Nimschke scroll for practice

[sam]

I've made a vector file of this Nimschke scroll for my students and thought I'd share it with the forum members. I've referred to this scroll many times, so you can print this out and transfer for practice. Click here to download the vector file which fits neatly on a 2" practice plate.

The background can be stippled or beaded like Nimschke's. Whatever you prefer.

Note Nimschke's tapered and beveled cuts. His engraving has depth and character which I see lacking in a lot of work.

Post your results if you like!

.SVG version here

 

[Gary Malone]

Thanks for the file Sam, will put it to use after the holidays.

 

[AliAtiyabi]

It's a beautiful work Sam,

 

[Roger Bleile]

As a historian of gun engraving, I am often asked to authenticate alleged Nimschke engraved guns. Many are fakes, some are by other period engravers whose work looks similar, and some are by the hand of the master himself. The first two things that stand out to me in a genuine LDN are the concentricity of his backbone spirals and the skilled way that he bevels, or if you prefer, flares his cuts.

I do not critique the work of beginners or give technical or artistic advice on this forum. There are others here that are probably more qualified and willing to take on, mostly thankless, tasks. That said, the primary thing to get right is the perfection of the spirals that you draw and cut. If your spirals are "wonky" nothing else you do will make the scrolls look right. When cutting your scrolls, the way you flare your cuts will make the difference between a lifeless looking decoration and a dynamic ornamentation. One of the things that makes hand engraving stand out from the mass produced etching, laser cutting, stamping, and roll die impressing often found on guns is the way the cuts flare and taper. All of this can be found in the study of L. D. Nimschke's work.

Thanks Sam for providing this useful learning tool and your instruction on these issues.

 

[Frank P]

thanks Sam
is it possible to get it on a svg.file other than PS,file for those people like me who have not the Photoshop program?

 

[sam]

thanks Sam
is it possible to get it on a svg.file other than PS,file for those people like me who have not the Photoshop program?

Frank: The file is an .eps file which as far as I know has the most compatibility with graphics softwares. But I'm sure I can output to .svg for you. I will do that asap...I'm teaching today.

 

[sam]

If your spirals are "wonky" nothing else you do will make the scrolls look right. When cutting your scrolls, the way you flare your cuts will make the difference between a lifeless looking decoration and a dynamic ornamentation. One of the things that makes hand engraving stand out from the mass produced etching, laser cutting, stamping, and roll die impressing often found on guns is the way the cuts flare and taper. All of this can be found in the study of L. D. Nimschke's work.

Thank you Roger, for explaining this so clearly. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way about the importance of flaring and tapering cuts.

 

[Frank P]

thanks Maestro... no hurry.... happy teaching!!!

 

[rmgreen]

Roger - Made me feel guilty!!!!!! "Thankless Job" To all of you who have offered suggestions, comments, and other kinds of helpful words of wisdoms I for sure am one who much appreciates your selfless help. I wish for all of you a Safe and the Best of Holidays. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mitch]

but what if you're not left-handed?

 

[Mike Fennell]

Repent and convert. Only lefties are in their right minds.

 

[Big-Un]

Repent and convert. Only lefties are in their right minds.

But what does that say about those ambidextrous folks, likes me? I'll answer my own question....totally messed up!!!

 

[Roger Bleile]

I don't know how the subject of left handedness came into this thread but to return to the original subject, I have attached below an example of a Nimschke fake. You will notice how flat the work looks because the cuts are not flared to any degree.

 

[Roger Bleile]

The examples below are authentic Nimschke engravings. You will note the strong use of flared cuts. Keep in mind that LDN was a high production engraver who probably never had the use of any magnification, much less a microscope.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Roger,I have a friend who has a .22 cal. pistol he believes was engraved by Nimschke next time I get with him I'll take a better look at the engraving for flared cuts,thanks for sharing the photos. J.J.

 

[sam]

Superb examples, Roger!! I never get tired of studying Nimschke, which I think was probably the best production work in the history of gun engraving. You can tell by the hammer blows that he was getting after it!

 

[sam]

Frank P: I have updated my original post with a downloadable .svg version of the file.

 

[mitch]

I don't know how the subject of left handedness came into this thread

just because of previous discussions regarding the relative ease or difficulty of cutting clockwise/counter-clockwise depending on which hand you use. the scroll Sam posted would be more natural for a lefty.

 

[FANCYGUN]

Roger
Do you think those flared cuts are done with a flat graver or a rolled V tool?

 

[sam]

Roger
Do you think those flared cuts are done with a flat graver or a rolled V tool?

I was wondering that too, Marty. I vote flat. What do you think?