Blunderbuss #4, ...DONE !!!

[davec2]

Tim,

Thanks for the "Bravo Zulu".....I like the nautical flair...

Ed,

 I didn't know what you meant by the "rope effect"....then I looked at the picture.  Talk about photos being deceptive at times.....the "rope effect" is some sort of weird lighting phenomenon over my engraving bench      Here is another picture of the ram rod pipes as they really are:



But I LIKE the rope effect......now I just have to figure out how to do with a graver rather than trick photography !

P.S.  I sent you an email to the "wipingstick" address I had.  Did you get it ?

[Ed Wenger]

That's funny..., still look awesome!!


         Ed

[davec2]

One of the more tedious jobs.....I had to finish polishing the butt plate before the engraving goes on.  I take the polish to this level and then knock it back some after the engraving is in place.  And what looks like a black gap there at the edge of the plate return is just polishing compound I didn't wipe off before I put the plate back on the stock to make sure the fit was still good.

[davec2]

Breech plug engraving in work and then completed....

[Ed Wenger]

Beautiful work as always, Dave!  Thanks for posting!


         Ed

[smart dog]

Perfection!  Thanks for posting the photos.

dave

[Mick C]

Spectacular.  Loving following the progress.

[smart dog]

Hi Dave,
I am very curious about using Dykem layout blue.  I really like the stuff but have not used it to lay out engraving. Do you scribe your designs in freehand?  Do you find that better than using some sort of transfer lacquer and designs printed on transparency or paper?

dave

[James Rogers]

Hi Dave,
I am very curious about using Dykem layout blue.  I really like the stuff but have not used it to lay out engraving. Do you scribe your designs in freehand?  Do you find that better than using some sort of transfer lacquer and designs printed on transparency or paper?

dave

I was just about to send a personal message to Dave about this very thing!! My problem would be the repetitive drawing it takes me to get my curves correct.  Scribing the straight lines no problem but tendrils and leaves and vines oh my!. Is there a secret to transferring on Dykem you can share?

[davec2]

David, James,

I started using the Dykem a while ago.  I don't transfer anything to it, I just sketch the design on the Dykem surface very, very lightly with a sharp scribe.  Boarder lines I mark out with a very small set of dividers.  I do the spacing on the nick and dot cuts "by eyeball" (close enough).  Straight lines I scribe with a thick piece of mylar that I scribe some 90 degree lines across to use a reference when I need it.  I also cut the end of the mylar strip at a true 45 degrees so I can lay out things like a compass rose, etc.  The cross hatched areas I do a couple of different ways.  The one on the breach plug here was done by sketching the very slight curve that forms one side of the triangular area.  I cut that and then hand sketch a matching curve on the other side.  The cross hatched area is laid out one line at a time by using the small divider again.  One point rides in the existing cut and marks out the next line inboard.  I cut that line and then repeat the process until all the lines in one direction are cut and then I start on the opposite side.  Sounds laborious but it goes fast.

The scrolls are a different matter and I am not always happy with them.  I scribe them very lightly free hand. The scribe lines are always lumpy, but I roughly lay out the size of the scroll I want and the area to be covered.  Then I just start cutting....I really do not follow the lumpy line and it seems to be easier for me to cut the scroll fairly well even though it is not drawn very precisely.  Hard to explain... but I will take some photos of what the sketch looks like when I start and then what the cut scrolls come out like.

For repetative things that have to be the same, I use a trick Jerry Huddleston taught me.  I cut or draw one of the designs I want to duplicate.  Then put a thin piece of mylar over the design and trace it with a scribe.  The scribe cuts into the mylar enough to retain some of the thick printers ink I rub into the scribe line.  I then flip it over to where I want the matching design and burnish the inked line with a polished burnisher.  This will transfer enough ink to the surface to be able to see it and cut the matching design.  The way I just described it is the way I do mirror images.  If the designs need to be the same. I scribe the cut in the mylar on both sides so I can transfer a duplicate design or a mirror image design.

I have dabbled with a lot of transfer methods using a computer but none of those have worked very well for me.  They all depend on specific printers that get outdated and then the system doesn't work any more....at least for me.  The best was the trick of using a laser jet printer and acetone to transfer a design.  But I don't have a laser jet printer any longer.  So everything I do is mostly free hand sketches that get cleaned up (more or less) with the graver.

I will take some pictures as I do the butt plate and barrel.

[Ed Wenger]

Thanks, Dave!  I’d be very interested in the Mylar method you described.  I’ve had pretty much the same experiences as you when it comes to printers and transfer methods.  I typically just draw a design in pencil, then go back over it with a drafting pen.  These pens have a thin wire plunger that allows the ink to flow.  The ones I use are in the .03” or .05” range and make a very fine line.  Best,

Ed

[B.Barker]

Very fine work Dave.

