Flintlock Combination

CutlassCollector · 24th September 2016, 05:11 PM

Hi,

This lock is part of an axe pistol combination that appears on a few Pirate websites. Many of these combination axes appear to be modern replicas but this one looks authentic and stated as - probably 18th century French.
Flintlocks are outside my normal knowledge zone but this appears genuine to me.

Any comments welcome and can the country of origin and period be confirmed?

Regards,
CC

Kmaddock · 24th September 2016, 05:50 PM

Have you any more pictures?
A few points.
The Inletting looks v rough and lacks finesse you normally see on weapons of this period
Generally the wood discolours where it butts up against the metal over a few hundred years.

The squareness in the frizzen and the lack of rounding where the toe hits off the spring might be a clue to recent manafacture

also it is a left handed mechanism which is a biit unusual or is the image reversed

Looking on my phone so image is not great so I might review this post later
Regards

Ken

Shakethetrees · 24th September 2016, 05:53 PM

I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole! Strictly tourist.

The lock and iron bits appear to be cast. I doubt a file ever passed over any of the parts I can see.

There is no patina at the metal/wood interface. The trigger plate and lock do not appear to have been inletted into the stock.

There were legitimately old combination weapons but the workmanship is of a much higher quality.

kronckew · 24th September 2016, 07:30 PM

looks worse right way round....

Fernando K · 24th September 2016, 10:24 PM

Hello everyone.

I think it's a piece for tourists. A investugacion method is to place a stone and see if sparks. Typically, modern reproductions are iron rake, it does not produce sparks.

Moreover, any artifact of iron or steel can rust, as if it had 200 years. There are chemical methods, oxidizing mixtures

It would take more pictures.

CutlassCollector · 25th September 2016, 12:40 PM

Many thanks everyone, your input much appreciated and conclusive. It would have had me fooled. That is the best picture of the lock but here are some of the axe.

Regards CC

kronckew · 25th September 2016, 05:58 PM

somebody lost a good fire axe there...

Rick · 25th September 2016, 06:57 PM

The entire rig seems counterintuitive.

24th September 2016, 05:11 PM	#1
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 330	Flintlock Combination Hi, This lock is part of an axe pistol combination that appears on a few Pirate websites. Many of these combination axes appear to be modern replicas but this one looks authentic and stated as - probably 18th century French. Flintlocks are outside my normal knowledge zone but this appears genuine to me. Any comments welcome and can the country of origin and period be confirmed? Regards, CC Attached Images

24th September 2016, 07:30 PM	#4
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,184	looks worse right way round.... Attached Images

25th September 2016, 12:40 PM	#6
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 330	Many thanks everyone, your input much appreciated and conclusive. It would have had me fooled. That is the best picture of the lock but here are some of the axe. Regards CC Attached Images

24th September 2016, 05:50 PM	#2
Kmaddock Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Ireland Posts: 543	Have you any more pictures? A few points. The Inletting looks v rough and lacks finesse you normally see on weapons of this period Generally the wood discolours where it butts up against the metal over a few hundred years. The squareness in the frizzen and the lack of rounding where the toe hits off the spring might be a clue to recent manafacture also it is a left handed mechanism which is a biit unusual or is the image reversed Looking on my phone so image is not great so I might review this post later Regards Ken

24th September 2016, 05:53 PM	#3
Shakethetrees Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Louisiana Posts: 363	I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole! Strictly tourist. The lock and iron bits appear to be cast. I doubt a file ever passed over any of the parts I can see. There is no patina at the metal/wood interface. The trigger plate and lock do not appear to have been inletted into the stock. There were legitimately old combination weapons but the workmanship is of a much higher quality.

24th September 2016, 10:24 PM	#5
Fernando K Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 669	Hello everyone. I think it's a piece for tourists. A investugacion method is to place a stone and see if sparks. Typically, modern reproductions are iron rake, it does not produce sparks. Moreover, any artifact of iron or steel can rust, as if it had 200 years. There are chemical methods, oxidizing mixtures It would take more pictures.

25th September 2016, 05:58 PM	#7
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,184	somebody lost a good fire axe there...

25th September 2016, 06:57 PM	#8
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,293	The entire rig seems counterintuitive.