no internal detailing is going to look good if the spine or backbone/spiral has lumps, bumps, or irregularities. i'd first concentrate on doing as perfect a spine as possable. far easier to detail a good spiral than a wonky one. the results will always look better. just keep drawing.
without a bit of a border, yer graver will go off into infinity. as previously mentioned, cut the design. then, and only then, will your design skills show their true nature.there's one substitute for practice: do more practice on odd shapes, even difficult, crazy shapes. this will enhance yer...
use a bit of hot melt glue. glue the plate onto a smaller block of wood. put a few drops of water on a known flat such as plate glass. then apply a sheet of wet/or dry paper of the correct grit. unless you're using heavy pressure, the paper will adhere to the glass. this has worked for me. when...
you can find a lot of stuff by sam alfano right here. you see, he's the guy that owns this forum. the guy we all pay homage to every night. no distractions from him, as his videos and info are straight to the point with no glitter or fluff. even engraving as a hobby will take much practice and...
this forum is for hand enravers. some of us do use pantographs for certain applications. i use pantos, laser, and cnc machines,as well as engrving by hand. send me a pm with yer phone #. i can set you off in the right direction.
i usually use a 9h mechanical lead holder. i use a pointer to give the lead a very fine tip. i have also used real thin sharpie pens. depends on what i'm workin on. sam alfano advised using 9h pencils. his are wood. i got mine on the bay.i got maybe 30 or so leads for 7 us bucks.
i was trained in the use of a, "bar" rifle. was a full auto, a real beast, not too good for going after deer and such. if memory serves, i think it was 30.06 caliber. i'd love to see fotos when you're finished with the job.
i aint jealous a bit. so far i have been given three jun-airs.!! 2 were double heads. one was a single head which was new in its original crate. i ended up doing an engraving for a dude that installs new, and repairs or scraps old medical lab equipment. he gave me the two doubles.
i think the smaller ends should be a tad larger. you, or at least i had to draw till such became automatic. several hundred more and they will be better. if you have to think about drawing a scroll, you'll likely mess it up. with experience at the bench, on an actual job, if there's a...