What is this method of finish called?

[kcordell]

[Leatherman]

Can't help you but are these both Meffert guns? I recognize the top gun .

[kcordell]

Can't help you but are these both Meffert guns? I recognize the top gun .

Correct on Meffert on the top made.12/34. Bottom is Miller and Val Greiss made 11/35.

[Diz]

kcordell,

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by method of finish. Regarding the wood or metal or the style of the gold line? I see a hint of a rear sight in the hammer gun, is that a cape or double rifle. I for one would like to hear and see more about both of these.

Thanks, Diz

[kcordell]

Thanks Diz, I am referring to the gold line. The bottom gun is a drilling.

[mike ford]

Kevin,
It looks like gold "filled" line engraving. My impression is they were done at the same time or at least by the same person. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out they were refinished in US. It doesn't hurt anything( it's in the eye of the beholder), but the lines seem to be inconsistent with the style of other decoration . As always, I can be wrong.
Mike

[Diz]

I should have noticed what looks like a selector on the top behind the lever. I think Mike may have it figured out that the gold line engraving was done later. Very interesting pieces.

Thanks, Diz

[kcordell]

Hmmm, some good thoughts. I cannot comment on the top piece as it came from a member of the GGCA however is in fairly pristine shape and appears to have been fired very little if at all. I am fairly confident that the bottom drilling was not done recently as it came from a vets estate about 1980.

[kcordell]

Mike and Diz, curious why you would consider the gold to have been added later and perhaps in the USA? It is an interesting concept to consider/speculate on. Per the drilling, all writing is in gold including Schrot and Miller and Val Greiss Munchen I would have to argue for the Factory side on this drilling but again, always learning. If anyone has any history on the top o/u shotgun, please share so we can all learn...again as always...thanks for your thoughts.

Here are a few extra photos for you to consider.

[mike ford]

Kevin,
It was just my impression, I admitted I could be wrong. There are a couple ways to have gold filling installed. One way is to undercut the writing and lines and force the gold in for a mechanical lock. The other way is with a liquid. The liquid( I won't say paint) can be applied by any one. The other usually takes an engraver. I hadn't seen the gold monograms in the first photos. They obviously had to be done by an engraver. Maybe Axel will chime in.
Mike

[kcordell]

Mike,

Just got home from a long trip on a train. I only had the pics above on my laptop earlier. Anyway, I think you nailed it in your assessment. The Drilling appears to have had the more difficult method done by an engraver however, after looking at the O/U Meffert under glass, its evident that W.Kunna, Koblenz went with the second method you mentioned with the gold "paint"? Anyone have any record of W.Kunna in Koblenz?

[kcordell]

Mike,

Just got home from a long trip on a train. I only had the pics above on my laptop earlier. Anyway, I think you nailed it in your assessment. The Drilling appears to have had the more difficult method done by an engraver however, after looking at the O/U Meffert under glass, its evident that W.Kunna, Koblenz went with the second method you mentioned with the gold "paint"? Anyone have any record of W.Kunna in Koblenz that may have "customized" this Meffert for a customer?

[Axel E]

As Mike asked: Though gold inlaid inscriptions like "Kugel", "Schrot", retailer's addresses and owner's monograms are quite common, Ihave never yet seen a pre-war German gun with this kind of finish. Such black actions with gold line borders are sometimes seen on British guns, especially Westley – Richard ones. A similar treatment, but with silver lines , is shown in Peter Arfmann's "Suhler Luxusgewehre", pages 32,33. That gun is a "Merkel" (ETW) Model 30 special order sidelock drilling, engraved by Werner Hofmann, dated 1979 (GDR era). For reasons unknown to me, Arfmann calls this "Empire style".
I have often seen American photos of old German guns with lots of engraving and heavy gold inlais, obviously not done over here or contemporary with the age of the gun. There once was an example which even shows a proof of a later embellishment: A DWM made Boer war M93 (!) action Plesier Mauser. The old DWM markings appeared a bit "washed out", but the engraving and a gold lion inlaid on the receiver ring appeared to be crisp as new. Closer inspection showed the rifle to be reprooved 1983 in Birmingham, England. One line of the engraving ran over the Birmingham proofhouse date stamp. So the engraving + gold inlays, very unusual for a plesier Mauser anyhow, was done after the reproof in 1983. Then there was a pre-WW1 o/u combination with the spurious address "Wilhelm Tell, Suhl". It has very prominent gold inlays showing birds. They depicted California quail, a bird certainly unknown to a Suhl engraver then.
According to Kellner & Pape, Wilhelm Kunna, Magazinstr. 6, Koblenz, passed his gunsmith master exam in 1933, rated "good", but not "excellent". He died in 1945.

[kcordell]

Axel,
Thank you for your comments on this topic. I will sometime soon take the Val Greiss apart and see if we can determine English handling. Again, Mike, Axel, thanks for your insight.

[kcordell]

Axel,
Thank you for your comments on this topic. I will sometime soon take the Val Greiss apart and see if we can determine English handling. Again, Mike, Axel, thanks for your insight.