Reply With Quotehttps://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...walnut&f=falseOriginally Posted by Blackrider
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got a Spring
Coming from the north of England and now living in Scotland, I don’t recollect ever seeing a Walnut tree, not knowingly anyway.
I believe on average most grow in the southern half of the country although there will be trees elsewhere in varying degrees.
“An airgun or two”………
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https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...walnut&f=false
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From this English is generally heavier and harder?
I used to have a website as a professional stocker and trust me the day a walnut tree would fall down thanks to a storm there would always be someone contacting you thinking they'd won the lottery.
True English walnut was always available to me and I always had to disappoint the owners of the tree when you keep in mind the likelyhood of it being worth something which in the majority of the cases just ain't.
No one uses English walnut for the high quality shotguns anyways or barely no one, not possible in Britain and you don't have to be Einstein to figure that one out due to the temperate climate. French walnut yes, Greeners are a fan of it thanks to the 'golden hue' that they call it.
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Going back to my original picture, it’s the golden hue that attracts me over the darker black walnut. Also the European walnut has a Chatoyancy as you move it in the light and a much more attractive luster? Impossible to capture in a picture. But each piece of wood is different. As a professional stocker did you use any black walnut? What was your favorite wood?
Last edited by 45flint; 05-03-2020 at 11:55 PM.
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got a Spring
Interesting stuff !
Would you happen to know being in the trade like, where BSA and Webley sourced their walnut stocks from ?
I’m thinking early Airsporters and the Mk. 3 Webley .
Thanks.
“An airgun or two”………
I have done, you don't manage to get an as clean a cut inside as with the Turkish circassian. For the rest nothing wrong with it.
I once even used New Zealand walnut! Impossible to say before I was told where it came from.
The cheaper Turkish with not a fancy grain. Cuts like butter and you get a very clean cut inside. Used to restock older guns with a period correct look.
Some of the high grade ultra fancy Turkish is like almost hard as a rock even when you try shaping it with a razor sharp drawknife. True back killer.
I was in the trade years ago. Thankfully not anymore.
Impossible to say for certain without confirmation but more than likely French walnut for sure and possibly some English in the really early days.
They've cut so many walnut tree's down in France that they almost became scarce driving up the price so people went for Turkish. When that happened I have no idea for certain.
The earliest suspected claro used on Webley's top and bottom post on that page. http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....-Binners/page2
Which is earlier than I always suspected. The great depression 'might' have something to do with it no idea or they just wanted to make something nicer as they weren't all stocked with claro...
It's a bit of a mystery until you have confirmation as why and when, with wood you can easily be wrong.
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got a Spring
What were the military using for stock wood, or should I say the manufacturers through the first part of the 20th century, was that walnut, beech or birch ?
I understand the Germans used laminated birch for their K98 ? Maybe airgun makers were led by that in terms of procurement ?
“An airgun or two”………
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I have an older thumbhole stocked crossbow that is English walnut,
made in 67-68
Blonde, Gold, yellow
would definitely be the colour, more so in the summer for some reason,
really pops in natural light,
made by a local gunsmith who sourced the walnut from the woodyard maybe three or four miles away from his shop,
lovely piece of wood added too by the skill of the gunsmith's craft,
I would be interested in hearing of availability of nice English walnut,
the others mentioned are all very nice,
every now and again checking through instrument woods, some fantastic pieces appear, amazing what nature can come up with,
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got a Spring
Too right, check out the woodwork on some of the rifles on the Blaser website !
“An airgun or two”………
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I think walnut trees must be a closely guarded secret down here in southern England ?
As I've yet to positively find and ID one, probably all grow on private estates and well off any public footpaths.
A life dream to eat a English grown Walnut, not to much to ask is it ?
It has to be taken from the tree to be believed though, no good going to a shop just to be told it is a English walnut. LOL
Hw77+7
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