One time I figured that some in depth Kornbrath research was needed to try to get a better understanding of the man and his work. I was telling my good friend here in Anchorage about my lack of progress when he asked if I had talked to Kornbrath's grandson. Grandson? what grandson? John said "he lives here in Anchorage and I was just in a meeting with him". Yep, there he was right in the phone book, who would have thought. After several phone calls and meetings I was able to get some copies of what little paperwork they had plus some pictures and background information from the family.
They told me that no family member had any Kornbrath engraving and he, the grandson, had never seen any. One Sunday I put a Kornbrath engraved rifle in the car and drove over to show them. While we were talking I ask about a double barrel shotgun that I was trying to find that Kornbrath had given his son, this fellows father, for his birthday as a teenager. Tom Shelhamer the stockmaker had traded work with Kornbrath by stocking this shotgun for the son and in return Kornbrath had engraved a Winchester 52 for Tom. So the grandson goes and comes back with a Leg-o-Mutton guncase and I dump out the most complete coverage Kornbrath gun I have ever seen. It was a no-name (guild) Austrian double that was Kornbrath's journeyman's piece.
