in the thread I posted showing "The Griffin", Dave Rase mentioned to me that he'd like to see a photo of my scrimshaw tools. I use Coulter precision tips for most of the work. I've turned handles to hold the tips.
from the bottom: a small pen like xacto knife that I use to cut lines when i need a clear sharp line or when cutting across grain.
a 30 degree point which makes a deep hole with a very small diameter at the surface. I use it for fine shading. The tip is too brittle to scratch with; it will fracture. However, you cannot see that it's fractured except under the microscope.
a 35 degree point for shading. You can scratch with this one but I've had these tips fracture as well.
a 40 degree point. I use this for a lot of things. The point is beefy enough to scratch with, yet small enough to use for shading.
a 50 degree point. Mostly used for scratching. Often used when I am describing a line with dots.
a 60 degree point Mostly used for scratching. I use it mostly when I need a thick dark line.
the business end of my stippling machine. You can control both the strength and the speed of the strike. It is foot pedal activated. I use it almost exclusively to do black, shade large areas with uniform color or when I need to make a heavy dark line with dots. I can't control it well enough to use it for much else.
Here's a photo of my engraving setup. The box with the blue front is the control for the stippling pen.
I have a small ranch so I'm fortunate to have a separate outbuilding where I do my engraving and have a wood shop where I make the horns in another outbuilding (which is why it looks so clean).
