It's 10pm Wednesday evening. Just came in from the shop. I've been carving all day again. I got these finished. Hope you enjoy seeing them. Gary

So what'd you spend all your time on Gary? That looks like about 15 minutes of work. Surely you've got that programmed into a computer and just put a piece of any ole metal in there and hit the button.

Just Joshin. That's awesome. Really nice. And that's coming from someone who's seriously picky about stuff like this.

Question for you, roughly how long do you have into those two pieces? I'm just wondering for all those people out there who think your stuff is over priced. I'm not saying that your work is cheap, but when you figure the level of work and the time involved. Well, the prices you charge are certainly not outlandish.

Thanks for the pics Gary. Keep up the good work.

Hello Griffin,

Story for you:

In late 1964, my grandfather Edward, lay dying in the hospital. The rules of the day said you had to be 12 years old to visit. I was barely 10, but was big for my age, and seemed older. They decided to let me visit. It was just before Christmas. I know because we'd taken along a small Christmas tree, lights, and ornaments. We decorated it for my Grandfather, in his room. He felt so ill, he couldn't stand the lights on the tree, which were the sort that twinkled. He asked that they be turned off.

There could only be two visitors at a time in his room. I spent much of the time in the waiting room. I made the acquaintance of an older gentleman there, also visiting someone. I suspect I'd been drawing, because he struck up a conversation ... which led to him teaching me the basics of laying out lettering, for signs. I know, I know ... but such has been my life. Few people would believe any of it.

He taught me to count the letters, and lay out the spaces. He taught me that an "M" and a "W" took up a space and a half, while an "I" only took up a half a space. That old man saw something in a kid in a hospital waiting room that night. I don't suspect he just had the same conversation with everyone he met. I practiced, and I kept drawing. I sent in the drawings of the pirate and the parrot from the TV guide talent test. And they sent back telling me that I passed, and that I should take certain courses which cost money. I never took the courses. Instead, I worked at my bedside card table workshop every evening. And often late into the night. Making model cars, rockets, electric telegraphs, model planes, electric motors, bead craft, and dozens of other things. I did lettering on the wooden case for my "slot cars" - which I'd built, and ran on the banked track at a hobby story in Westminster. The lettering was my name, but made up of component strokes which were shaped something like an elephant tusk. I arranged them so that they spelled my name, but had an oriental look about the finished logo.

So; to answer your question ... how long did it take to make those pcs. ... I guess at least 45 years now. Maybe longer.

Don't worry about the people who claim my work is expensive. I never spent a minute trying to convince anyone that my work is worth what I've asked for it. I know, and the people who buy it know.

Glad you enjoyed the pics.



Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2010 03:49AM by barnespneumatic.

Now see Gary, didn't you tell me last time I was up that you never had any good luck in your life?

When it's got to be "right," it either is or it is not. Just like the blueing / re-blueing of the Alpine. This piece looks like it has the potential makings of another milestone rifle.

I've always told Gary that putting his rifles alongside $100 Crosmans and the like was nothing but a liability. Airgunners are already the biggest group of cheapskates I've ever encountered, anywhere, and mixing Bisons and Tundras in with Gamos and Daisys is like pouring gasoline on a good-sized campfire. Not that there's anything wrong with Crosmans, or any other air rifle that I mentioned (well, except for Gamo ) . . . but it's apples and oranges. Some people don't even take the time to understand what they are looking at, and assume it comes from a machine. The thing that bugs me though is when people choose to ignore the economic and time realities of creating work like Gary's rifles and devolve to throwing around insults, claiming that people are being "ripped off," etc. That's just a mark of insecurity and, I'd dare say, a little more than a bit of jealousy. But that's why we are here, on Airgun Rendezvous.

Sorry I've been away . . . been redoing a bunch of work in my own shop because it's got to be "right" before we send it along to the customer.

-- Jim

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the comments.

Well .... it's the ratio of good luck to bad luck that produces the net atmosphere. The net, either allows you to work efficiently, or forces you to work while dragging chains. I've had some good luck and many blessings. And ... even more than my share of the other.

