Engraving

[Dan Fruth]

I am baffled as to how this dot pattern was cut. Any suggestions?
http://www.sitemason.com/gallery/cGfwvS?id=92051

[Ky-Flinter]

Dan,

I'm thinking each dot or ball was formed with a punch.  Like a nail set punch with a round cavity in the face of the punch.  If you enlarge the picture to the max there are some places that look like they were formed by the outside of the punch.  Really looks good.

-Ron

[Marcruger]

I agree Ron.  Didn't David Crisalli do a tutorial on one of his builds where he shows how he did that around a breech?  God Bless,   Marc

[Dan Fruth]

I thought about a punch as well. Use a ball mill to drill a dimple in a piece of 01 square stock and harden it. I'll try to find the Crisalli post....Thanks

[Marcruger]

Going to run a bead of pearls around one of your fine ball puller/worm combos?   I'll need mine upgraded.    God Bless,   Marc

[Dan Fruth]

Hey Mark...Good idea!....I'm thinking of making the barrel I posted for an English walnut stocked turkey gun. Build it for spec. Sounds like fun

[Bill Raby]

This will do it. https://www.riogrande.com/product/busch-beading-tools/341522gp

[Jim Kibler]

I think you'll have to rough out the balls somewhat with a standard square graver then come back with the punch to help true things up.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Jim's correct.  First, cut squares, then knock off the corners to make octagonals.  The engraving is fine and intricate, requiring a light touch and delicate patience.  John Schippers describes it in his book "Historic Firearms Engraving"...a splendid reference work.

[jerrywh]

These can be punched or cut or both. In most cases it requires both. First punch and then cleaned up with a graver.

[davec2]

I like the look of beaded borders and I'm not sure how one is supposed to make them.  However, what I did here was to cut four parallel lines with a graver spaced as you see the edges of the molding.  With jeweler's files, I shaped the center convex area and deepen the engraved lines to form two ridges with a narrow (0.020") wide top.  I then make perpendicular cuts in those ridges with the graver leaving a line of little squares.  Then I clip the corners to make octagons.

I go back and punch each of the octagon with a small hammer and a beading punch large enough to cover the top of the octagon. Once the octagon is rounded up a bit, I go back over each one with a slightly smaller punch.  This leaves a nicely formed bead.  Easy to do on most mild steel, brass, silver, gold, etc. 

If the beads are small enough you can just punch then without all the preparatory engraving to make octagons and then, as Jerry says, you can clean up any excess metal with a graver.

[Dan Fruth]

Thanks to all for the direction....Now to the bench!

[T*O*F]

I thought about a punch as well. Use a ball mill to drill a dimple in a piece of 01 square stock and harden it.

Not necessary.  Just get a piece of drill rod of the size you want your dimple to be and use a regular drill bit to drill it.  Then harden and temper.

Pictured is a commercial set used for dimpling the white space in engraving and also a larger one I made as described above.