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EngraverGuy

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Everything posted by EngraverGuy

  1. EngraverGuy
    Thanks Bob. I hope to do well.
  2. EngraverGuy
    Yes, that would be the case. But the government seemed to think they had first claim. It was tough. At that time I got paid about $40,000 for each job. Today similar engravers are getting paid twice that. It seems that in our economy the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer. I have no other explanation because there is now more and more elaborate work than before. I worked for the "landed gentry" of Europe, but here they work for the "new" rich. And. yes, they provide the guns. I first worked for Fabrique Nationale' in Herstal Belgium, then went to Francotte. Some of these houses made double rifles or even over & under rifles, and all made shotguns that were side-by-side or over-under. Holland & Holland, Boss, and Purdey of England, Beretta, Fabbri, Perazzi were other popular models for engraving.
  3. EngraverGuy
    Hi Martyn, all three took well over 6 months. The top two took approximately 1 year. There is more work than shown. The "bulino" engraving on the first two takes a long time. It is just pricks in the metal at varying depths, but slow work. I would guess 1400 hours on the bottom piece and 1600+ on the top two shotguns. I gave it up for 3 fold reasons. First, a competitor tried to destroy my reputation. Secondly, the last customer owed me for a year of work and I never got the 2/3 money still owed. Lastly, because I started an art casting foundry. It was a fairly quick process but all three contributed. I did get the last laugh with the jerk.
  4. EngraverGuy

    Hi Martyn,

    I saw your post on the chisel set you got from Seiwa. I am curious if you still have the same opinion. And the Euro-style chisels you feel were intended to punch through? If so, I really like the dressier look of the Seiwa Euro style to the diamond style. What would you recommend, and have they held up?

    Steve Huff

    1. Martyn

      Martyn

      Hi Steve,

      It's a matter of personal taste my friend. I like the European on the big stitches - 5 stitches per inch. The steep pitch of the teeth gives a nice lay to the stitch. At 5spi, the Diamond chisel lies a little flat with it's shallow pitch. But when you go up to 6 stitches per inch, I think the European starts to get a little too toothy as the angle stays the same but the space between the teeth reduce. At 6spi or more, I think the Diamond comes into it's own a bit more.

      Have you seen Nigel Armitage's review of the Seiwa European?

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3HBuzIoqyA

    2. Martyn

      Martyn

      Oh, just to add, the tines on the Seiwa are 7mm long, which gives you a comfortable punch through depth of around 6mm of leather. After that, you either have to punch through different layers and line them up, or follow through with an awl. My preference is to glue up the layers, punch as deep as I can then follow through with the awl. Because the Diamond chisel imitates the diamond x-section of an awl, the 'tunnel' it creates is a very nice guide for the awl, making it quite easy to align the awl at a very consistent angle. This makes the back side stitch very consistent and neat. The flat profile of the European isn't quite so easy to follow through with an awl. It's not massively harder, but perhaps something to consider.

    3. EngraverGuy

      EngraverGuy

      Hey thanks a lot! No I hadn't seen Armitage's video. but will now. Great info!

       

  5. EngraverGuy
    I finally talked to Lonnie Height today. He is coming off a very serious medical problem but seems to be doing well. I bought a swivel knife from him. I was going to buy it from Barry King, but it seems to me Lonnie could use the money. He is quite the personable fellow. I'd like to sit down in Santa's work shop for a few hours and talk to him. He said he is getting caught back up, and plans on returning full speed ahead. Great news!
  6. EngraverGuy
    Not good. I was going to buy a swivel knife, the set of 15 stamps, and a few other items from him. We get old, get good, and then die off too soon. I sure wish Lonnie the best.
  7. EngraverGuy
    I tried to call Gomph Hackbarth today and got a recording that he has stepped away for health reasons. Has he stepped away from making tools or selling tools? Has anyone had a recent contact with him?
  8. EngraverGuy
    Thanks for the tip. I will do that right now. I compared Martyn's stamping to the Hide Crafters tool and I like the King stamp better. Specifically I like the shading at the junction of the weave better. It is shorter and the slope area cleaner. So King it is!
  9. EngraverGuy
    I need to point out a few things here. First is I have not done much engraving since 1990. I started at age 23. I had the best teachers there in Europe who "held my hand" and guided me. So that was an advantage. Unlike most here, I had a lot of help. Lastly, all 3 of these projects in total (not all parts are shown) took eight months to a year to complete. You can't do that in leather work. So I know the art to a degree, but the leaf work isn't necessarily the same. But I can duplicate it I am sure. In no way do I know anyting about effectively applying the leather working skills. I appreciate your comments, but I have quite a learning-curve ahead of me. Here are some floral samples I think are fantastic. In truth as an engraver, I tried to keep background to about 25-30% of the space. Some styles required a little more, but as a general rule. I think the first two may approach 35+% but still look fantastic. I hope I can achieve this level someday.
  10. EngraverGuy
    Thanks Colt! I agree. I am not going to waste my money on the cheap stuff. Thanks for the link and advice.
  11. EngraverGuy
    Martyn, are you kidding! That basketweave looks a lot better than most I see in instructional videos and matches the best I've seen. I am no expert but it is very clean! Thanks for the perspective.
  12. EngraverGuy
    Thank you Thor and Tigerpal. I looked at a guy in Italy doing it. It is somewhat similar in that it is called bulino in engraving, or "banknote". It is simply about applying the appropriate intensity of shading, through what could be described as pricks of the metal (dots and short lines). It seems the same principle when I saw him doing it. It might make for interesting combinations of floral and pyrography. I think that would be my second training issue. Again, the concept is similar, but different tools.
  13. EngraverGuy
    Thanks GPG and Ferg. But I am here in the US for many years, and this work is not as appreciated so I need to at least find a new hobby. I think I have a head start. I graduated from an art university in French Belgium. But as I said, transferring what I have to leather is another story. I will order the Hackbarth set tomorrow, and hopefully someone can give me more clues to fill out a reasonable set. What are Hide Crafter tools like?
  14. EngraverGuy
    I am 65 years old. I am a former gun engraver from Europe, Fabrique Nationale', and the USA. I am pretty good as I never finished worse than 2nd in the National Engraver Guild competitions. I do 13 different styles of floral work. So the floral aspects should come quickly. The layout should be a non-issue. The shading perspective as well. But the tools are entirely different. The application of the tools is entirely different. I am wondering if anyone can recommend about 20 stamps to get started. I do not mean the manufacturer, but the veiner, background, camouflage, etc. I will not buy Tandy. I live near the FT. Worth shop so convenience and price is not an issue. * I would like to also include a couple of basketweave stamps in this. 18-22 would be ideal. * I planned to focus on Barry King and ProCrafters especially for the basket-weaves. But size is an issue? * Maybe the Gomph Hackbarth set of 15 for $145 is a starting point. If the Hackbarth set sounds like a good idea, then perhaps let's add 15 more? Thanks much! I had to give up engraving so this really helps the 'ole man, Steve (P.S. I got the tapered Barry King 14oz mallet and his swivel knife)
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