Another Coin

[steichman]

This my first stab at carving any type of coin. I could use all the pointers i could get. I have about four hours in this so far and more to go. I took full advantage of the mass this coin had to offer as i like a very sculpted look. The back ground was removed with a flat, small punches were used to push material arround as best i could. to polish i burnished and used a hard wood dowell that was 1/8" with fine diamond lap, this was run in a small dremell like tool with oil. I hope this image is good enough quality to get feed back.

Thanks

Stephen Teichman

 

[Don Cowles]

Looks like you're well on your way, Stephen- excellent first effort!

 

[Mike Cirelli]

You got the hang of it. Some of my coins have as many as 20 hours or more into them. They can take some time once you start refining detail. Keep up the good work.

 

[monk]

i like your "attitude" on this one! if you use punches, does that affect the reverse side to any degree ?

 

[coincutter]

Stephen,

Considering the tools and the processes you employed I would say you should be very proud of yourself. This is a very impressive first attempt at coin sculpture as opposed to coin engraving.

Clever approach. Good balance, design, and layout. Interesting choice of subject. I don't think I have seen a giraffe portrayed as well.

Nice work on the stipple for the color variation in the fur. Great depth. Accurate redition.

Pointers:

Don't ding the rim existing lettering and date. Keep your design within those boundries if possible. Once the date or lettering has been whacked the coin is generally classified as an "art piece" and may or may not fetch as high a dollar depending on the image and the collectors tastes. But usually it is safest to stay with in those confines for an adequate return on your time investment.

A relatively pricey coin can be cut in just a matter of minutes once the skills are in place but four to five hours is about right to spend on a quality sculptured piece if you are planning to do it for money and enjoyment. Speed comes with time and tools, but fancy tools are not a necessity as you have proven. You can spend too much time on a coin and over do it quite easily. Deciding when to quit is always hard to do. Keep in mind the scale of the piece you are working on. It is not necessary to include every detail. Whatever it takes to fool the eye is sufficient. Do a little research on google images re broze work and see how little detail is included/required in major pieces and you will have a feel for what I am referring to.

The nape hair doesn't need to be as sharp as you have it now as it is further from the nose of the animal. In this style of sculpture you have chosen, concentrate your focus on the leading edges and decrease the sharpness of detail as the image recedes.

Try burnishing the hair so that it gives a visual suggestion of it's presence as opposed to each hair being individually defined by a graver stroke. You will gain more illusion of depth in this way and effectively do less work. By leaving the cuts as they are you are employing to contrasting differnt styles of work in one piece. That can be visually confusing to many.

Keeping the major elements of the coin intact front and rear makes the collectors happier but as it stands now I believe you have a salable piece of art work even though the backside of the coin no longer exists.

However as you move into older nickels many times there is so little left it makes no diference but I would venture to say only for this deep punch style technique. The metal in the older coins often responds better to your technique than the coin you are working with now.

While it is a salable piece were I you I would hang on to it for a while.

After you have cut a few coins and built a reputation, as I am sure you will, your first pieces will be more valuable. If not only to yourself, then certainly to the collectors should you decide to pursue the art form. Reserving your early works will also give you a way of tracking your progression.

It seems you have been severly bitten by the nickel bug. Keep up the good work.
SLE N.I.C.E.

 

[steichman]

Thank you so much for the helpfull reply! This web site has so much talent i can"t belive it.Any of us can go to our mothers if we want sombody to tell us it looks good. ( though a pat on the back is nice!)These are great pointers, and know doubt will be of great help.
Now some dumb questions this was carved on the "face side" of the coin is this the front?. this coin was beat and i did not help it with the fixture i started with. I machined a nicer holding method half way through this project as it kept flipping out of my holder. Thanks again for thaing the time to give such a helpfull reply.

Stephen

 

[coincutter]

obverse "head" and reverse "tail"

I never blow smoke if someone wants comments about coin work

http://www.engravingforum.com/showthread.php?t=709
this may help some more re holding carving etc etc

holding them little suckers can be tricky
if they flip out chances are you are trying to take off or move too much metal at one time







s

 

[steichman]

great link, thanks