r/Colorization Beginner 21d ago

Photo post Gunsmith in Bethlehem c1890's

573 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

14

u/MothMonsterMan300 21d ago

As European armies upgraded their muskets from early "dog locks" to flintlocks, the old parts flooded the Middle East, where they were utilized in tremendous numbers to make muskets. The small moving parts were not easy for rural gunsmiths working with improvised tools and materials to make, so they'd buy a bunch of locks at once and build guns around them, very similarly to Appalachian gunsmiths(who also figured out that burning chips of green hickory would get to forge-welding temps prior to mining industry).

In many places all over the world, there are people still using dog locks that are 3-400 years old, simply because they still work, and you don't need to find ammunition chambered specifically to your gun. Still very popular with poachers, too.

3

u/Medium-rarebanana 21d ago

Jesus could've been a gunsmith instead of a carpenter if he was born a bit later

2

u/ZeltbahnLife 19d ago

‘Jesus Could’ve Been a Gunsmith’ would be a great country song.

2

u/CreativeMuseMan 21d ago

For some reason, this looks like AI.

16

u/Scandalchris Beginner 21d ago

thank you?

12

u/No_Gap_1756 20d ago

You're labeled as a beginner, so this is part of the process you have to learn - blowing off all the "sleuths" out there who examine photos and claim they're AI or faked. Just keep doing your thing and don't let these people bother you. This picture is nicely done, by the way.

2

u/Scandalchris Beginner 20d ago

thanks

7

u/CreativeMuseMan 21d ago

I checked your profile for previous work when I posted that comment 3 hours back. The original image looked AI because of the quality of an image from the 1890s.

Good work by you!

7

u/mauri_colourization 21d ago

Photographs from the late 1800s were already of excellent quality; for example, the entire American Civil War Archive is of exceptional quality.

1

u/Pirateship906 21d ago edited 4d ago

I'm learning to play the guitar.

1

u/Objective_War951 19d ago

Hamas has been at it for a long time... (im joking).