Robert A. Talbot's Wooden Guns

August 10, 2008 5:06 PM

Robert A. Talbot makes guns out of wood.
posted by Fiasco da Gama (14 comments total)

That first image is just begging for a captioning...

Wait, that's some other site.
posted by Artw at 5:30 PM on August 10, 2008

Dillinger was making them out of soap 70 years ago.
posted by scottymac at 5:32 PM on August 10, 2008

Dillinger was making them out of soap...

Woody Allen did that too, in, what was it, Banana Republic? He had almost busted outta jail with it, but then it started raining and the soap lathered up. A laff riot!!

But this Talbot fellow is a very methodical craftsman, for sure.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:37 PM on August 10, 2008

They cropped out the cowering family of four he's holding hostage.
posted by Knappster at 6:44 PM on August 10, 2008

The family of four lifelike carved wooden figures?
posted by Naberius at 7:17 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Woody Allen did that too- Take The Money and Run?

He also tried holding up a bank with a Gub
posted by mattoxic at 7:36 PM on August 10, 2008

Oh man I love these old revolvers. I've always wanted a Colt SAA, but I will happily settle for a Ruger Vaquero.

This guy is amazing.
posted by popechunk at 8:08 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Artw: That first image is just begging for a captioning...

"His acting is as wooden as his guns", perhaps?
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:35 PM on August 10, 2008

Outstanding post!

I really like the "home brew" feel of websites made by people that excel in some obscure area, and for whom building a "professional" website is an unusual and daunting task. As long as it's not utterly garish, or 1996ish, I'm OK with it.

If he wants to expand his website, the next logical step would be to photograph and videotape various steps in the process. Does he use CAD/CAM or old school techniques? How does he rifle his barrels? Did he have to build those tools?

My guess is that one shouldn't dry fire his pieces too much. My guess is that the first thing to fail would be the sear-trigger interface, though I confess I haven't owned a revolver in years, and don't know too much about them.

Personally, I love seeing this kind of stuff on Metafilter, and I wish there was a lot more of it. More weird art, unusual but excellent craftsmanship, wild talents (human), amateur science, etc.
posted by Tube at 10:12 PM on August 10, 2008

Thanks tube.

That first image is just begging for a captioning

Artw, in a just country, he'd be on the ten dollar note.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 11:53 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

That first image is just begging for a captioning

This is a stick up!

... stick-up, 'stick' up, geddit! I'm here all week, tell your friends!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:24 AM on August 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I remember seeing these on tv a while back. Amazing work.
posted by peacay at 8:48 AM on August 11, 2008

My guess is that the first thing to fail would be the sear-trigger interface, though I confess I haven't owned a revolver in years, and don't know too much about them.

Since he's not actually firing bullets, I'd guess that the main spring and sear spring could be made considerably weaker than in an actual gun. If he uses the right woods, it would hold up a long time.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:08 PM on August 11, 2008

What's brown and sticky?


Robert A. Talbot's guns!!!
posted by inigo2 at 2:10 PM on August 11, 2008