Dennis' Revolvers

Erik Dyal did the Jewelling

“My Apprentice”
By Dennis B. Collins 07/23/07

My “Apprentice” is named Erik Dyal. That I call him an apprentice at all seems funny. It seems I learn as much from him as he does from me. Erik is also a college graduate with a Bachelors degree in Engineering. Automation Engineering to be specific which means he understands “little itty-bitty mechanisms.

Erik is a young guy (31 at last count) by my standards that’ pretty young; I can say that because he’s younger than my son, by more than several years. Erik is also a hunter of some 17 seasons. That’s useful because he already has the mindset and the successful experience to back it. Is he a Marksman? I dunno and I don’t especially care, but I suspect he’s considerably better than average because he’s a handloader too. Folks don’t normally take to “rollin’ their own” unless they are serious about accuracy.

Supposedly, I’m teaching Erik to become a Gunsmith. I have been shooting something like 50+ years but I never had a formal teacher, nor was I privileged to attend a Gunsmithing school. I just sorta picked up a few things along the way. I also tried to hang out with guys who knew more than I did. Sometimes they knew A LOT more than me.

The Curse of’ 04
I sometimes think of it as the year of the curse because in 2004, I won a blue ribbon for a brace of dueling pistols I built. Upon the happening I was elated, proud and so on, never mind that I didn’t know it was a competition when I submitted my offering. The curse is (was) that I finally thought I knew what I was doing. I have proceeded on that assumption for the past several years building one or two guns as “Art” pieces along the way…and then along comes Erik.

Erik is a mixed blessing. I say mixed because he keeps asking questions I’m not sure of the answer. He is also a blessing because he keeps me honest and causes me to reach into area’s that may be new and certainly more advanced. Further, he is a blessing because I have to run so hard just to stay ahead of him. Most traditional apprenticeships last four years but because of his already advanced experience and education, he’s already (after perhaps 8 months) under my tutelage at a stage where a six-year apprentice would be. I just keep running ahead of him allowing me to finally delve into the more artistic aspects of gun making. Erik lives in Newberg, Oregon. I mention this just in case you would like to buy something from him. If you want to contact him, you may do so through his Web site at: http://www.trinityarms.net/

I suppose I thought it was a big deal that I taught Erik how to jewel firearms. It was a big deal to ME because I had to sweat so long and so hard to learn it myself. I’m openly envious that erik learned in mere weeks what I labored over for months. OK, ok, maybe he’s smarter than me. Certainly he’s as talented. I delight in knowing that he’ll never catch me because I’m 30+ years his senior. Perhaps it’s a sign of age but I must admit that I feel a certain glee that “my” apprentice sees and appreciates what I regard as “old world” craftsmanship.

Last night he was over and I taught him how to properly lap a rifle barrel (200 long strokes) the hard, slow way. We discussed briefly the concept of “Fire lapping” and the relative merits of the old way. Naturally, I made him do all the work, after all, the client barrel was HIS customer. We were pretty sure that the shooter wasn’t/isn’t up to the accuracy we have imparted to the rifle in question. Be that as it may, this customer will get more than they bargained for in a happy way. That’s because jewelling (we did some) is time consuming and laborious. Gun owners don’t usually lavish such finery and expense on ordinary guns. When you see it, that’s a tip-off that the owner had a special need or justification for lavishing such craftsmanship on a particular gun. It was owned or is owned by someone special.

It is with that understanding that I trusted two of my personal guns to Erik. He returned them with a minimal amount of visible jewelling. Then I checked his work and opened the innards of the gun and I nearly went blind! Erik had jeweled the inside of the pistol. He did the sideplates he did the ENTIRE hammer, the sear, the Hand and the other really little bits. My pistol came back in better shape that if a Swiss watchmaker had fondled it. I gave him J-frames; the Smith & Wessons, the one most Gunsmiths say they cannot or will not improve. Not only are they improved,they're smooth as butter with a 3 pound trigger (SA) pulls as I had asked for. The DA pull are a silky 8 pounds. Whereas before the factory pulls were so heavy my gauge wouldn’t measure it.
Not satisfied (yet) Erik preceded to bead blast the top straps and the entire sight plane, clear down to and including the rear faces of the blast shields. Clearly “the kid” is showing off! It’s just because he can I suppose. Nowadays many/most Gunsmiths are more comfortable working on the likes of John Deere and the diesels of our time. You rarely run across such an artisan.

Erik has missed his time. He should have worked for Nicola Machivelli.

Here's a link to the follow up (10/07)