Engraving Tools

[Acer Saccharum]

Your mention of a vise setup you can walk around caught my attention. Can you elaborate more on this type of setup?

E, I don't have a vise on a post. Others do, and perhaps they will post some photos of their setups.

If you have Schipper's book on engraving, he's got a good setup of a vise up on a post.

For engraving a longrifle with the patchbox mounted on the gun, it's impractical to rotate the work. So you've got to move around the work. Plant your feet and start cutting. When you can't cut anymore of the curve without straining your back or bending your wrist way out of normal range, stop and move your feet to reposition your body. Before you move your feet, set the heel of your graver hand on the work so you don't change the angle of the chisel. This needs a lot of practice in order to cut curves without 'elbows' in them. While this might seem complicated and fraught with pitfalls, it becomes second nature with practice.

[old dog]

Thank all of you very much.  I had reviewed John Schipper's book several times and had already had a strong appreciation for sharp tools.  I am sure some of us don't realize not everyone can stand for long hours and walk around a vise.  I have the Lindsay sharpening set and some Glensteel 3/32 blanks.  I am getting pretty good at turning up some ribbons of brass, which I consider progress but I know I have a long way to go.  I have watched some of Sam's videos and I believe I saw a list of gun graving tools recommended by Acer on the Lindsay site.  I looked at the Air Graver yesterday.  It's hard to justify that kind of expense in my mind for a hobby that I have no aspiration to make any money at.  Always good to hear from a guy who knows his craft.
Old Dog

[Not English]

I'll chime in as well. I learned gun making from Bruce Lepage. There is absolutely nothing more advantageous than to be able to watch a master engraver in person. I took over Bruce's class when he moved to northern Wi. My "chicken scratchings" will never approach his engraving skills, but I learned a lot of good techniques and how to sharpen and to fabricate hand gravers.

Davde

[Hungry Horse]

 The best advice I can give a new gun builder, engraving their first gun is, avoid long straight non-flared cuts like the plague. They are incredibly hard for a seasoned professional to pull off successfully. Learn to tilt your graver to get a nice even flare, and yes we all find it easier to flair one direction than the other, it takes practice. Short stop cuts, crosshatch shading, and even wriggle work, can take a basic pattern to the next level, so make some practice pieces using these techniques. These fill in techniques make a relatively simple design appear more complicated. Train your eye to disassembly engraved work, to calculate the steps required to duplicate it. Good luck.

  Hungry Horse

[JTR]

Old dog, another good practice medium is cold rolled mild steel. It's flat, smooth and clean, and cuts like butter.
I had a metal supply place cut a bunch 2" x 5" x 1/16", and it was less than 10 bucks.

[old dog]

I'll make a note of that.  How thick?  I have several pieces of brass I got from Track.  By the way:  Does anyone collect brass scraps for reprocessing?
OD

[JTR]

1/16 " is plenty thick.
Give it a try!
John