Monday, January 25, 1999
Gunsmith works by hand
Centuries-old tradition alive in Newport
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT — Peter Garrett is a true craftsman who works with hand tools just like those used by members of his trade centuries ago, yet he runs a business that deals with some of the most modern of equipment.
Mr. Garrett is a gunsmith.
On the one hand, he is called upon to make repairs to modern semiautomatic handguns, rifles and shotguns that require knowledge of the latest in firearms technology.
But he's even more at home repairing the stock on a German-made flintlock rifle that predates the Revolutionary War.
“When I restore a stock on an old gun, or create an entire rifle stock from a solid piece of wood, I use chisels and other hand tools that are exactly the same as those used by European gunsmiths nearly 400 years ago,” Mr. Garrett said as he worked recently in his Monmouth Street shop.
A Fort Thomas native who now lives in California, Ky., Mr. Garrett, 44, admits to a keen interest in firearms and machinery from a very early age. That interest led him to a degree in gunsmithing from the University of Colorado Gunsmithing School and pur chase of the gunsmithing business.
“This is actually one of the oldest businesses in the city, dating back to the late 1800s when a German locksmith and gunsmith named Gus Koehler opened the shop at 207 York Street,” he said. “He remained there until 1928 when the business was purchased by Bill Anderson, who eventually moved it to Ninth and Monmouth. I bought the business from Bill in 1974.”
In the tradition of his two predecessors, Mr. Garrett operates the only full-time gunsmithing business in the Greater Cincinnati area that offers custom work such as gun blueing, stock repairs and refinishing, hand wood checkering, and the creation of custom rifles and shotguns.
Time-consuming work
“We can do several types of blueing, including the rust blue finish that was used on firearms made in Europe and America in the 1700s,” he said. “We can duplicate virtually any type of gun finish. And the methods I use now are basically the same as those used over 100 years ago. They are time-consuming, but the results are impressive.”
Mr. Garrett, who also is an avid hunter, compares his gunsmith shop to an old-time blacksmith shop. The difference is in the equipment, not the actual methods.
Modern ways
“The blacksmith used his coal-fired forge to make and form steel parts,” he said. “I use an oxygen-acetylene torch instead of fire from a forge, but the same thing happens to the metal. I turn a piece of steel on a lathe to make a barrel instead of doing it by hand, but the barrel comes out the same way.”
He proudly displays the Jaeger flintlock rifle, made around 1740 in Germany and reportedly used by a Mason County, Ky., resident during the Revolutionary War. The heavily carved stock shows no signs of his repairs, and the lockwork is hand-engraved with hunting scenes.
Carrying on tradition
“This is the kind of work that makes gunsmiths proud,” Mr. Garrett said. “This is what I attempt to carry on. Guns are timeless, especially fine hunting pieces. Their owners generally treat them with care and pass them down to the next generation.
“Many of the guns I work on are at least 75 years old, but they are basically like new. They occasionally need a repair, or perhaps refinishing. But you can find firearms that are over 200 years old and still function perfectly. If they are well-made, they don't wear out.”
Mr. Garrett feels his trade is secure for many years to come.
“I can't imagine there will not be a need for my trade for a long time,” he said. “As long as people hunt and use firearms for target and competition, they'll need gunsmiths to make the repairs.”
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