Inspectors Cartouche

[tjlegault]

Does anyone know of someone who can make a custom inspectors cartouche for a musket stock?
Thanks

[Eggman]

Yeah the inspector's cartouche is sure a nice touch. The only problem as far as I know all the CW arms inspectors have passed on. The Itallians prefer stamping proof marks on the barrel and making small changes in appearance so their products can be distinguished from the originals . Adding a "fake" cartouche plus the appearance lately of other fake repro parts aping the originals entering the market presents the danger of creating a counterfit, a reproduction gun that might be mistaken for a primo original down the road.

[Dave Fox]

Lodgewood applies inspector's cartouches to their defarbs. So does Zimmerman. An inquiry of either of them might winkle-out their source. for any Civil War era long arm replica, heavy, clunky, metric, inauthentic in so many ways, to be mistaken as an original requires one of those folks P.T. Barnum said was born every minute. And, anyway, once one has replaced the mystery wood stock, slimmed the barrel, had done what is necessary to make a replica stand tall at, say, a ten foot distance, one has invested enough money to have bought an original.

[Eggman]

All obvious stuff to an old N-SSA codger. Not to Snuffy Joe off the street. Saw a banker buy an "original" Hawken one time, with Numrich barrel and Itallian lock for multiple thousands (during Jeremiah Johnson era). Watched a "gunshop" at a big tourist area selling custom made Kentucky rifles - Itallian kits with lots of deco brass. They were all your ubiquitious "defarbs," i.e., fakes. Let's all do it and buyer beware.

[Dave Fox]

Bought my first antique arm...1863 Enfield...in 1955 at the age of twelve with caddying money. Have bought and sold beau coup firearms since. Have attended hundreds of relic and gun shows. Reenacted, off and on, since 1960. Never, ever was fooled by a firearm...sword, yes, (almost) a Confederate cap, yes. The desire not to have "Made in Italy" on a musket, or "Product of China" showing on a Cincinnati-style fatigue blouse is an appropriate step to getting into some semblance of realistic replication of the Civil War experience, as is haversack food and long marches. I reckon, friend Eggman, it comes with my age and rearing, but tempering my wants because of the remote possible affects protecting someone ill-advised enough to spend serious money on something they don't understand isn't my agenda. Someone wants to smoke, gamble, run around with fast women, or work on a tan...I'm not gonna be big brother (or, more likely, big Hillary) and coddle them into our nanny-state safe zone. there are earlier threads going round and round on this. My opinion? Defarb a musket? Be my guest.

[Eggman]

Smoke and gamble -- yes. Fast women -- no --too ugly. I don't see it as big brother -- we all have an interest in truth in labeling/mislabeling. I see it as an integrity issue. Guys like you Fox are so honest you squeek. Not everybody.
The trouble is, I can't remember what I did yesterday much less what I wrote last week.
(Hows come N-SSA team not listed?? The kick ass Iredell Blues are right nearby.)

[tjlegault]

Thanks for the replies guys.
I want to get one to mark my own work, when I build a rifle.
I did find some info on a company, I will be contacting, that appears to make stamps.
Its a company in Cincinnati Ohio called Greg G Wright & Sons.

[Eggman]

Sounds good Tjgle and good luck. I guess I launched off on a tangent here, but I always appreciate a chance to attack the defarbs.

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Earlier this year, I saw where a very reputable antique dealer had advertised what he had thought was a genuine Civil War U.S. belt plate in very nice condition and was asking $350 for it. On the tongue of the brass keeper was marked YECK. The dealer was apparently under the impression that "Yeck" was a genuine Civil War contractor. I was sorely tempted to write and offer to sell him some others at half his asking price but I am not that devious. It is indeed a Caveat emptor market.

[Curt]

Hallo!

Not to go too P. T. Barnum... without informed customers and educated consumers, the world is full of opportunities to cheat, swindle, defraud and take the money of folks.

With the rise of "authenticity" in reenacting and living history since the 1990's in a range of eras and periods, the more "authentic" (read as faithful to the original when the original was in use or as a relic or antique) a reproduction is made to be... the easier it is on a Sliding Scale it is to "counterfeit" it and falsely present and sell it as original.
The Sliding Scale being the more a repro meets the Gold Standard of being made from period raw materials, to period forms/models/patterns, and with period methods of construction or manufacture weighed against what anyone with money and a lack of knowledge does not know... the easier it is to defraud.

The rise of the Authenticity Movement in Civil War has already laid the groundwork for the counterfeits of the future. BUT, I have already seen reproductions done for the Civil War Centennial being presented and sold as originals.

To help answer the question...

There are numbers of hardened steel stamp makers around. One will cost about $200. One can also go to a linotype (zinc-aluminum alloy news printing type) maker for less (about $50 for a half 8 X 10 page worth) that can be cut out from the sheet and mounted on wood backers to make stamps used by vise compression rather than hammer striking.
The problem with having stamps made is that places typically want "camera ready art" up front or charge an arm and a leg to make it so that the stamp making can begin.

Curt

[mgmurray]

Try David at Lodgewood Mfg.... he uses cartouche stamps from Larry Stevens for his defarb work...http://www.lodgewood.com/

Mike Murray
Nansemond Guards

[Bruce Cobb 1723V]

If you want to make your own special stamp made, look up " custom steel stamps" in google.