[davec2]

Mr. Barker.....thank you.  I appreciate the vote of confidence.

Ed....I need to do a bunch of that transfer method on the barrel.  I will take pictures and explain as I go.

[davec2]

Ed,

As promised.  Here are some pictures of the transfer technique Jerry H taught me........I don't do it as capably as he does, but I can make it work for me......OK, here goes....

This is a piece of the engraving I did on the barrel quite some time ago and that I want to duplicate at another place on the barrel.  In this picture, I have all ready taped down a piece of clear mylar film over the lower portion of the design I want to copy:



In this next photo I am using a scribe to cut into the mylar surface tracing the major components of the design:



Here is the scribed tracing of the design with as much detail as I need to get it placed and transferred.  I don't try to get every little detail on the tracing.



This is the very thick ink I use for the next step.  This is a several year old can.  The surface skins over deeply and it looks like the ink is no good any longer.  But if I jam a coffee stirring stick through the skin and deep into the can, I can always come up with fresh ink.



Getting ready to ink the scribe lines:



Inking the scribe lines:



Excess ink wiped off with a paper towel.....not too hard but clean enough to keep the ink from squeezing out too much:



The mylar is now flipped ink side down and taped into place on the barrel where I want the design duplicated.  (Since this design is symmetrical, flipping it over it is just the same design.  If the design was not symmetrical, and I wanted it to look the same as the original, I would retrace the underside of the mylar and ink that side.)



Burnishing the inked lines with a smooth burnisher:



The design transferred to the surface to be engraved:



This is the thicker mylar ruler I made for myself to help with layouts....the blue tape on the end makes it easier to find the clear plastic piece lying in all the junk on my bench !!! 



Close view showing the perpendicular and 45 degree scribed lines on the mylar strip:



I used the mylar ruler to re-scribe the straight lines of the triangular portion of the design and then made those first two outline cuts.  In this photo, I am using the small dividers to scribe parallel lines:



Half of the overall design cut:



Major portion of the design cut:



Start of the cross hatched area:



Completed duplicate design:



Original design I was trying to copy:



All in all, to duplicate this little design took me about 30 minutes, including stopping to take pictures.  I'm not a fast engraver.....but I'm not a slow engraver.....I'm just sort of a "half fast" engraver....

I hope this helps explain how this works......

[smart dog]

Hi Dave,
Thank you.  That was very helpful.

dave

[Ed Wenger]

Dave..., thank you (and Jerry) very much for the great tutorial and information!  That’s a simple, yet very affective method, and can’t wait to give it a go.  Thanks very much!!  Best,


         Ed

[lost arrow 801]

This is amazing. Through skill and art and created something extraordinary. Just wonderful 

[Tim Crosby]

 That is Really neat, Great Pix and clear writ-up. You must be steady as a Rock.

  Tim

[davec2]

Been too busy to get much done on this blunderbuss....and I am anxious to finish it as I have at least 6 other rifles and pistols started and on the bench awaiting work.  Anyway, I did have a chance to finish up the thumb piece engraving per the customer's request.......



Back to work on the butt plate and final barrel engraving.

[bama]

Very nice work Dave and thanks for sharing your transfer method.

[hawkeye]

love the detailed engraving you do Dave

[davec2]

A month has gone by.....again.....life has a way of intruding.  A close friend (younger than me and in much better physical condition) passed away very unexpectedly....funeral arrangements, helping his family, food preparation for visiting family....since most of us are well past the middle of our projected life cycles, I'm sure I'm not telling you guys anything you don't know.  Then work rears its ugly head again (but I have become addicted to eating.....so off to work I go.....)  Nonetheless, I did have a few minutes to start the engraving on the butt plate for this gun.  The first photo relates to earlier questions about using Dykem for laying out engraving.  I applied the Dykem but then just sketched with a scribe (very lightly) the design I wanted to engrave:



This second photo is the initial engraving.....not finished by a long shot, but all the major pieces are in place.  I will go back over the design, straighten out a few things, and then complete the shading:



I'm off to Tennessee for a couple of weeks (house there needs a new roof).  No rest for the wicked....and the good don't need it !

Dave C

[SingleMalt]

Dave, I worked in printing for longer than I care to admit, and I think almost any printer's ink would be suitable for your transfer method.  Most shops would likely just give you a small amount, like 4 to 6 ounces.

[Mick C]

@!*%!!!  Can I say that on here? It was my first thought when seeing those pictures.

[davec2]

Single Malt,

Thanks for the idea.  I bought a tub of printers ink to do this originally and I can still use it, but I have to dig through a very solid, very thick top layer to find some usable ink.  I will try getting a smaller amount from a print shop.

Mick C,

Thanks...this is a link to a finished one of these I did a while ago...This one is taking so much time, I'm not sure any of us will live long enough to see this gun finished !!!

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=38909.0