One of the "gifts" I've always had, has been the ability to annoy people with whom I've never met, never done business, never spoken, and don't even know they exist. That's until they surface to set the record straight on me. They claim to know everything about me. Find it all offensive (as they've fabricated their version) ... and declare themselves to be my judge and jury. They then demand that everyone feels the same as they do. Case closed. It seems to really hack them off, that I even exist at all. I've decided that it's not my obligation to discover them all, learn what their beef is, plead my case, and alter my life to make them love me.

Instead, I'm trying to give the people who have put their trust in me to make a fine product, my best work. My best work has changed. My skills are higher than ever. My stamina has been degraded by a number of health issues. The biggest problem is today's 24/7 media presentation of what the ideal effort should be. I can disclose that I've developed several health issues that will cause me chronic pain for the remainder of my life. And, 60 days later I'm asked if I'm all better now, and I've caught up. According to the media templet, that's enough time to hurt ... and we can just "get on with it now". Mostly today, we've lost any concept of things being irreparably altered. You get little credit for working on the new altered "relative" scale of the cards which have been dealt to you. The templet is that you can just work 48 hours a day, ignore the pain, and catch up in the last five minutes of the show. "You said ... ", is supposed to wipe out any reality that has transpired since ... you said.

I go to the bother to post pics, and text of what I'm doing; in an effort to show where the time goes, and what goes into producing the product. Not just from a machinery stand point, but from the view point of the guy running the machines. I'm not trying to alter the opinions of those dedicated to grumbling about me. I'm doing it for those who "get" that I'm meeting my obligations ... actually exceeding my obligations ... as best I can. I put in more than people ever ordered. That's partly because I can't go back ten years, and unlearn skills I've developed. I use what I know now. The rest, is out of gratitude for patience given. That's pretty good payment for some extra waiting time, that costs nothing.



Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2010 03:47PM by barnespneumatic.

Gary,

This one is going to be special-er.

Lon

Gary:

Beautiful work on the engraving. I'm going to enjoy seeing the finished rifle when you post it in the future. Regarding the naysayers, who cares what they say? We know the situation, the product, and the value. That's why we're here, ogling your fine work. That's why we're on the ledger to own some of it. Getting to know you and the other fine people who own and shoot your creations is the bonus.

Regards,

Karl

Hubba, hubba, hubba! I mean, "darn!" That is some fine work. I'm so glad I didn't interrupt yesterday!

You guys will ultimately get sick of seeing this rifle you know. I'll be posting pictures of it from 300 angles, with a dozen back drops, how it looks on the bench, in the war wagon, in the sun, in the shade, from the target's point of view, in the case, in the woods, next to a super model....

Hey Jerry,

I see you finally dragged yourself in here. haha. Work get in the way ... again?

What's this about you and a super model being in the case in the woods?

Glad you like the work. I just cut away all the stuff that didn't look like scrolls ... just like ya said!

Gary

I think ALL of Gary's models are just SUPER...

Hey, I know I'm safe here since there isn't there a smiley for "tossing your cookies" or "gag me with a spoon".

Nice work Gary, and especially nice explanations. I don't post much, but I do appreciate what you do.
Jeff

What can I say except...niiiiice work, Jerry is a very lucky man!
Cheers
Neil

beautiful job....as always

I think part of Gary's problem is that he never posts anything crummy

this continuing obsession with "better" means it gets increasingly hard to "top" yourself........

and then people grow to expect it....

and then they don't post when they see "mundane excellence" (everyday) and wait for the impossible...

anyway, I've been away getting my daughter safely back from her semester abroad in Salamanca, Spain - dodged riots in Greece, endured volcano-related air traffic situations, etc

there really is NO PLACE LIKE HOME

What joebill said, but in spades, and don't let that Stop you.

Rick

Thanks for the note Hornblower.

Yeah ... I've heard that theory for years. And, it does take pretty much 98% of the enjoyment out of doing this work. The observation that excellence becomes expected and boring; is a symptom of a society which cannot appreciate what it has available, or the effort and sacrifice that provides it.

Gary

Footnote:

Not my intention to sound harsh. I might have anyway. Sorry. My history has been a lifetime of hearing that theory, until it grates my last nerve. You can never really impress (because it's simply expected). You can only disappoint (by not doing enough fast enough). You can only get a rise out of new people who have never seen your work before (the ones who know you are saturated with observing fine stuff from you). 98/100, the pattern is the same.

