Mullering Tool

[Jerry Andrews]

Does anyone know for sure how Parker cut the mullering border on their guns? I can do it but I'm jumping through hoops. Did Parker have a checkering tool that did it all in one pass? I've studied this under a loop and can't find an evidence to point me one direction or the other. Maybe the info is one of the many Parker books? I have them all, but can't find it unless I've overlooked it. I just bought a Trojan 16 with untouched wood, in top notch shape and studied that border hard. Still...no evidence one way or the other. From a stockmakers point of view, man did they ever have their act together! And the older the gun the better the quality. Jerry.

[Bruce Day]

Jerry, I thought you were an L C Smith man.

I've never seen the information in any book and I am not aware that anyone knows. I know how its done today, but whether that is the same, no one knows. You want awestriking quality, look at an upper grade, turn of the century damacus gun like some I have been showing. And amazingly, that same quality and attention and attention to detail can be found in the G's and D's of the period. That's why I just shake my head when somebody comes on here and asks whether $2500 is too much to pay for an unbutchered, nice condition DH with skeleton butt and damascus barrels.

[Jerry Andrews]

Bruce, I'm a Smith man for sure but you guys have turned me on to these older Parker guns and the quality is just unreal! I get Parkers in for repair from time to time and I restock several a year and being anal retentive on the stuff I'm just curious as to how it was done originally. Someone must know. I use a tool from Brownells, the round bottom cutter, after using a 26 LPI cutter to put a light line where the bottom of the mullering will be, then add the border line with the regular tool, cut the mullered portion, go back and clean up the lines inside and outside of the mullered area. It looks like the Parker style mullering but I'm really jumping through hoops to get there. I'm not against the process taking so long when the results are good unless there is another way that still retains the quality. Jerry

[Dave Purnell]

Jerry, Let us know if you find or devise a mullering tool. I've done it with a beading tool for the groove each side, followed by a small gouge for the center cut. If there was a single tool it sure would be easier and more accurate.

Dave

[calvin humburg]

I'm still lookin for all those 2500 dollar nice d grades the one i liked was 6500 and i can't find it anymore.

[Bruce Day]

Exactly right Calvin. That's why we have always recommended that a person know his guns, know what to look for and then when the right one is found at a rational price to move quickly and not quibble much because you might lose the deal. Just like buying land. Just remember that when you are looking at guns on the internet , everybody else is looking at them too.

A good show to go to is the spring Tulsa show. I can go down and back in a day, although it might mean an overnighter for you. There is probably the best selection of Parkers there of any place in the central US, but even so, there are not a lot. You might see 50 Parkers for sale, some rationally priced, some the dealer is dreaming.

[Mark Ouellette]

An older friend taught me, "You can always sell but you cannot always buy!"

Remembering this I snatched up my 2nd HE Super Fox from an Internet auction last Sunday at a very, very reasonable price :) The gun shop owner told me that he had had a few callers who wanted to stop by later in the week and look it over. What were they thinking?

[Jerry Andrews]

I silver soldered 1/2 of a 26 LPI cutter to a round bottom tool. I ground 1/2 the 26 LPI cutter off, took two of them actually as you need a cutter on each side. I like to travel left to right when I checker so my left side is smooth, it doesn't cut as it needs to ride in the border that was cut when the pattern was cut. It works great! It's a pain in the rectum to make however, took nearly 4 hours! I have it now however so I guess it's worth it. This thread prompted me to give it a go and it turned out pretty darn neat! Jerry

[Paul Ehlers]

An older friend taught me, "You can always sell but you cannot always buy!"

Remembering this I snatched up my 2nd HE Super Fox from an Internet auction last Sunday at a very, very reasonable price :) The gun shop owner told me that he had had a few callers who wanted to stop by later in the week and look it over. What were they thinking?

Your a lucky man. If this is the H.E I'm thinking of. I had just open the posting for that H.E. I looked at the pictures and before I could mash the buy now button it sold while I watched.

I knew it would sell quick and I decided to take the chance & buy without asking questions & you still beat me to it.

Good luck with it and all the best!

[Mark Ouellette]

Thanks. I didn't need to look for long.

Sometimes even I get lucky!

[Justin Julian]

Jerry, can you post a photo or two of your invention? I have a stocker friend who was also wondering what type of tool Parker used to cut its borders. Maybe you need to make a batch of them and put them on the market. It doesn't seem that anyone is currently selling a correct Parker border cutter.

[Jerry Andrews]

I've gone back to a fine line, two edge cutter, making three lines with the fine line cutter ( 32 LPI ) then taking out the middle line with the Dembart round tool. The cutter I made was a pain to make and it would not go around corners very well. It was nice for long lines but the method described above is actually a more controlled cut. Jerry

[Brian Dudley]

Jerry, That is exactly what I have been doing for my Mullerd borders. I use a bembart 26lpi double spacer and run it lightly around the pattern two times. This gives me a outside border line with a center line. Then I run the Gunline concave border cutter down the center line and then deepen the outside and inside line to clean it up.
The border can be made thicker or thinner by using a different line spacer to start with. But 26 seems to work well. 32 or 28 might be better for a higher grade gun.

I agree it is a bit cumbersome, but it gets the job done. But it sure seems easier than making a tool for it. If you look at the checkering pattern on my restocked Trojan. My method was used for those borders.

[Jerry Andrews]

Parker had a tool I understand, ever see it? Thanks, Jerry

[Dave Suponski]

Jerry, The PGCA has some checkering tools in our collection whether there is a checkering tool among them I don't recall.

[Tom Hawkins]

i remember back on the BBS years ago someone used a modified rattail file to do this border.

[Jerry Andrews]

The DemBart convex tool works great, just takes a bit of time. Jerry

[Jean Swanson]

To all :

Some 35 to 40 years ago I purchased a vertical chest on chest from a gentleman from Meriden ,CT that at some point in his life worked on Parker guns restocking ,reparing ,etc. In the chest was all kind of "STUFF" that he aquired from ex Parker employees and parts for Parker guns , including ALL kinds of checkering tools , parts for Parkers---single triggers , double triggers, ejectors ,extractors , screws , ivory beads ,front sights , stocks , entire actions--you name it . Over the next few years I gave a lot of things to fellow Parker collectors and I remember one person that stocked guns I gave lots of checkering tools and stocking devises .I remember him stating there were some MULLERING TOOLS . They were of no use to me .In the early 90's I called Ron Kirby and donated several boxes of the remaining STUFF to the PGCA . I can assure all and Dave Suponski that there is no longer a mullering tool in the position of the PGCA holdings ---they are long gone !!!
The person I gave the majority of checkering tools to is in bad health today and probably still has all that stuff . He lives in Pembroke ,NH and the next time I am in that area I will check in on him .

Allan Swanson

[Brian Dudley]

Maybe if we can get it back we can do a library check out program on it. :)

[tom leshinsky]

Or at least a good closeup picture.

[Jerry Andrews]

I'd love to see what they used, always an interest and something new to learn. Being that I do only factory work and no custom work, the original tools would be of great interest to see what they had. Jerry