Spirit Carvings

What I love about shooting and shooters is that you get to meet some really interesting and talented craftsmen, each with their own individual take on things but each equally dedicated. I met one such artisan in Horley, Surrey, recently by the name of Paul Richins, whose business is Spirit Carvings and as the name suggests, creates superb carved and one-off custom wood pieces.

Paul is instantly likeable and passionate about his work and takes great care to give his clients that individual bespoke treatment that is reflected in his work. Paul’s business is a manifestation of a boyhood passion and the result of change of direction from security and military duties after a motorbike accident. Today, as well as gunstocks, he carves all manner of wood objects from key rings, roe calls, ammo boxes, bespoke desk tops and mirror surrounds to trophy shields; the list is endless. All the wood is ethically sourced locally, which gives a nice connection back to the area he shoots in and makes it traditionally English.

The agony of choice

Because everyone has their own take on what is custom to them, and that’s what a bespoke item is, it is best to call or email Paul with your ideas, a sketch or drawing or photo can also help. Although, if you require traditional oak leaves and exotic chequering, then Paul offers his superb high-relief designs that will certainly put a smile on your face. I spotted a rifle stock in F A Andersons Gunsmiths window that Paul had breathed his magic on with intricate Basket Weave chequering, bordered by traditional oak leaf spray in high carved relief, bordered by a stippled background to give emphasis to the design. Blimey! It looked lovely, so I sent off my beloved Tikka 55 .308 thumbhole stock to Paul, with the instructions to add basket weave chequering and oak leaf relief to the forend and a signature piece to the right side of the stock.

I could have quite easily have gone for an animal design that Paul’s customers also request. He can scratch relief or deep carve an animal to rifle, shotgun or air rifle stock or in fact anything wood that gives a very individual look. He has carved foxes, pheasants, rabbits, hares, rats for hunters, pest control firms and forestry workers, as well as chaps like me. The choice is endless and yours at the end of the day.

Tikka-tastic mates!

I popped down to Paul’s workshop in Horley a few weeks later and, wow, I was not disappointed. The basket weave and oak leaf design was superbly detailed and executed, with deep relief to really not only show off Paul’s skill but also actually work as chequering should, i.e. to aid grip. The whole carving is finished with hand rubbed wax to blend into the donor wood below, with the stippled area darkened to good effect for a striking finish. This pattern flows with the contours of the forend on both sides from a traditional positioning, continuing to below the action itself, which looks very good in my view. Because of the thumbhole design, Paul decided not to carve this area; no problem on a sporter configuration, but a high-relief decorative oak leaf and acorn pattern was placed to the right side and rear of the stock for balance.

Conclusion

Well, what can I say? As I stated before, there are some very talented people out there and Paul is one of them. Although his passion is gunstocks, as I said, he can bespoke carve almost any wood related paraphernalia. I know his work is sold locally at Forestry and Woodland Trust areas and he was completing a series of log carved seats and obelisks, as well as a beautiful custom desktop for a yacht! We spoke about individual Roe calls, shooting sticks and the like, so if you want a one-off carved item, be that rifle or wood related, then Paul’s your man, now I wonder… a high-relief Roe Head ‘Where Eagles Dare’ snow scene…

Contact: Paul Richins on 07843 118 208 or Paul@ SpiritCarvings.co.uk.