Tag: Uberti Firearms

Aldo: An ExNotes Renaissance Man

By Joe Berk

Last year I started a Facebook group focused on Uberti firearms (and that’s the name I gave it).  I saw a note on Facebook that if you didn’t see a group you wanted, you could create your own group, and I did.  I created the group because I’ll sometimes post firearms-related blogs there. It was trivially easy to do, and within weeks, membership had grown to 13,500 members. I like Uberti guns, I’ve written about them before here on ExNotes, and it just sort of seemed like a good thing to do.

Last week, a fellow named Aldo Venturini posted some intriguing pictures of cap and ball revolvers he had engraved, along with a few knives he had made.  One thing led to another, and with the help from Translate.Google.com we had an interesting conversation.   Here’s what Aldo told me:

I’m a passionate engraver. I’ve been engraving for 15 years.  I’m experienced in various engraving techniques.  I also work with leather, which allows me to make sheaths for both the guns I engrave and the knives.  With engraving, I do what inspires me…I don’t have any established subjects.

I’m a lover of weapons as objects and believe that weapons are the best canvas for engraving.

For variety, I make knives, mainly Bowie knives. I own a fair number of my own.

All work is done in-house by hand. The knives are made entirely, complete with sheaths. The Colt sheaths are also handmade. For my personal satisfaction…I do engravings upon request, after agreeing on the work and cost.  I don’t do it for the money.

I’m self-taught, and I learned because I wanted to engrave my motorcycle the way I liked it. Then, once I finished, I continued with other engravings.  I have 10 motorcycles….😄I’ll give you one that’s a bison…1700 cc twin-cylinder.

I’ll be 80 this year.  I have no problems and can still afford to ride my 10 motorcycles (all large-displacement bikes).  I’m also an inventor…with several patents filed, including one in the United States in the medical field. Check my name. Others are filed in the European Patent Office in Munich.

I asked Aldo if I could post some of his photos here on the ExNotes blog and he said okay.  This is beautiful work and I’m happy to share it with you. First, a few of the guns and their holsters…

Next are a few of Aldo’s knives…

And here are photos of some of Aldo’s motorcycles…

Aldo is an interesting man.  I wish he lived closer than Torino (in Italy).  He’d fit right in with the ExhaustNotes crowd.

Aldo, grazie mille per aver condiviso la tua arte con noi. Guida con prudenza e restiamo in contatto, amico mio!

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An Aldo Uberti Encounter

By Joe Berk

We recently started a Uberti Firearms Facebook group, and the response and growth has been phenomenal.  Within 10 days, membership grew to more than a thousand people.  One of those new members is my new good buddy RJ, a Uberti owner and Hollywood stunt man.  He posted an interesting story in the Facebook group, I asked if we could show it on ExNotes, and RJ graciously consented.  The photo RJ refers to is the one at the top of today’s blog.

Here’s a pic of my iron frame Henry.  I have a kind of a neat story how it came about.

In ’92 I was the armourer for “Buffalo Bills Wild West Show” at EuroDisney in Paris. I was constantly getting new guns and swapping guns out through our provider, a gun dealer in Paris.  Most times it was someone I knew but every once in a while a new guy made the delivery.

One evening before showtime, I had been prepping a 66 carbine and a delivery showed up, brought to us by an older new guy with several firearms. I had a yellow boy carbine spread over the work bench and I was stoning the parts.  The guy asked me what I was doing and I told him these guns are a little “clunky” when I get them and I have to smooth them up for the girls who played Annie Oakley. So he gave me a rundown on what he’s brought while I put the gun together.

I asked him how long he’s been with Maratiaee and he’s said he’s not; he’s just delivering and going to take in the show.  I introduced myself and said, “I’m RJ Preston.”  He said, “It’s a pleasure, Sir. I’m Aldo Uberti.”

Oh man, I just told Aldo Uberti his guns were clunky!!!!  It turned out we became good friends and I told him I would love one of the iron frame Henrys. He offered to build me one personally, so I told him that the iron frames all had three-digit serial numbers.  He said he had some three-digit frames set aside.

In about a month he asked which distributor I want the gun sent to in the United States.  My dad and Val at Navy Arms were friends and we had done business with Navy Arms since the mid-’60s.

I had to wait until I got back to the US to see it but what a peach:  No varnish, oil finished wood, under 300 serial number, an action smooth as butter, and with A.U. stamped on the inside of the right sideplate.  It was already sighted in and it was a tack driver. It came with a Uberti company envelope and the invoice said “NO BALANCE DUE” with a short note enclosed. “Here’s one that’s not clunky, enjoy.”

He was a great guy.  Rest in peace, Aldo.

What a story and what a rifle!  RJ, you are one lucky guy.  Thank you for sharing your story with us.

If you would like to join our ExhaustNotes.us Facebook group, it’s here.  If you would like to join our Facebook Uberti Firearms group, it’s here.

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