Hi all!
New INGO member here, 1st post besides my "Hello" post.
I'll be back in Indiana within two weeks, temporarily at my parents place. They've been storing our family heirloom musket, leather shot pouch, and powder horn; it goes back the early settlers in the 1830-40s in Parke County. The ensemble was displayed (without being touched or, alas, maintained) above my grandmother's fireplace for decades. That said, it wasn't in the best shape ... some rust, some inexplicable white spotting (calcium from deteriorating brick & mortar, perhaps?), the leather was dry & cracking ... when she passed in '12 I didn't have time to clean it up appropriately, so I packed it up as best I could for storage.
Over this summer I'd like to get it into the hands of a skilled preservationist with the idea of getting it cleaned up and then into a display case for long-term preservation. Does anyone have a recommendation for a gunsmith or preservationist skilled in cleaning up and preserving antiques like this (including the leather pouch & powder horn)?
Thanks in advance!
New INGO member here, 1st post besides my "Hello" post.
I'll be back in Indiana within two weeks, temporarily at my parents place. They've been storing our family heirloom musket, leather shot pouch, and powder horn; it goes back the early settlers in the 1830-40s in Parke County. The ensemble was displayed (without being touched or, alas, maintained) above my grandmother's fireplace for decades. That said, it wasn't in the best shape ... some rust, some inexplicable white spotting (calcium from deteriorating brick & mortar, perhaps?), the leather was dry & cracking ... when she passed in '12 I didn't have time to clean it up appropriately, so I packed it up as best I could for storage.
Over this summer I'd like to get it into the hands of a skilled preservationist with the idea of getting it cleaned up and then into a display case for long-term preservation. Does anyone have a recommendation for a gunsmith or preservationist skilled in cleaning up and preserving antiques like this (including the leather pouch & powder horn)?
Thanks in advance!