When Kelly and I get to know a new person ... things are observed, or come up in conversation. The typical reaction to the wide variety of things I've done around our home is ... amazement. If the people remain a regular visitor, that reaction pretty soon turns into the wife poking her husband, and saying ... "Why can't YOU do anything like that?" Which makes the husband look at me like ... "thanks a lot bud!" Once they run across a few more skill sets I've developed ... the comments morph into ... "Well this is all just a bit much!" And, beyond that is the bored ... "right ... that's what we expected". Or, they point to the LCD TV, and say ... "Guess Gary made that too ... right? " Only takes about forty years of living that for you to recognize a pattern. And come to hate it.

Anyway. That's why I bum out over that theory.

Gary

GAry

the good news is that it's not YOUR problem, it's the problem of those around you, and the way things go in the "hype-mad" world of today.

The public's attention span is about 10 seconds...and then if they don't see something crazy they move on.

It really is too bad that people can't appreciate/understand all the thought and time that goes into what you and others do.

I think I speak for everyone here when I say that WE all do appreciate your work - ------ sometimes we just don't know what to say

even though it's not wood (!) I am really enjoying the pictures of the carving

Thanks Joebill!

You're right. Thanks for the note.

You know, being the "sensitive artist type", I have to have most of my ducks in a row before the juices flow effeciently. The smallest amount of the "buddy system" keeps me going. Probably sounds odd to some, who'd read it as needing endless praise. It's more like a comedian without a laugh from the audience. Lion tamer with no gasps from the yawning crowd. Singer recording a song to go into an archive, never to be released to the public. Makes it hard to do your best work. Only your sense of "proper" keeps you going. But, just a bit of enjoyment from the audience multiplies your stamina many times over.



Gary

Powerful accurate artwork. I will wear out this site when the Yukon GS 58 arrive's.

I suppose I'll have to actually shoot it then!

Somehow, I suspect Florida is referring to HIS Yukon Jerry. hahah.

He offered me twelve bucks to ditch yours and move his up. I'm still holding out for more ....

Hey - I blinked on here and saw 7 new comments. I nearly fainted! Somebody needs to WARN me when things get nuts like this ... hahah.

Lassie .... go tell Gary there are comments on the forum. What girl? Ah ... the RENDEZVOUS forum ...

Gary

WHAT???!!! You're making another Yukon???

Gary anything you want to change or any idea's would be more than welcome .

My new Career seems to be a Walmart special in comparison!

Maybe one day I will be able to get one of yer works of art, Oh to live the dream.....





Chris

Hey Chris,

No talk like that. You enjoy your gun and learn. A hole in the target, at the right spot, is the name of the game.

All of my customers have a bunch of different kinds of guns. Hey - you should see the ratty, unfinished, patched together stuff I shoot.

Gary



Yes Jerry,

There ARE other people on the ledger. I didn't want to just come right out and say it .... but ... there you have it.



Gary

I think I am awestruck by the power of the monster that you have over 700fpe!!!!
That is by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen in any gun!!!

I mean, I have shot many weapons throughout my career and slept with them and cleaned them and basically married the damn things, but when you come over the fence to the airgun side of things, it's just another world all together.
Don't be me wrong, you can't compare the power and range of air to powder and to do so would be plain stupid, they are totally different entities alltogether.
I just find it amazing that you can take plain and simple air and use it to make a projectile with enough energy to take down a freakin buffalo!!!!

I thinks me may be ramlin on.
35 years, been around the world, been shot at, blown up and somehow this forum and you guys make me feel like I'm a little kid back in school again, it's great!!!
I'm such a virgin when it comes to this HPA stuff.

How strong do you think a silver solder patch would be on a brass tube. The tube has a square hole about 1"x1.5"long and a 1/8 patch of copper placed over the hole and overlaps about 3/16 all around. The patch is contoured to fit snuggly over the hole. then I used a propane torch to heat the whole thing and apply silver machine solder all around.
I did a thorough cleaning prior and applied lots of flux, the solder sucked right into the cracks and sealed nicely.

I have tested it at 1200psi and no leaks or problems.
The patch is located on the bottom side of the tube and that sits on the wood stock of the rifle, so it has the added protection the the stock holding up against it.
Also there is 2 large steel straps holding the tube to the stock.
If it were to "go", would it be strong enough to blow through the wood stock ?
How much pressure could I go up to?
I imagine there would be no warning like hissing or anything, just boom, right?

