"Fascinating to learn about the watercolor. That does make sense, but I would have expected something else, like a transfer of some kind."
The watercolor is used when hand drawing letters on the piece. But most engravers probably do use a transfer technique. For me I use an inkjet printer and transfer liquid to put the image on the piece. There are a lot of posts here about it.
Most of my work is still hand drawn on the piece. Its just faster that way.
But I'm using the transfer method extensively for certain pieces. When I have to put an inscription on a picture frame I draw the inscription in a sketchbook and send it to the customer for approval. If it has to be made larger or wider its an easy matter of using a photo editing program to manage the image. If there is a correction to the original drawing its an easy matter of erasing and re-drawing. I could do this on the piece but it means re-drawing on the silver and the possibility of scratching the surface which then has to be cleaned up.
And when I'm doing a complicated monogram on a small piece the pencil lead is not precise enough. So I draw the monogram large to get it looking right and then transfer the image over.
When you get paid by the piece the time spent laying out the image is important.
There are multiple cuts at the bottom of the lower case letter if you are using different shaped tools to do the letter. Or not. When I learned to engrave I was taught to use the square graver to do script lettering. A square graver has a v shaped point at the cutting end. Its called a square graver because its made from a square shaped rod. If held completely upright it makes a thin cut. If leaned over it makes a beveled bright cut. So you could use this one tool to do all the cutting. Leaned over to make the bright wide cuts and then drawn back upright to make the lead in cut at the bottom. Its possible to make it all in one cut.
But I taught myself to use multiple tools. I use a flat tool to make the wide stem cuts, and a thin square tool to make the lead it cut at the bottom.
allan
The watercolor is used when hand drawing letters on the piece. But most engravers probably do use a transfer technique. For me I use an inkjet printer and transfer liquid to put the image on the piece. There are a lot of posts here about it.
Most of my work is still hand drawn on the piece. Its just faster that way.
But I'm using the transfer method extensively for certain pieces. When I have to put an inscription on a picture frame I draw the inscription in a sketchbook and send it to the customer for approval. If it has to be made larger or wider its an easy matter of using a photo editing program to manage the image. If there is a correction to the original drawing its an easy matter of erasing and re-drawing. I could do this on the piece but it means re-drawing on the silver and the possibility of scratching the surface which then has to be cleaned up.
And when I'm doing a complicated monogram on a small piece the pencil lead is not precise enough. So I draw the monogram large to get it looking right and then transfer the image over.
When you get paid by the piece the time spent laying out the image is important.
There are multiple cuts at the bottom of the lower case letter if you are using different shaped tools to do the letter. Or not. When I learned to engrave I was taught to use the square graver to do script lettering. A square graver has a v shaped point at the cutting end. Its called a square graver because its made from a square shaped rod. If held completely upright it makes a thin cut. If leaned over it makes a beveled bright cut. So you could use this one tool to do all the cutting. Leaned over to make the bright wide cuts and then drawn back upright to make the lead in cut at the bottom. Its possible to make it all in one cut.
But I taught myself to use multiple tools. I use a flat tool to make the wide stem cuts, and a thin square tool to make the lead it cut at the bottom.
allan
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