How do I get line varietion in my engraving?

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I am somewhat new to engraving. I use gravers with chasing hammers, as I have a lot of trouble controling palm gravers. My problem is that most of my line work looks very similar. How do I get variation of line thicknes to add more interest to the engraving?

[smart dog]

Hi Micah,
There are several ways.  First, you can angle the chisel up a tiny bit which will make the cut go in deeper.  However, you have to be careful that you don't bury the graver too deeply so that it cannot cut any further.  Be gentle and gradually deepen a cut.  Another way is to cut the line again to deepen and widen it.  That is probably the best solution.  A third option, which is useful for scrolls and curves, is to simply angle the graver over on its side slightly as you cut. That will widen the line.  I also use gravers ground at different angles to get different line widths.  For example, with fine detail and shading I use a graver that has a 90 degree cross section.  However, I often use a graver with a 110 degree cross section for borders where I want a thicker line.

dave

[David Rase]

My preferred method is to go deeper to widen my lines.  My secondary method is to lean the engraver over.  The reason I like to go deeper is that I feel it adds a the dimension of depth and makes the engraving look slightly 3 dimensional.  Not every situation allows for going deeper, that is when I use the leaning method.  For shading I combine the two.  I find the burr of the previous cut, catch the tip of my engraver on it, lean it slightly and work my way deeper as I move towards the more heavily shadowed area.
DMR