On another thread, JerryWH made a comment about youngsters doing engraving in the 17th & 18th century. I added the following post but thought it might be better as a stand alone......
On the subject of young engravers:
In 1978 I was a junior officer aboard a Navy destroyer on a western Pacific deployment. We had been in and out of the US Naval base at Subic Bay. One day as I was on the pier, there was a small boy with a little portable work bench doing something for a sailor from another ship. I walked over to see what was up and the lad was engraving brass belt buckles. He asked me if I wanted a buckle. I asked how long it would take... and he said about 20 minutes ! He had a small vice, a single square (obviously home made) graver, a sharpening stone, and a little hammer. This is what he engraved for me…..in about 20 minutes. He wanted $5……I gave him $20. He smiled a lot. I asked him how old he was. He was 9.
