My name is Eric von Aschwege, and I have been studying and building authentic recreations of flintlock arms for 12 years. Attending Dixon's gunmakers fair, posting with the AmericanLongrifle forum, and more recently interning with the Gunshop at Colonial Williamsburg, I was fortunate to learn my trade from some of the best contemporary tradesmen and artists in the country.

I have had the opportunity to handle and study hundreds of American and European arms in museums and private collections, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Through careful examination and meticulous study, I attempt to take note of the small details that go into original rifles and strive to incorporate these aspects of authenticity into my own work.

Stocks are shaped from a blank using planes, spokeshaves, rasps, and finally scrapers - creating a rifle that has a feel unlike anything made using modern techniques. Locks and furniture are heavily tuned and customized to look truly authentic. Using many of the same woodworking tools and techniques as gunsmiths in the 18th century, I attempt to give my work the look and feel of a fine quality original flintlock. Restoration services are also available for collectors looking to have repair or conservation work done to their original arms.

Having the opportunity to handle original flintlocks at shows and in collections gave me an appreciation for the way they were built. As I became more comfortable with the techniques and hand tools used by original gunsmiths, I developed a keen interest in the little details that made each original piece unique - from small architectural details specific to each gunsmith, to tool marks left in the stock by the maker's hand that would drive many of today's purists mad. Each original flintlock tells a story about its history, prior owners, and the gunsmith who built it 200 years ago.

Though sometimes more time consuming, I believe that using original tools and stains results in a much more authentic looking and feeling finished product. In a world overrun by electronics and "beating the clock" schedules, building flintlocks is my way of returning to simpler times. These are individually crafted pieces, and no two will ever be identical. My hope is that in two hundred years someone may pick up one of my flintlocks and wonder, "What stories can this tell?"

I also sell authentic detailed blueprints based upon my notes and observations of original period American and European flintlocks.

Please visit my website for more photos and information:
www.neahkahnieflintlocks.com