns, grips, and photography, as ever!

I'd not heard the terms "fish lips" or "whale tail" before, but your imagery sent me to my archives because your photos sort of reminded me of the OEM banana stocks on this Model 36-1. I don't recall seeing another pair of bananas like these.

 

[ruger 22]

A superlative example of the gunmakers' art! Absolute perfection!

 

[RKmesa]

...If you appreciate maple, consider requesting torrified or roasted maple. This is a process of accentuating the grain and hardening the wood. The lumber is placed in a vacuum chamber then carefully heated to above the burning point. Lacking oxygen, the wood cannot catch fire. But, the cellulose and resins in the wood crystalize as if aged for many decades. You get a more durable and beautiful wood. Birdseye figure just sparkles!

I may be misremembering, but I recall Keith Brown telling me that these stocks were crafted with "roasted maple". They do have a very nice roasted look to them.

 

[ralph7]

I may be misremembering, but I recall Keith Brown telling me that these stocks were crafted with "roasted maple". They do have a very nice roasted look to them.

Grilled, maybe?

 

[Rad29]

Richard,

Those grips seem to have been made for that gun - the fit is excellent! Keith's artistry is from another planet! They look great together!

Bob

 

[Gamecock]

Fabulous!

Thanks for posting.

 

[RKmesa]

I like the gun and really like the grips. And you did ask for thoughts. I think there's competition going on between the two. Grips are sayin "look at me" and the gun is saying the same thing. Each is beautiful on its own and should be showcased that way. I can see the grips on a high finish blue - fill in the blank and the gun with a great pair of highly polished presentations. JMO

g-dad:

I really like your perspective and I have struggled with that very issue with many of my guns - how do you pair the correct set of stocks with the correct engraved gun. You highlight at least one reason that most factory engraved guns shipped with smooth factory "presentation" stocks - the stocks, though generally made from very nice wood, did not compete with the engraving. Here is a photo of one of my highly engraved guns with some smooth KB presentation stocks where I took the same approach...



I also agree with you that the Birdseye Maple stocks would look beautiful on a high polished blue .357 or .44 Magnum - I really like the contrast of the light Maple with the dark and deep blue.

All that said, I think there can be a balance where the engraving on the gun and the checkering/carving on the stocks can be complementary and even elevate the package as a whole - I believe that is the case with the paring of the checkered KB stocks with the engraved .357 revolver in the first post. Recognizing the subjectivity of aesthetic tastes, one of things that I like about this paring is that the golds in the maple stocks accentuate and bring out the subtle gold bands on the engraved revolver. I also love how the ebony diamond inserts/medallion circles tie the stocks to the bluing. Another finer point that could be missed by a quick look is how Keith left a significant amount of uncheckered, smooth, high-gloss, un-adorned space on the stocks as they merge with the gun, leaving a clean "evolution area" where the eye transitions from the engraving on the gun to the checkering on the stocks.

I also love that stocks are never permanent on S&Ws and with a few twists of a screwdriver you can trade them out for something that you like better at any given time.

Thanks to all for your comments, thoughts and likes.

 

[colt_saa]

Richard,
I do not know how I missed this the first time around

KB came through with a spectacular set of grips and I like the way they look on that revolver.

I understand g-dad's point but I do not quite agree that one diminishes the other

When Charlize Theron is posing in a Versace dress and has some of Harry Winston's jewels around her neck and hanging from her ears I see things that enhance each others elegance

That is what those grips do on that revolver

 

[ladder13]

You never cease to amaze me Richard.

 

[RKmesa]

You never cease to amaze me Richard.

Nothing amazing on my end - all the "amazing" credit goes to the craftsmen who do the amazing work - in this case Keith Brown and Phil Quigley. I continually stand in awe of their talent... and I am lucky enough to own a few pieces of their work.

Here are a couple of more photos to highlight their skill...

 

[mikepriwer]

My thinking about birds-eye maple stocks comes from the first two pictures. This is Congressman Cecil King's 44 smoothbore. The gun is all factory, having a choke and smooth birds-eye maple target stocks, and is two-tone. The stocks were made out of wood from D B's desk.

Keith Brown has made several pairs of small concave non-medallion stocks for my early .38 targets. These next two pictures are a 4" 1899, and a 5" from about 1915.

This next gun is a 1902 1st change, factory engraved with a nickel cylinder. I find it interesting because of the nickel treatment that was given to other parts, the screws, and the pins.

Regards, Mike

 

[colt_saa]

BTW, I much prefer the imagery of the Whale Tail inspiration for those grios rather than the image that Fish Lips brings to mind

 

[OLDSTER]

GOOD GRIEF !!!!!!!! Absolutely stunning revolvers on this thread. Some have been posted previous; but such eye candy never tires.