How much pressure can the brass hold?

Should I just not use it?

Chris

Hello Chris,

There's a whole bunch of missing information somewhere.

1). What's this brass tube on?
2). What happened to it?
3). Since it's clearly a pressure tube ... why does it have a 1 by 1 1/2" square hole in it? That's quite odd.

Regarding patching a brass pressure vessel: Don't use it. Make it so nobody else ever tries to use it.

You should never use high pressure air on brass anyway. The brass guns were made for Co2 ... and I think that's barely safe. Air compresses like a spring. It releases like one. It tears things apart dramatically. Don't take any chances at all.

I'm sure you did a good mechanical job of cleaning and soldering. But ... that's for things like house water pressure. The sort of PSI you are speaking of is deadly. You must have several times redundant safety factors to handle it.



Gary

Chris,

Please, take the gun and scrap it. If it's a brass pressure tube, I know it's not an investment you'd risk a scar for!

There's plenty of other stuff out there that is cheap enough to experiment with and still has the safety factor of decent materials and construction.

"Other people on the ledger?" OMG!

You better not say anything about Santa or I might go postal!

Gary might let me swap some part's. HA...........

Beautiful pieces Gary! Jerry must be losing sleep with all the teasing.

I loved the story. All the right drama and I can picture the oversized kid soaking up the secrets of the mystery sage. You can sure work in a lot of media, Has the wood species been chosen yet for this Yukon?

Thanks for sharing

Hello Kent,

Hey - thought the Kayak got ya! haha.

Funny ... I've been working on a group of Yukon firing valves over the last couple of days. One is yours.

Yeah ... poor Jerry. Once he saw the carving, he went and sat by the mailbox. I guess he's still out there pacing ... poor guy.

You know the old no win saga. haha. Somewhere (a place I've never found), is a balance between showing customers that I am really working on their project, and just really annoying them that it's STILL not done. I'm kidding about Jerry, of course (not really). But it's always a risk to show parts. Because ... the last few of those hundred custom parts needed, could take months to complete. (Owing to the fact that those last few parts are not the only thing my life requires of me). haha. Such as now; for example. Kelly has been in Arizona for several days. Will be there another week. I've had to water the dogs, and wash the flowers. Shred the mail. I've had to order more dishes - that aren't here yet. It's been a real mess I tell you.

Anyway; I've been in Yukon land the last couple of days. Which will really warm the hearts of the Chameleon people, I know.





Gary

Kent's Yukon? Wow, all of a sudden its hard to find someone who doesn't have a Yukon on order!

Gary, take it easy while Kelly's away. If you make one little slip you might end up watering the mail and shredding the dogs...

That's right Jerry.

We mentioned yours, Don's, and Kent's. That's most of North America.

Good thing you don't know about the four others.

Where's the holding my chest and looking to the heavens smiley?

Kent,

When I spec'd out the gun I asked for the Stainless tube and figured walnut. Since then the gun has changed a lot except for the stainless. Since the SS is so fun to work with, I think Gary might be leaning towards poplar with a spray paint finish!

Given that leaving the decisions to Gary has worked so well so far, I think I'll just avoid talking wood!

Hi Gary, I have been sanding the epoxy for the final time before varnish, but this morning was also elevating the dozer day. Here it sits on a couple of telephone poles. I have a hydraulic leak at the oil cooler, not a loose hose fitting as I'd hoped.

As you can see by the clouds, its not going to be a good day for varnish, raining cats and dogs, now.

Hi Jerry, Gary also has a piece of walnut that lived a hard life planned for yours truly's Yukon. He's got the rest of the on going plan bouncing around in his "gun vault" grey matter. We'll all see it as it happens! Can't wait!

Kent

Hi Kent,

Yeah ... I had "elevating the dozer day" on Tuesday. Glad that's over ... exhausting.

Hope the fix is relatively linear. Better get some heavy, young help. I'd straighten out that prop under the bucket too ... ... hahah.

I still have that old knarly pc. of scrape wood with your name on it. No good for anything else. Too tough to whittle.

I have a few grey cells left. We'll get some good stuff on yours too.

Gary

I see a big bore shoot out coming in the future. Maybe i should order some slug's from your casting service?db