Question: Engravers Cafe vs Engraving Bench - Hand Engraving Tips & Techniques

[Chujybear]

Forum over Facebook 1oo percent... i am not interested in broadcasting the conversations on here to all the folk i know.. for that matter, i don't log on to Fb lest i hear what else might be being broadcast.. this curated space is what i like.. haven't had much to offer lately because I've been making a movie these last few years,,.. but have faithfully read through all that time.. doing a bit of engraving these days.. but a few wood projects to deal with first.

 

[sam]

Everyone has Facebook on their mobile phone and they're there anyway yakking with friends and family, so it's a seamless experience to check the engraving groups, photography groups, or the tidily wink collectors group.

For information archiving and retrieval, the internet forum is the gold standard.

 

[sam]

Then there's Instagram photo hosting. It's not a discussion forum per se, but it's very powerful. There's no place for archiving information, but it has enabled artists in remote corners of the globe to attain celebrity status by having a place to show the world what they can do, all from the convenience of their mobile phone.

Welcome to the future, folks.

 

[SamW]

"Everyone has Facebook on their mobile phone..."

However, not everyone has a mobile phone...

S

 

[Southern Custom]

So this is a bit late but I'm actually visiting here because of an article Scott Pilkington posted on Facebook about the death of small online art communities. I wanted to see for myself if that was the case and indeed things have slowed down here. I still believe the Cafe is valuable resource. I still send beginners here. But the bottom line is that Facebook, Youtube, and instagram grab our attention with notification functions that tie directly to our phones and computers.
This is wonderful in some ways but also dilutes the quality of the discussion in my opinion. The cafe has always been a place of learning. I regularly tell folks that even though I run a youtube channel about engraving, you can't learn engraving from a youtube video. Or from a facebook post. But as a teacher, I need to go where the students are and If I want to help beginners, especially younger beginners, Facebook is where you'll find them. And truth be told, without some guidance from experienced engravers, the Facebook crowd would be in dire straights with the blind leading the blind. That's not hard to see. Post anything that looks vaguely "swirly" and cut in steel and you'll get a hundred pats on the back no matter how poorly conceived and executed. But there's no denying that there exists an eager and vibrant community of artists there who could use the help of seasoned veterans.
I believe the Cafe will settle into it's own as a repository of information for those that want to take the next step with regard to learning engraving skills and I"m glad it's still here. As for platforms like youtube, I jumped in because I wanted to offer a glimpse into the studio of an actual professional engraver so that beginners looking for information there would have a benchmark. It was never my intention to run a how to channel. That's what classrooms are for. What I can do is offer some insight and extra help to those who are already engaged in learning the craft from a more formal source. There is simply far to much information to convey that Youtube isn't the platform for it.

 

[Jonathan.Silas]

I just know that FB will never be the kind of place that Don Foggs old forum was, or the iron brush, or our own cafe. Literally some of the top subject matter experts in the world taking time out to talk with rank amateurs like myself. Even 30 years ago the kind of knowledge available here was something only discussed between masters and apprentices, or between equals who shared a love of art for arts own sake. Now a hick from Kentucky can get feedback on graver geometry from a world class artist half a nation away. I cant properly verbalize how thankful I am to have this kind of resource available.

 

[mitch]

enjoy it while it lasts, Jonathan. FB is "McDonald-izing" the internet, but unlike Mickey-D's, they're putting all the other restaurants out of business.

Sam, how long before participation on the Cafe drops off to the point where pledge membership falls below a level you can justify the hosting fees & your time? This place used to be an absolute bargain at $50/yr for all the info, photos, etc., but lately it's been a ghost town.

 

[Eugene Carkoski]

I prefer the forums , facebook is quick but I think there time is limited

 

[sam]

enjoy it while it lasts, Jonathan. FB is "McDonald-izing" the internet, but unlike Mickey-D's, they're putting all the other restaurants out of business.

Sam, how long before participation on the Cafe drops off to the point where pledge membership falls below a level you can justify the hosting fees & your time? This place used to be an absolute bargain at $50/yr for all the info, photos, etc., but lately it's been a ghost town.

That's a good question. I've spent a small fortune in time and cash with this forum over the course of 13 years, and Pledge Memberships and advertisers have certainly helped defray some of the costs.

 

[cossan512]

I dislike everything about FB & have never & will never use it for anything. When I look at the work that ppl who post here have done I am AMAZED. I am very glad this forum exists. Thank you Sam for continuing to host it. I hope one day I can get good enough to make some money & become a supporting member.